As was previously stated, the Redmi Note 12R Pro has now been made available in China. This is a new addition to the Redmi Note 12-series portfolio and is the company’s latest product in the mid-range price bracket. It is also compatible with 5G networks.
The handheld device has a design that is very recognizable, with a punch-hole cutout in the middle of the front panel for the selfie camera, a fingerprint sensor put on the side for further security, and dual camera sensors located on the back of the device.
The Redmi Note 12R Pro comes standard with the Android 13 operating system, a 5,000mAh battery, a display with a 120Hz OLED refresh rate, and a Snapdragon 4 Gen1 SoC.
Redmi Note 12R Pro pricing
The pricing of the Redmi Note 12R Pro for the variant with a single 12GB of storage and 256GB of space is RMB 1999 (about Rs 23,700). It is anticipated that the phone will soon be available for purchase in China.
Redmi Note 12R Pro specs
Display: The Redmi Note 12R Pro flaunts a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1080×2400 pixels resolution, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 1200 nits peak brightness.
Processor: The Redmi Note 12R Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen1 SoC paired with Adreno GPU.
RAM and Storage: The handset packs 12GB RAM and 256GB storage that is further expandable via a microSD card.
OS: The Redmi Note 12R Pro boots Android 13-based MIUI 14
Cameras: The Redmi Note 12R Pro features dual cameras, with a 50MP primary sensor and a 2MP depth lens. There is a 16MP shooter on the front for selfies and video chats.
Battery: The new Redmi phone packs a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support.
Others: The handset is equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack, IR Blaster, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security.
Connectivity: Connectivity options include 5G, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS + GLONASS, and a USB Type-C port.
Despite the fact that MediaTek’s next high-end chipset, the Dimensity 9200+, is not expected to be introduced until May 10, a Geekbench 6 score sheet has surfaced online indicating that it possesses remarkable multi-core and single-core performance. In point of fact, it has a better performance than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
According to the rumored Geekbench 6 listing, the multi-core test was completed with 5,655 points, and the single-core scenario was completed with 2,121 points. This is a significant improvement over the majority of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered smartphones that we’ve evaluated.
The chipset powers a vivo smartphone, maybe the X90S flagship.
The only Android handset that comes close to the Dimensity 9200+ is the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate with the performance X Mode activated.
It has a multi-core score of 5,641 and a single-core score of 1,992. The A16 Bionic SoC from Apple is currently the only chipset that can compete with the performance of the Dimensity 9200+ in this regard.
According to the data that is currently available, the Dimensity 9200+ will include a primary core that is a Cortex-X3 and will be clocked at 3.35 GHz. Additionally, it will have 3x Cortex-A175 cores that tick at 3.0 GHz and 4x tiny Cortex-A510 cores whose clock speeds are unknown.
The Dacia Duster is renowned for its affordability, but most owners prefer the Extreme trim. German dealer CarPoint is aware of this, which is why they produce even more specialized SUVs with added features. The depicted Duster CarPoint Yellow Edition is illustrative, as it resembles a performance-oriented trim that never existed from the factory.
The most noticeable modification is the new set of 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with yellow accents. Wider low-profile tires and a substantially lowered suspension that brings the vehicle closer to the ground and gives it a sportier stance will severely limit the Duster’s off-road capabilities.
The rugged nature of the Romanian SUV is one of its primary selling points, but we are certain that some purchasers only intended to use it on paved roads, so there is likely a market for this model.
This off-roader has a low stance and 20-inch wheels instead of tough aesthetics.
The SUV has a distinctive yellow wrap that contrasts with the bodywork’s black cladding and features “CarPoint Edition” lettering on the rear quarter panels. Additionally, the Duster comes equipped with a front bull bar, side running boards, and rear custom dual exhaust pipes.
Finally, yellow elements are added to the grille with the new Dacia emblem to distinguish the Duster from the competition. Optional features include a fixed or detachable trailer attachment, an additional set of 16-inch alloy wheels with winter tires, and/or all-season tires on the standard 20-inch rims.
