Tech
Walton launches new gaming laptop Karonda GX712H
Walton has rolled out a new gaming laptop, Karonda GX712H, with Intel's 12th generation processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4GB graphics, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, genuine Windows 10 Home, and 512GB solid-state drive.
Priced at Tk129,990, the device can be bought by only depositing money equivalent to one month's instalment.
The gaming laptop features a 15.6-inch full HD Matte IPS LED Backlit Display with a 144Hz refresh rate while the screen resolution is 1920x1080 pixels.
Read: Oppo launches Eid campaign
Karonda GX712H is powered by Intel's 12th generation 3.50 GHz Core i7 12700H processor. It has a 3200MHz 16GB DDR4 RAM which can be expanded up to 64 GB. There is a 512GB solid-state drive with NVMe PCle Gen3X4 interface.
This device sports an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 model with 4GB GDDR6 video RAM as graphics to run powerful and heavy games. There is also an integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
Read Xiaomi Redmi 10c Review: Can this budget phone fulfil users’ needs?
Oppo launches Eid campaign
Global smart device brand Oppo has come up with different offers on its smartphones ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr 2022.
Customers can avail of these offers till May 3 while buying Oppo smartphones from physical stores.
The buyers of Oppo F21 Pro will get gifts including a T-shirt, cap signed by cricketer Shakib Al Hasan and an F21 Pro back cover.
Read: Oppo F21 Pro now available across Bangladesh
Launched on April 10, the phone is now available at all outlets across the country at Tk27,990.
F21 Pro supports microlens up to 30x magnification for capturing images and videos, which allows users to take smartphone photography to new heights.
It has unique features on the front camera, thanks to IMX709 (Sony IMX709 selfie sensor co-developed by Oppo and Sony) and red, green, blue, and white (RGBW) sensor technology.
Read Xiaomi Redmi 10c Review: Can this budget phone fulfil users’ needs?
With its eye-catching sunset-orange colour, F21 Pro complements the users' lifestyle by adding extravagance to any style.
The phone is also equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 6nm Octa-Core processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM with Oppo RAM expansion technology with up to 5GB RAM expansion, 33W Supervooc charging with 4500mAh Battery, 6.4-inch 90Hz AMOLED Display and ColorOS 12 system.
Also, customers will get a T-shirt and a cap signed by Shakib on the purchase of Oppo A95.
Read Samsung Galaxy A23 4G: Can it uphold the reputation of ancestors?
They will get a T-shirt while buying A76, A54, A16, and A16e.
Twitter bans ads that contradict science on climate change
Twitter says it will no longer allow advertisers on its site who deny the scientific consensus on climate change, echoing a policy already in place at Google.
"Ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis,” the company said in a statement outlining its new policy Friday.
There was no indication that the change would affect what users post on the social media site, which along with Facebook has been targeted by groups seeking to promote misleading claims about climate change.
Also read: Musk says he has $46.5B in financing ready to buy Twitter
The announcement coinciding with Earth Day came hours before the European Union agreed a deal requiring big tech companies to vet their sites more closely for hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content.
Twitter said it would provide more information in the coming months on how it plans to provide “reliable, authoritative context to the climate conversations” its users engage in, including from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The U.N.-backed science panel's reports on the causes and effects of climate change provide the basis for international negotiations to curb climate change.
Also read: Mamata blocks Bengal Governor on Twitter
The company already has a dedicate climate topic on its site and offered what it described as “pre-bunks” during last year's U.N. climate conference to counter misinformation surrounding the issue.
Meta shares ways to connect and take action on Earth Day
Meta, formerly known as the Facebook company, is announcing impactful ways that people can learn more about sustainable living and take action this Earth Day.
According to Meta’s analysis, more than 2 million Bangladeshis are part of at least one Facebook group dedicated to the discovery, protection and appreciation of the earth and our environment as interest in climate change is on the rise.
“Every day, thousands across our platforms rally together to connect and take action on climate change, whether it is engaging in a Facebook Group or practicing sustainable tips from a creator. I’m heartened to see that this is no exception in Bangladesh. Earth Day is a vital reminder that all actions, both big and small, can make a difference in protecting our planet,” said Siddharta Swarup, Social Impact and Communities Lead for APAC at Meta.
Read Musk sells $4B in Tesla shares, presumably for Twitter deal
Meta has partnered with renowned illustrators to release specially designed Earth Day stickers and features on Messenger and Instagram starting this week so people can express their commitment to the environment. They can also create their own word effects and 3D avatar stickers to show their support for climate action.
