Tech
Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm
The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth.
Seattle Public Schools filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court. The 91-page complaint says the social media companies have created a public nuisance by targeting their products to children.
It blames them for worsening mental health and behavioral disorders including anxiety, depression, disordered eating and cyberbullying; making it more difficult to educate students; and forcing schools to take steps such as hiring additional mental health professionals, developing lesson plans about the effects of social media, and providing additional training to teachers.
“Defendants have successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth, hooking tens of millions of students across the country into positive feedback loops of excessive use and abuse of Defendants’ social media platforms,” the complaint said. “Worse, the content Defendants curate and direct to youth is too often harmful and exploitive ....”
Meta, Google, Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.
While federal law — Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — helps protect online companies from liability arising from what third-party users post on their platforms, the lawsuit argues that provision does not protect the tech giants' behavior in this case.
“Plaintiff is not alleging Defendants are liable for what third-parties have said on Defendants’ platforms but, rather, for Defendants’ own conduct,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants affirmatively recommend and promote harmful content to youth, such as pro-anorexia and eating disorder content."
Also Read: Musk says he can't get fair trial in California, wants Texas
The lawsuit says that from 2009 to 2019, there was on average a 30% increase in the number of Seattle Public Schools students who reported feeling “so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row" that they stopped doing some typical activities.
The school district is asking the court to order the companies to stop creating the public nuisance, to award damages, and to pay for prevention education and treatment for excessive and problematic use of social media.
While hundreds of families are pursuing lawsuits against the companies over harms they allege their children have suffered from social media, it's not clear if any other school districts have filed a complaint like Seattle's.
Internal studies revealed by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021 showed that the company knew that Instagram negatively affected teenagers by harming their body image and making eating disorders and thoughts of suicide worse. She alleged that the platform prioritized profits over safety and hid its own research from investors and the public.
Musk says he can't get fair trial in California, wants Texas
Elon Musk has urged a federal judge to shift a trial in a shareholder lawsuit out of San Francisco because he says negative local media coverage has biased potential jurors against him.
Instead, in a filing submitted late Friday — less than two weeks before the trial was set to begin on Jan. 17 — Musk's lawyers argue it should be moved to the federal court in the western district of Texas. That district includes the state capital of Austin, which is where Musk relocated his electric car company, Tesla, in late 2021.
The shareholder lawsuit stems from Musk's tweets in August 2018 when he said he had sufficient financing to take Tesla private at $420 a share — an announcement that caused heavy volatility in Tesla's share price.
Read more: Over half of 17.5mn Twitter users who voted say Musk should step down as CEO
In a victory for the shareholders last spring, Judge Edward Chen ruled that Musk’s tweets were false and reckless.
If moving the trial isn’t possible, Musk’s lawyers want it postponed until negative publicity regarding the billionaire’s purchase of Twitter has died down.
“For the last several months, the local media have saturated this district with biased and negative stories about Mr. Musk,” attorney Alex Spiro wrote in a court filing. Those news items have personally blamed Musk for recent layoffs at Twitter, Spiro wrote, and have charged that the job cuts may have even violated laws.
The shareholders' attorneys emphasized the last-minute timing of the request, saying, “Musk’s concerns are unfounded and his motion is meritless.”
“The Northern District of California is the proper venue for this lawsuit and where it has been actively litigated for over four years,” attorney Nicholas Porritt wrote in an email.
The filing by Musk's attorneys also notes that Twitter has laid off about 1,000 residents in the San Francisco area since he purchased the company in late October.
Read more: Journalist suspensions widen rift between Twitter and media
“A substantial portion of the jury pool ... is likely to hold a personal and material bias against Mr. Musk as a result of recent layoffs at one of his companies as individual prospective jurors — or their friends and relatives — may have been personally impacted,” the filing said.
Musk has also been criticized by San Francisco’s mayor and other local officials for the job cuts, the filing said.
What is ChatGPT, why are schools blocking it?
Ask the new artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to write an essay about the cause of the American Civil War and you can watch it churn out a persuasive term paper in a matter of seconds.
That’s one reason why New York City school officials this week started blocking the impressive but controversial writing tool that can generate paragraphs of human-like text.
The decision by the largest U.S. school district to restrict the ChatGPT website on school devices and networks could have ripple effects on other schools, and teachers scrambling to figure out how to prevent cheating. The creators of ChatGPT say they’re also looking for ways to detect misuse.