Changes inside the cabin are limited to branded door ledges made of stainless steel and velour floor mats. The special edition is based on the high-end Prestige, which features standard 8-inch Media Nav infotainment, a multi-view camera, automatic climate control, heated seating, cruise control, etc. Nonetheless, the interior’s rigid, scratchy plastics reveal the model’s low-cost construction.
The sporty-looking Duster does not receive any performance enhancements, but it is based on the range-topping 1.3 TCe 150 4WD trim. The turbocharged 1.3-liter engine delivers 148 hp (110 kW / 150 PS) and 250 Nm (184.4 lb-ft) of torque to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
The Dacia Duster CarPoint Yellow Edition is priced at €33,990 ($37,486), which seems reasonable considering the additional equipment. We discovered a large number of “CarPoint Edition” models with a variety of exterior colors and engine configurations in the dealer’s inventory. We anticipate the arrival of a brand-new generation of the Dacia Duster in 2024, although we doubt the automaker will ever contemplate a sporty SUV variant, leaving that to tuners.
A brand new feature for WhatsApp known as voice message transcripts was recently released. If the user is in a position where they are unable to listen to the voice note, this function gives them access to the contents of any voice messages they have received.
A deployment to a larger audience is anticipated to take place within the next few weeks. At this time, only select beta testers have access to the functionality. In order to make advantage of the functionality, the WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.9.0.70 update on the TestFlight app needs to be installed.
Use requires the TestFlight WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.9.0.70 upgrade. However, only a few beta testers can use it.
However, at this time, access to the feature is restricted to a relatively small number of beta testers.
Users who would prefer not to make use of the voice message transcripts feature are able to disable it by navigating to the WhatsApp Settings menu, selecting Chats, and then selecting the Voice Message Transcripts option.
Because it enables the app to process voice messages locally on the user’s device rather than sending them to remote servers, this feature can only be used with iOS 16 and not with older versions of the operating system.
This is because API restrictions prevent it from being used with older versions of the software. Also. By granting users the ability to search for certain aspects within the transcribed message, WhatsApp will make it much easier to uncover specific information within lengthy voice notes.
The latest smart camera from Zebronics, the Zeb-Smart Cam 105, is an affordable and comprehensive solution for your home security requirements. This follows the recent introduction of the Zebronics Zeb-Max Ninja 200 RGB Mechanical Keyboard.
The Zebronics Zeb-Smart Cam 105 is outfitted with a Full HD 1080p camera that provides live-streaming and high-resolution images with its 2 megapixel camera. With AI-powered motion detection, the camera alerts you whenever it detects motion, giving you a feeling of safety.
The camera’s 355° horizontal and 120° vertical viewing angles provide a wide view of the room, and its infrared night vision range of up to 5 metres makes it suitable for nighttime security.
In addition to 247 Live Monitoring, the Zeb-Smart Cam 105 allows you to keep a watch on your home while you’re away. The camera’s recordings may be stored on micro-SD devices with a maximum capacity of 128 GB or through optional cloud storage. The talk-back feature of the Smart-Cam enables you to remain in touch with your loved ones no matter where you are, thanks to its superior microphone and two-way audio.
It is simple to mount on the wall, making it an excellent choice for any room. The Zeb-Smart Cam 105’s companion application is compatible with Android and iOS devices, allowing you to access your camera from anywhere.
The Realme Narzo 50 can now be purchased for Rs. 12,999, down from the previous price of Rs. 15,999. This incredible offer is available on Amazon.com. On this particular e-commerce website, you can save 19% when you purchase a Realme Narzo 50. There are also bank and exchange deals that may be accessed. You might make a profit of up to Rs. 12,250 from the currency transaction.
Realme Narzo 50 Specifications
The screen on the Realme Narzo 50 is bezel-free and measures 6.6 inches in size. It features a pixel density of 400ppi and a resolution of 1080 by 2412. In addition, the capacitive touchscreen of the mobile phone offers an outstanding scrolling experience. It has a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a ratio of 20:9, making it ideal for this application.
On the back of the Realme Narzo 50, there is a camera setup that resembles a triple camera. It features a main camera with a resolution of 50 megapixels and an aperture of 1.8 millimeters, a macro camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels and a depth sensor also with a resolution of 2 megapixels. The front-facing camera on this device has a resolution of 16 megapixels and an aperture of 2.05 millimeters.