Moreover, there are more than 800 businesses on Instagram in Bangladesh that describe themselves as eco-friendly. Facebook Marketplace is available in Bangladesh, where people can buy and sell second hand items in their local community and beyond — from bicycles and plants to clothes and home decor.
Meta’s global operations are now 100 per cent supported by renewable energy. The company has set an ambitious goal of achieving net zero emissions across its value chain and be water positive by 2030. It continues to work in tackling climate misinformation through its $1 million Climate Misinformation grant program, as well as expanding its annual Climate Change Opinion Surveyto share information about public views on climate change across more than 180 countries.
READ: Shares of Facebook parent Meta plunge 22% on lower profits
For more information on what’s new and how to get involved with Meta to show appreciation for the planet, visit: https://messengernews.fb.com/2022/04/19/talking-about-our-earth-on-messenger-and-messenger-kids/
CNN’s streaming service shutting down a month after launch
CNN’s brand-new streaming service, CNN+, is shutting down only a month after launch.
In a Thursday memo, incoming CNN chief executive Chris Licht said the service would shut down at the end of April.
CNN+ launched when its parent was still part of AT&T. It combined with Discovery earlier this month in a new company, Warner Bros. Discovery, under Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who had his own vision for CNN and its Warner siblings.
In his memo, Licht said consumers wanted “simplicity and an all-in service” rather than “stand-alone offerings.” Discovery had previously suggested that it wanted to merge the new company’s separate streaming services, which include Discovery+ and HBO Max, into a single app.
Read: What’s the impact if Europe cuts off Russian oil?
Licht said some CNN+ content will wind up on other company networks, and the streaming service’s employees will get opportunities to apply for jobs elsewhere inside Warner Bros. Discovery. The head of CNN+, Andrew Morse, is leaving the company.
“While today’s decision is incredibly difficult, it is the right one for the long-term success of CNN. It allows us to refocus resources on the core products that drive our singular focus: further enhancing CNN’s journalism and its reputation as a global news leader,” Licht wrote.
Under AT&T, there were $100 million in development costs and some 500 employees assigned to building out CNN+. The service had attracted big names for its lineup, from former Fox anchor Chris Wallace to food-media star Alison Roman, as part of the company’s effort to appeal to younger people with a streaming news service as cable news audiences age.
Read: Musk says he has $46.5B in financing ready to buy Twitter
There had been skepticism that a paid news streaming service would attract interest from consumers, who already have available a slew of online TV. While Fox has a paid streaming service, Fox Nation, other major TV news organizations make their apps available free.
Vivo launches Eid campaign
Global smartphone brand vivo has come up with different offers on its smartphones ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr 2022.
The campaign will continue till May 3 and buyers of specific vivo smartphones – X70 Pro, V23 5G, V23e, Y33s, Y21 and Y21T – will be eligible for the offer.
The first prize winners will get home appliances, including freezers, TVs, washing machines, microwave ovens, fans, induction cookers, electric irons, rice cookers, juicers, and multi-plugs.
Read: Samsung Galaxy A23 launched
The winners of the second prize will get another similar handset for free on the purchase of a smartphone from any of the six specific models.
Third prize winners will get gifts including speakers for X70Pro, V23 5G and V23e; vivo backpacks for Y33s, vivo umbrellas for Y21T, and T-shirts for Y21.
Read Eid: Samsung offers discounts on Galaxy A03, Galaxy Z flip 3 5G
Samsung Galaxy A23 launched
Samsung Bangladesh recently launched Galaxy A23, another addition to its A Series.
The phone comes in three colours – Blue, Peach and Black.
The device's 6.6-inch Infinity V-Cut display, accompanied by a 90Hz refresh rate, accounts for an immersive viewing and smooth scrolling and swiping experience.
Read: Xiaomi Bangladesh brings Redmi 10C
The Snapdragon 680 4G (6nm) Octa-Core (2.4GHz + 1.9GHz) processor-powered Galaxy A23 is equipped with a 5000mAh battery and supports 25W super-fast charging.
The device also comes with a quad-camera setup, consisting of a 50MP (f/1.8) OIS main camera, 5MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera, 2MP (f/2.4) depth camera and 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera.
All of these are accompanied by an 8MP (f/2.2) front camera.
Read Walton Primo S8 Mini: A Budget Friendly Gaming Phone
The device also has 128GB ROM storage alongside a 6GB RAM, Samsung Knox Security and a sensor side fingerprint.
Priced at Tk25,599, Samsung Galaxy A23 comes with Android 12.0 and Samsung One UI 4.1.