The free tool has been around for just five weeks but is already raising tough questions about the future of AI in education, the tech industry and a host of professions.
WHAT IS CHATGPT?
ChatGPT launched on Nov. 30 but is part of a broader set of technologies developed by the San Francisco-based startup OpenAI, which has a close relationship with Microsoft.
It’s part of a new generation of AI systems that can converse, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what they’ve learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media.
But unlike previous iterations of so-called “large language models,” such as OpenAI’s GPT-3, launched in 2020, the ChatGPT tool is available for free to anyone with an internet connection and designed to be more user-friendly. It works like a written dialogue between the AI system and the person asking it questions.
Millions of people have played with it over the past month, using it to write silly poems or songs, to try to trick it into making mistakes, or for more practical purposes such as helping compose an email. All of those queries are also helping it get smarter.
WHAT ARE THE PITFALLS?
As with similar systems, ChatGPT can generate convincing prose, but that doesn’t mean what it says is factual or logical.
Its launch came with little guidance for how to use it, other than a promise that ChatGPT will admit when it’s wrong, challenge “incorrect premises” and reject requests meant to generate offensive answers. Since then, however, its popularity has led its creators to try to lower some people’s expectations.
“ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on Twitter in December.
Altman added that “it’s a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now.”
“It’s a preview of progress; we have lots of work to do on robustness and truthfulness.”
CAN IT BE USED FOR WRITING SCHOOL PAPERS?
This is what ChatGPT said when The Associated Press asked it to answer that question in all caps from the perspective of a principal shouting a brief message through a school’s PA system:
“DO NOT USE CHATGPT OR ANY OTHER AUTOMATED WRITING TOOL FOR SCHOOL PAPERS. THIS IS CHEATING AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT USING CHATGPT OR ANY OTHER AUTOMATED WRITING TOOL FOR SCHOOL PAPERS, THERE WILL BE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.”
But when asked to answer the same question on its own, ChatGPT offered this more measured warning: “As a general rule, it is not appropriate to use ChatGPT or any other automated writing tool for school papers, as it is considered cheating and does not benefit the student in the long run.”
WHAT DO SCHOOLS SAY?
Many school districts are still scrambling to figure out how to set policies on if and how it can be used.
The New York City education department said Thursday that it’s restricting access on school networks and devices because it’s worried about negative impacts on student learning, as well as “concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content.”
But there’s no stopping a student from accessing ChatGPT from a personal phone or computer at home.
“While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success,” said schools spokesperson Jenna Lyle.
HUMAN OR AI?
“To determine if something was written by a human or an AI, you can look for the absence of personal experiences or emotions, check for inconsistency in writing style, and watch for the use of filler words or repetitive phrases. These may be signs that the text was generated by an AI.”
That’s what ChatGPT told an AP reporter when asked how to tell the difference.
OpenAI said in a human-written statement this week that it plans to work with educators as it learns from how people are experimenting with ChatGPT in the real world.
“We don’t want ChatGPT to be used for misleading purposes in schools or anywhere else, so we’re already developing mitigations to help anyone identify text generated by that system,” the company said.
DOES THIS THREATEN GOOGLE?
There’s been some speculation that ChatGPT could upend the internet search business now dominated by Google, but the tech giant has been working on similar technology for years — it’s just more cautious about releasing it in the wild.
It was Google that helped jumpstart the trend for ever-bigger, ever-smarter AI language models that could be “pre-trained” on a wide body of writings. In 2018 the company introduced a system known as BERT that uses a “transformer” technique that compares words across a sentence to predict meaning and context. Some of those advances are now baked into Google searches.
But there’s no question that successive iterations of GPT — which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer — are having an impact. Microsoft has invested at least $1 billion in OpenAI and has an exclusive license to use GPT-3.
HEY CHATGPT, CAN YOU PUT ALL THIS IN A RAP?
“ChatGPT’s just a tool,
But it ain’t no substitute for school.
You can’t cheat your way to the top,
Using a machine to do your homework, you’ll flop.
Plagiarism’s a no-no,
And ChatGPT’s text is not your own, yo.
So put in the work, earn that grade,
Don’t try to cheat, it’s not worth the trade.”
Old NASA satellite falling from sky this weekend, low threat
A 38-year-old retired NASA satellite is about to fall from the sky.