The Realme Narzo 50 is driven by a processor called the MediaTek Helio G96, which has an Octa-core arrangement (Cortex A76 and Cortex A55) and is operated by the Android operating system. In addition, consumers can rely on its four gigabytes of random access memory (RAM) and Mali-G57 MC2 graphics processing unit (GPU) for exceptional gaming and multitasking performance.
The 5000mAh Li-ion cell that comes standard in the Narzo 50 is not detachable. The battery is being charged with a 33W Dart Charging system.
Since July, we’ve known that Mobvoi would produce the first Wear OS watch with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 microprocessor. Now, a virtually exhaustive leak of the TicWatch Pro 5 has emerged.
According to an Amazon listing, there is a “1.43” Round Dual-layer Display 2.0″ that combines OLED with a “Customized Dynamic Colorful Backlight FSTN Screen” for extended battery life (611mAh). Mobvoi asserts up to 80 hours in “Smart Mode” and up to 45 days in “Essential Mode,” with rapid charging providing 65% in 30 minutes.
The display is protected by Gorilla Glass and is surrounded by knurling. Similar to the Pixel Watch, there is a rotating crown on the right border and a button directly above it. It is available in black Obsidian with 24mm bands.
It features a 4nm Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. The phrase “The Latest Version of Wear OS by Google” is advertised. Bluetooth 5.2, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, GPS + Beidou + Glonass + Galileo + QZSS with a compass app and a barometer are included for connectivity.
“More than 100 Professional Workout Modes” and other fitness-related features such as VO2 Max, pulse rate, and sleep tracking are advertised.
There is a 5ATM classification for water resistance and US-MIL-STD 810H certification. Other images depict the box, the availability of Google Pay, and the charging cable, which appears to be of a proprietary nature.
After this disclosure, the pricing and availability of the TicWatch Pro 5 are the only unknowns.
The iPhone 14 Pro has been out for a while, and the iPhone 15 lineup will arrive in several months. However, the iPhone 14 Pro is still a powerful phone! The fast A16 Bionic chip, new always-on display, Dynamic Island, 48MP main camera, and more power it all. It also has lots of interesting software since it uses iOS 16.
If you don’t know where to look, you may not use all of the iPhone 14 Pro’s amazing features. We’ll demonstrate your iPhone’s greatest features.
48MP images
The iPhone 14 Pro has a 48MP primary camera. Due to pixel-binning (four smaller sub-pixels make up one larger pixel), the metadata will say 12MP when used normally. Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra have this functionality.
That may work for most photos. A 48MP shot can be 75 to 100MB, which can easily use up your storage space. Don’t do this often.
But sometimes you need the full 48MP resolution to capture every detail. This also means you can alter the image whatever you like. Enable Apple ProRaw in the Camera app to switch effortlessly.
If the RAW toggle is not marked out, the Camera app will shoot a ProRaw photo.
Unfortunately, ProRaw 48MP only works for 1x focus shots. 0.5x, 2x, and 3x ProRaw will immediately transition to 12MP.
Own the always-on display
iPhone 14 Pro AOD is activated by default. Apple was criticized for how the AOD worked, as it dimmed your lock screen wallpaper, drained the battery, and showed notifications.
AOD Android phones have black screens with separate notification icons. Many preferred Android’s approach and found Apple’s distracting.
After the uproar, Apple gave consumers an iOS upgrade to personalize the AOD. So you can keep it the normal manner, or you can make the wallpaper not show and the display black, and you can keep or remove notifications. You can disable the AOD altogether.
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On Display and turn what you want on or off.
Photo Styles
It started with the iPhone 13 series, yet this undervalued iOS feature may be new to you.
Photographic Styles in the Camera app are customizable Tone and Warmth presets that are applied to all photos while active. Since Photographic Styles are not filters, they cannot be applied post-capture. Since you cannot change or remove the style after real-time application, it is destructive.
Standard, a “balanced” Photographic Style, is default. Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm, and Cool are other possibilities. I prefer the Rich Contrast effect, therefore I use it for most of my images. Contrast is good!
