Xiaomi Mi A1: An All Rounder Budget Smartphone with Flagship Like Features

Xiaomi Mi A1 is seen on the Geekbench sporting a Snapdragon 625 processor

Xiaomi has started a blitzkrieg campaign in the social media which has helped in creating a positive buzz surrounding it upcoming device. Xiaomi a hugely successful smartphone maker from China has found a new home in India by making it way in the top three smartphone brand in India. On 5th September, it is expected to unveil a new device which can either be the Mi5x with stock Android or even the Mi 6 which hasn’t made its way to the Indian shores. The phone in question still under the mystery clouds but on social media buzz is strong this upcoming dual camera featuring device.

Xiaomi has even tried to supress the unwanted speculation of the new smartphone being Mi 5x by releasing teaser which states the upcoming device will be from new series. Quite recently eagle eyed tech enthusiasts has found a new smartphone from Xiaomi on the Geekbench website with a unique name ‘Xiaomi Mi M1. So, in the all likelihood the upcoming device will be named Xiaomi Mi A1 and it will be first device from Chinese manufacturer to offer dual camera set up to the users in India.

Xiaomi works with Google on this new device

Just a few months ago, it was announced that Xiaomi would be working the tech giant Google to develop an Android One device for the Indian market. It is very likely on the 5th September 2017 at the global launch event in India; Xiaomi will be launching the Mi A1 featuring stock Android.

This would also mark the first time when Xiaomi has launched a device with its popular user interface called MIUI. So far the Android One devices launched in India by varied Indian OEM has failed to generate any buzz or popularity among the masses due to their pathetic specification and cheap pricing. But Xiaomi has shown over the years that it has the ability to manufacturer competitive handsets even at low price points.

Everything you need to know about Xiaomi Mi A1

As per the specification listed on the Geekbench website Xiaomi A1 is a high-end Android One smartphone which doesn’t compromises when it comes to bringing the best to the users. It is powered by Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 2.2 GHz along with 4GB RAM. This device will feature the stock Android experience to the users in the form of 7.1.2 Nougat OS.

As stated earlier this device will not feature the stable MIUI seen on the Xiaomi smartphones. This device has a screen size of 5.5 inches Full HD touchscreen display having a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It is a dual SIM device with 4G capability.

The spec sheet does shows that Xiaomi has simply brought best iterant of the Android One smartphone for the users which promise quality performance, design and everything else. Quite incidentally no information is provided about the camera on the Geekbench which leaves us guessing how good the camera will be.

LTE Apple Watch 'Series 3' tipped in leaked iOS 11

Just before the most awaited launch event of this year, tech enthusiasts has found that upcoming Apple Watch Series will come loaded with LYE connectivity. All this was revealed from a single images which was sent to the source showcasing an Apple Watch pairing screen for iPhone. Highly smart individuals with hawk like eyes were to fin small cellular signal bars right on the watch face. To be more precise these bars appeared nothing more than few dots which gave the first indication of having the LTE capability on a smartwatch. This screenshot also showed what appeared to be complication faced by the phone and GPS apps on daily basis.

Even a month before the ultimate launch of the Apple Watch Series a number of reports has emerged in the media claiming that new smartwatch will feature the coveted cellular capability which will be utilized by the users to download songs in Music and transfer data from one device to another with pairing.

Improved display and performance

Apple has done a lot of work on making the display brighter than ever before. This simply happens to be the brightest display Apple has ever produced for its range of products. This awesomely bright display is supported by a highly improved GPU which has been developed by Imagination Technologies which have a credible record of providing ground-breaking GPUs.

Apple has brought a new chipset on the Apple Watch Series 3 which has been dubbed as S2 microprocessor. This processor happens to be 50 faster than the processor present on the original Apple Watch. This is powerful enough to deal with some of the resource consuming apps. This processor is highly energy efficient which means user will be able to use the Series 3 Watch for a whole good day on a single charge.

Apple Watch Series success rests on the LTE Capability 

Even after adding the LTE and cellular capability on the smartwatch Apple claims that this device will be able last for 18 hours. This is more than enough to get through a day’s work without any need of charging but this claim isn’t tested by the users. Apple has claimed that in order to bring cellular capability to this device they had brought a new invention which people have failed to recognise so far. Apple engineers have developed one a kind antenna which is designed to make use of the display in order to both transmit and receive signals from the device.