NASA said Friday the chance of wreckage falling on anybody is “very low.” Most of the 5,400-pound (2,450-kilogram) satellite will burn up upon reentry, according to NASA. But some pieces are expected to survive.
The space agency put the odds of injury from falling debris at about 1-in-9,400.
The science satellite is expected to come down Sunday night, give or take 17 hours, according to the Defense Department.
Read more: NASA says spacecraft succeeded in changing asteroid’s orbit
The California-based Aerospace Corp., however is targeting Monday morning, give or take 13 hours, along a track passing over Africa, Asia the Middle East and the westernmost areas of North and South America.
.The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, known as ERBS, was launched in 1984 aboard space shuttle Challenger. Although its expected working lifetime was two years, the satellite kept making ozone and other atmospheric measurements until its retirement in 2005. The satellite studied how Earth absorbed and radiated energy from the sun.
The satellite got a special sendoff from Challenger. America's first woman in space, Sally Ride, released the satellite into orbit using the shuttle's robot arm. That same mission also featured the first spacewalk by a U.S. woman: Kathryn Sullivan. It was the first time two female astronauts flew in space together.
Read more: NASA Orion capsule safely blazes back from moon, aces test
It was the second and final spaceflight for Ride, who died in 2012.
Top 8 Flagship Smartphones Launched in 2022
2022 has been an exciting year for tech, especially for mobile devices. This was the year that can be defined as when midrange became great and flagship smartphones became even better. Regardless, the top-of-the-line from established brands has seen some serious strides in performance, camera, and the game-changing charging system. With that said, here’s our list of the most exciting flagship smartphones released in 2022 in Bangladesh.
8 Best Flagship Smartphones Released in 2022
It's important to note that most top-of-the-line high-end models don’t get officially launched in Bangladesh by the brand themselves. In those cases, the device either becomes available unofficially or through a retail distributor of the brand. For the sake of relevance, we have considered both officially and unofficially available devices.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
Released on February 2022, the S22 Ultra was the culmination of the best that Samsung had to offer. It featured a stunning Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 2K panel. The device was powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with a minimum of 8 GB RAM on board.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S22 vs S22 Plus vs S22 Ultra: Comparison of features, specs
The main camera is a 108 MP sensor coupled with a 12 MP ultrawide and two 10 MP telephoto and periscope telephoto lenses. The camera system is undoubtedly some of the best in its class. This year, the S pen has moved to the S series of a smartphone with the Ultra.
The device comes with a 5000 mAh battery on board with a 45W fast charger. The price of the Samsung Galaxy S22 5G phone is 61000 BDT and 72000 BDT for the 8/12 GB variant and 8/256 GB variant respectively.
Read More: Top 10 Most Exciting Innovations of 2022 in Technology
Vivo X80 Pro
The X line from Vivo has always been reserved for the best of the best Vivo has to offer. And last year, it was no different. Vivo launched the year’s flagship, the X80 Pro in early April.
The X80 Pro comes with a stacked 2K resolution panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Vivo used a region-specific chipset with some regions getting the 8 Gen 1 from Snapdragon. Other got the Dimensity 9000 from MediaTek. Regardless, the performance has been top-notch on both processors.
The camera also deserves special mention with its quad-sensor setup. Each camera proved its worth meaning none were added just for the sake of additional sensors. The 4700 mAh battery might be smaller for a flagship standard. But the included 80W fast charging can top up the device from zero to full in under 40 minutes.
Read More: Vivo X80 Pro 5G Review: Is it a reasonable flagship Smartphone?
The launch price of the base variant was around $813 which roughly translates to 86554 BDT (1 USD = 106 BDT).
OnePlus 10 Pro 5G
The first device from OnePlus in 2022 was their flagship, the OnePlus 10 Pro. The device had a lot of buzz around the camera system as it was the second collaboration between Hasselblad and OnePlus.
The device featured absolutely stacked specs with a quad HD display and 120 Hz refresh rate. It also featured top of a line Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. The phone also revamped the camera system with a 48 MP main shooter, 8 MP telephoto, and a 50 MP wide-angle shooter. The device also brought fast 80W fast charging that can go from zero to 100% in 32 minutes.
Read More: OnePlus 10 Pro Review: Does it live up to the expectations?