Xiaomi Bangladesh brings Redmi 10C
Xiaomi Bangladesh Wednesday announced the launch of Redmi 10C to make high-quality products accessible to more consumers across Bangladesh.
Redmi 10C is the latest addition to the locally made smartphones from the Redmi 10 series under the "Make in Bangladesh" initiative.
The phone features a large display, a Snapdragon chipset, and a dual-camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor.
Read: Oppo F21 Pro now available across Bangladesh
The device comes with a 6.71" dot drop display with 1650 x 720-pixel HD+ resolution, while the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 ensures that it stays protected.
Equipped with a 2.4GHz octa-core Snapdragon 680 processor, Redmi 10C contains flagship-level 6nm process technology to provide energy-efficient performance.
Powered by Qualcomm Adreno 610 GPU and 4GB LPDDR4X RAM, it ensures smooth performance.
Read: Xiaomi brings 11i HyperCharge 5G, Redmi Note 11S
The phone's powerful dual rear camera has a 50MP high-resolution primary camera.
Accompanied by a 2MP depth sensor, Redmi 10C helps achieve a natural bokeh effect for portrait shots every time. The 5MP front camera allows users to capture crisp selfies.
The device also comes with Android 11 via MIUI 13 out of the box. It has a 5,000mAh battery, 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and WIFI support.
Read Telecom Minister unveils data packs sans validity in Bangladesh
From Friday, Redmi 10C will be available in three colours – Graphite Grey, Ocean Blue and Mint Green across Bangladesh.
The retail price is Tk12,999 for the 4GB+64GB variant and Tk13,999 for the 4GB+128GB variant.
Musk says he has $46.5B in financing ready to buy Twitter
Elon Musk says he has lined up $46.5 billion in financing to buy Twitter, and he’s trying to negotiate an agreement with the company.
Last week, Musk announced an offer to buy the social media company for $54.20 per share, or about $43 billion. At the time, he did not say how he would finance the acquisition.
The Tesla CEO said Thursday in documents filed with U.S. securities regulators that he’s exploring what’s known as a tender offer to buy all of the social media platform’s common stock for $54.20 per share in cash. Under a tender offer, Musk, who owns about 9% of Twitter shares, would take his offer directly to other shareholders, bypassing the board.
But Musk hasn’t decided yet whether to do that.
The documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission say San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. has not responded to Musk’s proposal.
Last week Twitter’s board adopted a “poison pill” defense that could make a takeover attempt prohibitively expensive.
Read: Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter, make it 'maximally trusted'
The filing states that “entities related to (Musk) have received commitment letters committing to provide an aggregate of approximately $46.5 billion.”
The financing would come from Morgan Stanley and other financial institutions. Some would be secured by stock that Musk owns in Tesla, the electric car and solar panel maker. Other banks involved include Barclays, Bank of America, Societie Generale, Mizuho Bank, BNP Paribas and MUFG.
Shares of Twitter were down slightly to $46.69 in Thursday morning trading after the financing became public. The share price is $7.51 below Musk’s offer.
Musk “is seeking to negotiate a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Twitter ... and is prepared to begin such negotiations immediately,” the documents say.
With a tender offer, Musk would try to get other shareholders to pledge their stock to him at a certain price on a certain date. If enough shareholders agree, Musk could use that as leverage to get the board to drop the poison pill defense.
Musk signaled the possibility of a tender offer several times this week in tweets using the word “tender.”
A message was left Thursday seeking comment from Twitter.
Walton Primo S8 Mini: A Budget Friendly Gaming Phone
Bangladeshi Brand Walton has been making the country proud with its top-notch phones. Targeting the local market, they produce affordable and quality smartphones. The most recent Walton phones have a variety of features, including an affordable price point and a good camera. Recently, they have launched a new phone Walton Primo S8 Mini. The phone came to the Bangladeshi market on April 16, 2022. With the massive battery Walton named this the Gaming Warrior. Let’s see the specs, features and price of Walton Primo S8 Mini and find what you can expect from this phone.
Key Features of Walton Primo S8 Mini
Design
On the back, top left, you will find four cameras and one flash. The glossy look will help you to hold the phone with more confidence. On the bottom side of the phone, it features a mic, 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type C, and speaker. Walton integrated a fast fingerprint sensor on the back, which will give you a smooth unlocking experience.
Read Vivo X Fold Review: Can it outsmart the other foldable phones?
The right side contains the volume button and the power button. On the left, you will get to see the sim tray, which is also the memory card tray.