Apple Watch Series 3 has been successful from the moment it was shown on the huge screen due to its breakthrough design which appears to be immensely inspired by iPhone X as well. We should note that in the past a number of cellular connected watches have made their way into the market and Apple isn’t the first one in this regard but all of them failed due to their bulky and unattractive design. Thankfully Apple designed first LTE smartwatch isn’t unworthy to look upon not it is too bulky to work around with ease.

How wireless charging will work in the upcoming iPhone 8?

Wireless charging feature has become a staple course on most of the high-end flagship devices by the smartphone manufacturers. Samsung was first OEM to deliver remarkable wireless charging capability to its premium Galaxy S models. But Apple has simply couldn’t bring this feature to its iconic iPhone range which are known for their terrible battery life and needs constant charging. But experts believe that this equation is all set to change with the launch of iPhone 8 next month.

How it will work on iPhone 8?

A number of rumours and inside reports have suggested that the one of the new premium models of the iPhone will feature the coveted wireless charging technology. It should be noted that Apple is all set to launch three iPhones this year which will include the ‘s’ models of iPhone 7 and Plus variants along with a special high-end iPhone 8. Apple is known for its secrecy surrounding the launch of the upcoming devices so there is no confirmation of the same from Apple but all hints points towards the same conclusion.

Some of the major tech companies like Samsung, HTC, LG and Huawei are already a member of the Wireless Power Consortium. This consortium has comes with the popular standard which is called Qi charging and it is designed to empower the wireless charging capability among the electronic devices. Apple has just joined this group which gives rise to speculation that Apple is aiming towards bringing the same technology to its smartphone line up.

This means that iPhone 8 will certainly possess this charging capability making use of the existing wireless chargers. Apple will also have to take requisite license in order to ensure that other devices are compatible with its new charging technology. Apple will certainly be bringing its very own range of wireless charging pad which will sold apart from the iPhone.

Is it right to being wireless charging on iPhone

Despite huge popularity wireless charging is known for being a slower and quite expensive technology than the usual plug-in method. In the wireless charging method the way energy gets transferred happens to be less efficient than the normal charging method. A number of firms are trying to enhance the wireless charging technology in order to make it faster and efficient than ever before. Firms are trying to come up with an advanced ‘magnetic resonant’ charging format which will enable users to charge multiple devices at once.

A number of places have started offering wireless charging option at their premises to help users charge their devices on the go. This includes some of the popular restaurants and hotels like McDonald’s, Starbucks, PremierInn and Ladbrokes. Sadly some of the rumours has emerged which proclaims that the wireless charging on iPhone 8 will be slowest when compared to other smartphones. All of these are mere speculation but having wireless charging capability on the iPhone devices will be better than not having it at all.

New iPhone 8 Leak Reveals Apple's Sneaky Secret

Oscar Luna Martinez

iPhone 8 – Various New Technologies

The upcoming iPhone 8 of Apple will be coming with various new technologies to its users and one of them is a mainstay of several Android handsets, namely wireless charging.

However, the implementation of Apple will be disappointing to those anticipating for the accepted protocols to be acknowledged. Tim Cook together with his team are expected to lock the iPhone 8 from utilising Apple’s own wireless charging units or the charging units which tend to adhere to the `Made for iPhone’ – MfI program that involves financial payment to Apple from the third-party dealers.

Earlier in the year, when Apple had merged with the Wireless Power Consortium, there seemed to be some expectation that it would adopt the industry standard Qi charging protocol. According to reports from Macotakara, recently recommend that the wireless charging utilised by Apple would be running at just 7.5 watts.

In comparison to the 15 watts that makes up the Qi 1.2 standard. Moreover, it also recommends that the third-party charging pads would require to be licensed through the MfI program. This would clarify in fragment why wireless charging would not be available out of the box rather than waiting for iOS 11 software update to turn on.

 

Qi Standard

 
Undoubtedly, part of the iOS charging process would be to verify that the pad providing the inductive power is said to be licensed by Apple and if it is not, the iPhone 8 will decline to receive the incoming charge.

The outcome is that the plethora of charging pads together with the accessories presently available in the markets which tend to be interchangeable with any device that supports the Qi standard would be unable to charge the new iPhones 8.

Apple had intended not to work with the increasing and accepted standard, rather than decide to put up a technological barrier between the charging community together with the iPhone, for instance, the swelling number of public `wireless charging’ spots from companies like AirCharge would be unable to get along with the latest device of Cupertino Company.