Initially, the price of the OnePlus 10 Pro was very high. But after the release of the 10T, OnePlus has repeatedly slashed the price. The base variant of the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G is now available for around 65,000 BDT.
Google Pixel 7 Series
The Pixel 7 series was released in early October 2022. The phone is a complete revamp from the traditional Pixel series which was initiated with the 6 series. Many major review sites as well as YouTubers like Mrwhosetheboss and Marques Brownlee named the Pixel 7 Pro as their top smartphone of 2022.
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a quad HD AMOLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. On the other hand, the regular Pixel 7 comes with an HD+ panel and a 90 Hz refresh rate. Both devices are powered by Tensor G2, a modified OEM processor from Google made in collaboration with Samsung. On the benchmark aspect, the G2 doesn’t really compete with the likes of the A16 bionic or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But given the AI capabilities as well as Google’s ML tech makes the device a far more complete experience than anything out there.
Read More: Google Pixel 7 Series Review: What’s New
Google has also hit it out of the park in the camera department. The 50 MP main sensor combined with Google’s post-processing magic takes the most advanced photos on any mobile device today.
The Pixel 7 and the 7 Pro retails for $599 and $899 respectively which roughly amounts to 61,708 BDT and 92,614 BDT respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
The list won’t be complete if we didn’t add a foldable to it. Samsung has been a pioneer in the foldable smartphone game and has since produced quite a few iterations.
The Z Fold4 featured the best of 2022 packed in a dual-display device. The cover display is a 6.2-inch one with the inner foldable screen having a 7.6-inch size. The device is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip based on the 4 Nm architecture. The camera sensor has also been upgraded with the main shooter being a 50 MP one. The other two sensors are a 10 MP telephoto as well as a 12 MP ultrawide shooter. Even though the inner panel is almost the size of a small tab, Samsung has limited the battery size to 44mAh.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 Review: Multitasking King for Utilitarian Users
The price of the Z Fold4 is $1064 which retails to about 1,10,122 BDT. But the retail price in the local market is much higher due to several supply-side constraints.
Xiaomi 13 Pro
Xiaomi always saves the best for the last. And this year too, the company has introduced their flagship device on 14th December 2022.
The 13 Pro features a quad HD 120 Hz display with LTPO AMOLED technology. The crisp high dynamic display is coupled by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor which will be standard for flagship android devices coming out in 2023.
Read More: 10 Top Budget Smartphones Released in 2022
Xiaomi also outdid themselves on the camera aspect. All the three main, ultrawide and telephoto sensors on the back are 50 MP shooters co-powered by Leica. The 4820 mAh battery comes with 120W fast charging. It can take the device from zero to 100% in under 20 minutes.
The current price of the Xiaomi 13 Pro is $899 or 93,044 BDT. But the device hasn’t officially become available in Bangladesh yet.
Apple iPhone 14 Series
The anticipation of a new iPhone series remains at an all-time high every year. So we’ve saved the best for the last. Apple unveiled the new 14 series at their September event which became synonymous with iPhone releases.
Read More: Apple iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Which is the Better Deal?
This year, the changes are more incremental than ever on the base variant of the iPhone 14. It carries over the same chip and display from last year with some minor improvements in the camera department. Even though the improvements are minor, both the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will be a great pick given how powerful A15 bionic chip was.
On the Pro end of things, the changes are more visible. Even though the outer design is more or less same, the camera housing is now larger to accommodate the 48 MP main sensor. In another industry-revolutionizing turn, Apple has introduced a pill-shaped camera and sensor cutout on the front. The device also comes with the latest A16 bionic chip, the fastest chip on any mobile device out there.
The retail price of iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max are $799, $899, $999 and $1099, respectively. But given the high demand and relatively low supply d,ue to several supply-side constraints, the devices aren’t readily available in the local market. The existing prices are much higher compared to the retail price even for the unofficial variants so beware of that.
Read More: iPhone 14: Cheapest in which countries?
Oppo Reno 9 Pro
Kicking off the list with a late release of 2022. The Oppo Reno 9 Pro was released on 2nd December as the upper mid-range flagship device from the company. The Reno series has essentially become synonymous with Oppo’s high-end offering.
The device boasts a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel using Asahi glass protection. The whopping 16 GB of RAM for both variants is coupled with a MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max processor. Camera performance is also great with a dual camera setup. The main sensor is a 50 MP shooter with an 8 MP ultrawide accompanying the charade.