Although the Primo S8 Mini is a budget phone, the 9.15 mm depth and 205g will give you an elegant feel. Further, the 163.65 mm height and 77.65 mm width will give you the opportunity to hold the phone in one hand.
It comes in three colors, stone white, ink black, and forest green. Further, the rainbow glass protection on the back reduces the scratches significantly. Besides, blending the rainbow with three different colors makes the phone more beautiful.
Read Symphony Z42 Review: Affordable Phone from Local Market
Display
S8 Mini comes with an incredible 6.53-inch LTPS FHD display and makes it one of a kind that makes everything on display look real. Moreover, the 2340x1080p resolution with 400 Nits brightness and 19.5:9 aspect ratio will certainly make your vision clear. So, you can stream your favorite TV shows, movies, or even games smoothly.
The phone has a captive touch screen, which makes the phone more responsive than those with resistive touch screens. Also, it is easier on the eyes and requires less pressure to be registered. The captive touch screen is more durable and lasts longer than resistive touch screens. The display type is LTPS INCELL Full lamination Technology with 2.5D Curved Glass.
Read Samsung Galaxy A13 4G Review: Does it live up to the hype?
Performance
The Walton Primo S8 Mini features a Qualcomm® Snapdragon 665, 2.0GHz Octa-Core Processor, and Kryo 260 64-bit. The GPU is Qualcomm® Adreno™ 610 - 950MHz. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 Mobile Platform offers highly beneficial mobile experiences with artificial intelligence to enhance the experience of gaming, camera performance, and security performance. Moreover, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Mobile Platform offers intelligent and immersive user experiences. The Adreno 610 also boosts gaming performance.
The phone runs on Android 11, which is associated with VSmart OS. This will give you a new user experience and make you fall in love with the new S8 Mini.
Read Oppo F21 Pro Review: Camera Phone Made in Bangladesh
Memory
The Primo S8 Mini comes with 4GB and 8GB LPDDR4x RAM versions, while the internal memory is the same 64GB for both versions. However, this internal memory might look poor to you. The phone has an external memory card option, and you can expand the memory up to 256GB. Further, the phone is equipped with a 2.1 memory system that provides awesome data transfer performance while consuming low power. So, you can get the ultimate gaming experience on a budget phone.
Camera
The main camera features a combination of four cameras 16MP+8MP+2MP+2MP AI Quad Cameras. The camera features autofocuses with PDAF and LED flash while the aperture is f/1.8. These 16MP cameras will give you an amazing sensor for everything you click.
Read Vivo Y33s 4G Review: Do features accompany premium look?
Further, a dedicated 8MP wide-angle sensor gives you the opportunity to focus widely. You can take a 120-degree wide-angle phone with Walton Primo S8 Mini. A 2MP depth sensor gives you amazing portraits. In addition to that, the phone also features quad lenses for different modes of shooting. The 2MP Macro shooter can take perfect macro shots of anything you want.
The shooting modes you will get are Photo, Macro, Beauty AR Sticker, Slow Motion, Time-Lapse, Manual (Manual Focus, White Balance, ISO, Exposure, Shutter Speed), Fast Motion, Portrait, HDR, Color Filter, and Self-Timer.
Read Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: A Fast Phone with Massive Battery
The amazing camera will provide you with up to 4K 30fps video recording with Video Stabilizer, Video Face Detection, and interruption few recordings.
The selfie camera features 13MP with PDAF and f/2.0 aperture. You can take a selfie in Normal, Portrait, AI Beauty, Watermark, Color Filter, and HDR mode. Also, the large sensor size gives you a sharp & colorful selfie while applying face beauty, selfie indicator, BSI, AI, and face detection. The front camera can record 4K video at 30fps, while video face detection also comes with it. You can even shoot slow-motion videos with the Primo S8 Mini.
Read Xiaomi Mi 12 Ultra: What to Expect from the Next Xiaomi Flagship?
Battery
The Walton Primo S8 Mini comes with a massive 5000mAh battery, which will give you an extended gaming time. You can change this giant battery cell quickly with an 18w fast charger. The USB Type C cable features quick charge 3.0.
Price of Walton Primo S8 Mini
The Primo S8 Mini is priced at Tk. 13,999. But you can get it for Tk. 12,499 with a free t-shirt for a limited time pre-booking period.
Read Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro Review: Know the Pros and Cons
Conclusion
Walton Primo S8 Mini is a gaming phone at a budget price. If you are a gamer and looking for an affordable phone, Primo S8 Mini should be a great option. Further, the excellent camera and video quality will also give your peace of mind. Also, streaming in HD will let you stream your live game too.