Once again Apple had opted to capitalize on the financial returns for its company while ignoring the greater good of endorsing a single standard.
 

Three Storage Tiers

 
Though it is appropriate within its right in doing so, the end result tends to give an impression of company which is closed to the wider acceptance of shared technology, is not open to equivalent collaboration.

Moreover it has not considered the extra manufacturing resource which would need to assist two competing standards. According to New York Times, the iPhone 8 would be come at an entry-level of $999.

Media reports for last few months have repeatedly endorsed that the iPhone 8 would be selling in the $1,000 approximate and it appears that Apple would be keeping the price just $1 under this mark in an apparent marketing strategy.

Since Apple will probably deliver three storage tiers with the iPhone 8 generation, it would mean that the most expensive model would be priced at $1,200 and this would surely be a big price for a cellphone. Apple need to firmly deliver an outstanding iPhone 8 unit if it is to validate such a figure.

How to Fix iPhone Home Button Not Working

iPhone Home Button: Ways to repair unresponsive button

The home button of your iPhone is no longer what it is supposed to be? Or does it work in the worst case scenario? Is at first glance looks like a hardware defect could have been superfluous after a simple calibration of the home button.

Unfortunately, it is synonymous with the expensive Apple iPhones despite high quality always times again to hardware problems. For example, it is a known problem that a broken on / off switch often makes anger on the iPhone. Thus, the button initially only shows its function and can only be used by pressing in the left area. After some time, the power button on the iPhone will not work. Many users also complain that the Home Button only works badly or not at all. However, all these problems can be handled with a simple trick.

Calibrate Home Button

Before we look at how a calibration of the Home Button works, we would like to point out that this instruction has not been officially confirmed by Apple. However, many iPhone users have reported in various Internet forums that this route has actually led to the desired success.

As a first step you open any pre-installed app on your iPhone, like the weather, share or calendar app. Keep this app open for the next step, making sure your iPhone does not lock automatically. Now press the power button until the power switch (do not turn off the iPhone). Now you keep the Home Button pressed down until the power off screen disappears and the app is closed.

You should now be back on your Homescreen and the home button of your iPhone should be calibrated again.

If the calibration does not work, you can do the above steps again if you think you have made a mistake.

Repair through AssistiveTouch

Apple offers on each iPhone the possibility to activate a virtual control button, called the Assist Touch. This way you get not only a virtual home button or a virtual on / off switch on your iPhone, but can also call other functions quickly via this button.

After activating the AssistiveTouch button in the settings under "Operating aids", you can now use the bypass switch by pressing the button, select "device" and then "screen lock". The home button can be selected and simulated directly using it.

The AssistiveTouch button is slightly transparent and is always visible in the foreground even when you are in an app. However, the button can be pushed back and forth at will, in some cases, the button is also intelligent and notices, if it is in the way and automatically shifts. If it is above the keyboard. Even multi touch gestures can be carried out via the AssistiveTouch button.

Adjust slipped home button with dock connector cable

A known problem with the Home Button of the iPhone is that it may move with the time minimally downwards - then one can hardly navigate through the menus with the smartphone. This defect can be fixed with a little fingertip feeling and with the dock connector cable of the iPhone. Connect the cable and push it gently upwards towards the screen so that the button is pushed back into the correct position. Experience shows that this is the most frequent way of repairing the home button.

Handle the home button with cleaning fluid or electric toothbrush

Contaminations can also be a problem for the home button - in this case you do not have to repair the button, cleaning can already be sufficient. For this purpose, there are several repair kits, which many iPhone owners swear by. It contains a special cleaning fluid that is applied to the button with a pipette, then the Home Button has to be pressed several times and pressed for a few minutes. Finally, you should leave the smartphone still 15 minutes to rest, as a rule, the stains are removed, and the Home Button works again.

An alternative is the handle to the electric toothbrush. Just press the Home Button and clean it with the brush, it also comes into the fine spaces. Important: Use an unused brush head so that no toothpaste residues penetrate the iPhone.

Lastly, replace the key

If a cleaning is not successful, the key must be replaced. The spare part is available online, you will find detailed instructions for installation also. However, the repair is only recommended if you have some fine mechanical skills and technique. Otherwise, its better give at Apple store for repair.

Summary

A slipped home button can often be adjusted with the Dock Connector cable

Care sets with special cleaning fluids can help in case of contamination

Cleaning with an electric toothbrush is also worth a try

The last possibility is the exchange of the home button - in self-government or through the Apple support