Read More: January 2023 New Release: Top 10 Upcoming Smartphones in Bangladesh
The launch price of the device was 470 EUR for the base 16/256 GB variant. That roughly translates to 53,392 BDT (1 EUR = 113 BDT).
Bottom Line
The year 2022 has been quite exciting in terms of tech releases. The top line of smartphones has been game changers in certain aspects be it the camera, battery, or performance. So far, we have highlighted the 8 best flagship phones released in 2022. Pick the one which suits you the most.
CES startups face cautious investors amid economic woes
More than a thousand startups are showcasing their products at the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas, hoping to create some buzz around their gadgets and capture the eyes of investors who can help their businesses grow.
But amid the slew of layoffs in the tech industry and an economic landscape battered with high inflation and interest rates, many may be met with cautious investors looking for products that can deliver quick returns instead of hype.
Analysts say the event this year has somewhat of a muted tone compared to prior shows, when many companies routinely unveiled pie-in-the-sky projects that never saw the light of day. Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at the consumer tech research firm Creative Strategies, said this time around, many of the tech items displayed during the show’s media preview days, which occurred Tuesday and Wednesday, have been less “flamboyant” compared to prior years, which showcased things like talking microwaves and smart jeans that vibrate to direct users.
“The economy — and I think the mood in general — is a little bit negative around tech,” Milanesi said. “It’s really getting companies to focus on real value for customers.“
CES, the most influential tech gathering in the world, officially begins on Thursday to attendees in the industry. Roughly 3,000 companies have registered to attend the event, including big companies like Amazon that are laying off thousands of employees and axing unprofitable areas of their business amid uncertainty in the wider economy.
Simultaneously, many startups are attempting to find their wings at a time when consumers are tightening their belts and being more picky about how to spend their money. And experts note the somber economic climate can be particularly difficult for companies who make hardware products — they typically require robust investments to manufacture their gadgets and often encounter challenges with securing the money they need.
Marco Snikkers, founder and CEO of OneThird, a startup that tests produce ripeness, said investors have been much more critical this year about which companies to fund. Securing investments for his own company took much longer than anticipated but luckily, he said, some existing investors stepped up to help and the company didn’t run out of cash. They were able to secure more funding last month.
“We can hopefully survive 2023 with what we have today,” Snikkers said, adding the Netherlands-based company, which also has an app, hopes to expand their products to the U.S.
Another CES attendee, Mohamed Soliman, founder of the French electric skates startup AtmosGear, said investors have been more fearful about putting money into projects during the entire pandemic and are asking for a higher level of maturity from companies before they put some skin in the game.
“I think CES could be a ‘do or die’ time for many startups,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “The clock struck midnight in terms of tech investors just giving away free money. There’s a lot more competing for capital.”
Saving money has now become a big priority for the tech industry, a shift from the past when more analysts and investors were more focused on how companies were growing. Ives said unlike products that received a lot of buzz during prior shows but didn’t have a clear revenue path, like drones, investors are now looking to fund things that can be deployed, such as artificial intelligence, chip technology and electric vehicles.
More transformational tech themes, such as broader use of virtual reality and immersive experiences in the metaverse, are also being showcased at the show. Though the metaverse has its skeptics, Ives said he believes all these technologies could lay the groundwork for what’s likely to be a fourth industrial revolution.
But as of now, a recession is potentially on the doorstep, he said. “And I think that’s the elephant in the room at this year’s CES.”
Event organizers for their part say excitement hasn’t dampened. Brian Comiskey, the director of thematic programs at the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group putting together the show, said many startups are excited to be back at the event and mingle in person with investors after COVID kept many of them away for the past two shows.
The organization also has a program, called CTA Match, that pairs startups with investors who might be interested in their products, he said, adding many companies have showcased items that can be rolled out soon, or are innovations that could be deployed if they meet the right investors.
But even entrepreneurs that raise money are facing higher costs due to inflation. That, coupled with a more challenging investment scene could mean more companies won’t be able to make it — or won’t be able to make it with the cash they have on hand, a scenario that could lead to more mergers with big companies, said Peter Csathy, chairman of the media and tech advisory firm Creative Media.
Still, startups are trying to get the most out of the show and will attempt to create buzz around their products in an effort to grab some headlines and get free marketing, Csathy said.
Xiaomi Redmi Pad Review: Budget Tablet Worth Consideration
While Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi is popular for manufacturing entry-level to midrange Smartphones, they have also stepped into the tablet market. Recently the brand has introduced the Redmi Pad budget tablet that aims to offer a premium experience at an affordable price. It features a sleek design, a large display, and impressive specs for its price range. It was already launched in India on October 4, 2022. Let’s take a closer look at what Xiaomi's Redmi Pad has to offer and see if it’s worth your money.
Key Features of Xiaomi's Redmi Pad
Design
The Redmi Pad looks great with its all-metal body, weighing in at just 465g and thin at 7.1mm. Its frame design and weight distribution give it a light feel in hand. While the sides are flat, the corners are curved, so you can easily hold it in portrait or landscape. It comes in three colors, Graphite Gray, Moonlight Silver, and Mint Green, with a matte finish, meaning that it will not attract fingerprints.
However, the Xiaomi Redmi Pad has no magnetic contact pins on the back like the Xiaomi Pad 5. But if you want, you can connect a wireless keyboard via Bluetooth. The company is supposed to bring out folio cases for the pad, but they haven’t appeared on Xiaomi’s website yet.
Read More: Symphony SYMTAB 80 Review: Budget Tablet for Regular Use
The Redmi Pad has up to 1TB storage expansion feature via the slot available on the right side (when held vertically). Volume buttons are located along the top edge, with a tiny power button tucked away in the corner of the top edge. Four speaker grilles are spread across the top and bottom. Unfortunately, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Display
The Redmi Pad has a 10.61-inch IPS LCD display with 2K resolution with 1200 x 2000 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate. It can display up to a billion colors, but no HDR10. However, the tablet doesn’t have an oleophobic coating, so you’ll have to wipe it often to avoid fingerprints and smudges.
The Redmi Pad has a 10-bit display with a 15:9 aspect ratio and 400 nits of peak brightness. Its bezels are just the right size for a budget tablet. When you view it from the front, you’ll get the best experience, but if you look from an angle, you may see some color shift.
Read More: Apple iPad, iPad Pro 2022 Review: World’s most advanced tablets
Furthermore, with its Widevine L1 certification, you can watch full-HD content on Netflix and other OTT platforms. It’s also equipped with a quad-speaker setup, tuned with Dolby Atmos, which is loud and clear for the price.
The refresh rate makes animations look more fluid, and certain games benefit from it too. You can opt for 60Hz in the settings to conserve battery or set a variable frequency. The tablet will then decide how often the screen is updated. For instance, an e-book doesn’t need 90Hz.
Although the Redmi Pad has less peak brightness than the iPad 9, which has 400 nits, it is brighter than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022. The tablet looks great, with good contrast and colors. However, black levels won’t be as deep as an OLED due to it being an LCD.
Read More: Xiaomi Mi Pad 5: An Ideal Tablet to Replace iPad
Cameras
The Redmi Pad’s camera won’t give you great pictures for social media. Its 8-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera are better suited for scanning documents. The dynamic range won’t give you the best results, and colors look washed out. If you want to share photos, it’s better to use your phone.
But taking selfies with the front camera is quite satisfactory. Plus, the camera is positioned on the right side of the bezel, so you can look right into it when making video calls. An exciting new feature called Focus Frame is expected in the upcoming updates. Just like Centre Stage on iPad, it will adjust the frame while you move and can even expand the view up to 105 degrees.
Hardware and Software
The Redmi Pad sports a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC processor, seen in low-cost phones like the Redmi 11 Prime and the Moto G72. This chip provides great performance at an affordable price. The MediaTek Helio G99 SoC ensures users can enjoy popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Asphalt 9 Legends, and even Subway Surfers without any lag. You will surely experience smooth gaming at ‘Medium’ graphics and ‘High’ frame rate settings, with a steady 40fps.
Read More: Best Budget Graphics/ Drawing Tablet
It has three versions, 64GB 3GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, and 128GB 6GB RAM.
This Xiaomi tablet is equipped with Android 12-based MIUI 13 software, which delivers a smooth and bug-free experience. You will not detect any stutter when navigating through the user interface, and the portrait/ landscape mode switch is smooth and works like a charm - something you may find hard to come by in tablets of this price range.
The MIUI 13 has almost no bloatware - something you don’t often find in Xiaomi products. It compensates with features like split-screen, floating windows, and more! Though some apps don’t have a split-screen natively, Xiaomi is collaborating with developers to bring you the best experience on the Redmi Pad.
Read More: January 2023 New Release: Top 10 Upcoming Smartphones in Bangladesh
Apps like Instagram and Facebook are designed to capitalize on the big screen, yet some, like Twitter, are just stretched-out mobile versions. MIUI 13 for Pad has a dock at the bottom which stays hidden once you open an app. This dock is adjustable and adds the apps you have recently used to the right side for quicker access.
Battery
The Redmi Pad packs an 8000mAh battery, promising a full day’s battery life. The continuous use can last for around 15 hours, which is not bad for a tablet with such a big, high-res screen. If you use it for a few hours each day watching videos and scrolling through your feeds, you’ll need to give it a recharge every three or four days. Moreover, it comes with an 18W wired fast charging feature and takes less time to get a full charge.
Price of Xiaomi Redmi Pad
The Redmi Pad 64GB 3GB RAM version is priced at Rs 14,999 or BDT 18,655 (Rs 1= BDT 1.24); 128GB 4GB RAM costs Rs 17,999 which is BDT 22,386 (Rs 1= BDT 1.24); 128GB 6GB RAM is Rs 19,999 or around BDT 25,000 (Rs 1= BDT 1.24). The official price of the Redmi Pad in Bangladesh may vary due to tax and other issues.
Read More: 10 Top Budget Smartphones Released in 2022
Final Words
Picking the right tablet requires the perfect match with software and hardware. While the Xiaomi Redmi Pad might not be the most powerful, the battery and display deliver great value for money. If you’re looking for a budget tablet, it’s certainly worth considering.
Tecno Phantom X2 Pro Review: Midrange Smartphone with Retractable Camera
When discussing the affordable smartphone market, Tecno is a well-known brand. However, the business now intends to develop further and become more competitive in the area of mid-range luxury smartphones. At an event in Dubai, Tecno debuted its next flagship smartphone, the Phantom X2 Pro, with the same idea in mind. Let’s take a look at the key features, specs, pros, and cons of the Tecno Phantom X2 Pro.
Key Features of Tecno Phantom X2 Pro
Design
The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro is without a doubt one of the most attractive Tecno smartphones. The corporation has spent much on its design, giving it an upscale and sophisticated appearance. The elegant Tenco Phantom X2 Pro has a display and back panel with curved edges.
The front panel is dominated by an FHD+ display, while the back panel is comprised of renewable material, distinguishing it from other luxury smartphones.
The back surface provides a unique tactile sensation and makes the smartphone pleasant to grasp. Additionally, the unusual substance of the rear panel makes it resistant to fingerprints.
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On the right side of the mobile device are the volume controls and the power button. The button section contains the charging port and stereo speakers, while the SIM card tray is located on the device's upper surface. Overall, the smartphone performs well in the design category and will be well-liked for that reason.
Display
The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro has a 6.8-inch FHD+ curved display with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels. On top of the display is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Vitus for protection. The display's 120Hz refresh rate allowed for a fluid scrolling experience while using the smartphone. The screen is surrounded by tiny bezels on all sides, allowing for a much bigger display area.
In addition, the display provides broad viewing angles, allowing you to enjoy gaming and binge-watching sessions. We were unable to test the company's claim that the smartphone delivers decent sight in direct sunlight. Aside from this, the display is clean and clear, and the color reproduction is correct.
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Hardware and Software
The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro is driven by an octa-core MediaTek Dimesnity 9000 processor with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. In addition, the smartphone supports 5GB of virtual RAM. Throughout our first testing, the smartphone operated well. On the Tecno Phantom X2 Pro, gaming and multitasking were likewise seamless.
In addition to a strong chipset, the Tecno Phantom X2 has a rather big battery. The company's flagship smartphone has a 5,160 mAh battery with 45W rapid charging capabilities. The manufacturer says that the smartphone can be charged to 50 percent in only 20 minutes. However, we have yet to verify this allegation. The dual-SIM smartphone has an in-display fingerprint sensor and dual speakers for enhanced audio output.
Regarding software, the Phantom X2 Pro runs the Android 12 operating system on top of the company's HiOS 12 layer. The smartphone has a streamlined user interface, however, there are several bloatware programs, some of which cannot be removed.
Also, there is no app drawer, thus all downloaded applications would seem crowded on the home screen. The smartphone is equipped with all the native Android 12 capabilities, which will be covered in the in-depth review when the smartphone launches in India.
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Cameras
The Tecno Phantom X2 is the first smartphone released by the business to come with a detachable triple camera configuration on the back of the device. The back camera has a primary lens with a resolution of 50 megapixels, a portrait lens with a resolution of 50 megapixels that can be retracted, and a wide-angle lens with 13 megapixels.
The retractable camera only operates in portrait mode, as the name indicates, and it makes every effort to take a picture of the subject that is as good as it can possibly be.
You also get a front-facing camera with 32 megapixels for taking selfies. During the testing that we did, the camera functioned without any issues. The photographs that were taken inside came out quite well, displaying appropriate degrees of color reproduction and a high level of detail.
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Battery and Charger
Moving on to the battery, the Phantom X2 Pro is equipped with a sizable 5160mAh battery that is enough to power the device for the whole day without any problems. You shouldn't have any trouble getting through the day with the phone, even with the amount of usage you put into it.
Instead of depending on the USB Power Delivery (PD) standard, Tecno has opted to deploy its own 45W charging technology. Although the charger that comes with the gadget does an excellent job of completely charging the device in a little over an hour, wireless charging is not an option.
Price of Tecno Phantom X2 Pro in Bangladesh
On February 22, 2023, the Tecno Phantom X2 Pro will be introduced to the market in India. The mobile device is going to have some impressive features and technical characteristics. Tecno Phantom X2 Pro device will be available for starting price of Rs 76,590 which is equivalent to BDT 95,930.
Read More: January 2023 New Release: Top 10 Upcoming Smartphones in Bangladesh
Bottom Line
Tecno has made an effort that is absolutely commendable with the Phantom X2 Pro. The smartphone is more than capable of going head-to-head with OnePlus's Nord series and realme's Neo series. However, in order to provide a judgment that is more accurate and comprehensive on the smartphone, people will need to wait till it is released in Bangladesh.
CES 2023: Russian exhibitors barred from tech show
CES is not allowing Russian companies to display their gadgets at the annual tech show because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
A spokesperson for the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group putting together the event in Las Vegas, said the move has only impacted one potential exhibitor.
The organization did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how many Russian companies attended past CES events, or if there was less interest from them this year. The U.S. is among about 30 countries that have sanctioned Russia over the invasion.
Read more: Best of CES 2023: Electric skates, pet tech and AI for birds
CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro, who previously called the Russian invasion a “tragic and illegal assault on the people and independent nation of Ukraine,” said some Ukrainian tech companies and startups will display their gadgets at the Las Vegas show.
“A lot of people from around the world want to support Ukraine,” Shapiro said in an interview, while wearing a Ukrainian flag pin on his jacket lapel. “I know my wife actively seeks out products from Ukraine that she can order. And we have bought stuff from Ukraine directly.”
The tech show is expected to draw up to 100,000 attendees by the time it concludes on Sunday. It kicked off on Tuesday evening with media previews from just some of the 3,000 companies signed up to attend. CES officially opens Thursday. It’s open to the media and others in the tech industry, but not the general public.
Top features of recently launched Samsung Galaxy A04
Samsung Bangladesh recently brought a new Galaxy A series phone to Bangladesh.
Galaxy A04 has different features, including a 5,000mAh battery, 15W adaptive fast charging, and a display that measures 6.5 inches diagonally with HD+ Infinity-V display resolution, allowing a full visual experience for dynamic gaming and immersive video.
Also, the device comes with a 50MP AF True Dual Camera, a 5MP selfie unit, and a 2MP depth sensor.
Read more: Top features of Samsung Galaxy F23 5G
The smartphone's onboard storage capacity is 32GB, with expandable SD storage of up to 1TB.
Galaxy A04 comes with 3GB RAM which is expandable up to 7GB with RAM+, Octa-Core processor, One UI Core 4.1, and Android 12 while having sensors for accelerometer, light, and proximity.
Md Muyeedur Rahman, head of mobile at Samsung Bangladesh, said: "Galaxy A04 capsulizes the Galaxy brand philosophy with cutting-edge technology, services, and features at an accessible price."
Galaxy A04 is available in three colours – copper, green, and black, for Tk12,999.
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