Go to Settings > Camera > Photographic Styles and swipe through to choose a preset Photographic Style for the Camera app. You may preview each style in Settings.
Photographic Styles can also be activated in the Camera app, although this overrides Settings. In the Camera app, swipe up above the shutter button (or tap the arrow button at the top of the screen) and select the Photographic Styles button (it looks like a stack of three squares) to choose a style. This lets you adjust tone and warmth separately.
Focus modes
Focus modes, which are not iPhone 14 Pro-specific, are handy if you need some distraction-free time during the day. Do Not Disturb for working, driving, reading, gaming, etc.
Focus mode lets you choose to quiet all alerts from specified persons or apps or only those from certain ones. Focus Filters enable you tailor app and device behavior while Focus is on. System filters like AOD, dark or light mode, and Low Power mode restrict app viewing. Smart Activation (machine learning) or a timetable can automatically activate Focus Modes.
I enjoy Focus modes, but I don’t know how many people do. My work one activates daily at a certain time. This prevents iPhone 14 Pro alerts from interrupting my writing.
Focus modes are worth setting up. The feature was initially difficult to set up, but Apple simplified it. Settings > Focus activates Focus mode. You can use a readymade one or make your own.
Link Focus mode to lock/home screens.
Lock screen customization in iOS 16 is messy. Apple also lets us construct several lock and home screens that we can link with a Focus mode. This feature lets me swap between my standard configuration and my work setup, which has a job-related background. It also makes my work Focus more visible.
Focus mode is simple to add to your lock/home screen. Bring up the lock screen switcher, select the one you want to link and press Focus on the lock screen preview. Choose a Focus mode to link it to. Focus mode now immediately changes your lock and home screens to the one you chose.
Humans can touch, grip, and feel objects and atmospheric changes with their fingertips. Fingertips are sensitive and have unique fingerprint patterns.
Roboticists are aiming to improve artificial fingertips so robots can distinguish minute textures and monitor climatic changes. Most skin-like materials fail to mimic human touch.
A novel ionic skin from Donghua University in China could mimic robot fingertips. In an article in Advanced Materials, this skin could allow robots to feel tactile qualities and identify materials.
Robots could feel and recognize textures with an ionic skin.
“This work was initially inspired by the fingertips and fingerprints that we use to touch and perceive the world every day,” Dr. Shengtong Sun told Tech Xplore. “Despite multiple ‘hard’ biomimetic fingertips being reported in recent years, two significant obstacles remain in building artificial soft ionic skins with fingertip-like tactile characteristics.
One is overcoming strain interference in tactile pressure perception, and the other is fine texture recognition like fingertips, which is a sign of great tactile sensitivity.”
In their current study, Dr. Sun and his colleagues sought to overcome these two main hurdles when developing soft ionic skins. They first considered how to produce and define fingerprint patterns on a soft material to match the shape and function of human fingertips.
“We noticed that fingertips are featured with a modulus-contrast fingerprint structure with periodic ridges and valleys,” Dr. Sun said. “Such an endogenic periodic pattern is believed to be created by a non-equilibrium reaction-diffusion process from the biochemical Turing effect.”
The hard ridges inside fingertips are thought to operate as mechanical microlevers that quickly transfer tactile vibration impulses to receptors in the dermis, a thick layer of tissue underneath the skin. These ridges maintain practically continual contact with surfaces and objects because they just minimally distort. Fingertip pressure sensitivity is nearly strain distortion-free.
“Inspired by these features of fingertips, we fabricated an aesthetic ionic skin also grown from a non-equilibrium Liesegang patterning process,” Dr. Sun added. “Interestingly, such an aesthetic ionic skin was shown to possess fingertip-like strain-undisturbed pressure sensitivity as well as the ability to recognize textures.”
An ionic skin for robots to feel and recognize textures.
Dr. Sun and his team used Liesegang patterning, which involves precipitation reactions in hydrogel materials, to generate this beautiful ionic skin. This method formed stiff ridges in an elastic hydrogel that resembled human fingertips.
“Liesegang patterning generally occurs when a precipitation reaction is coupled with the mass transport of reagents in porous gel media, leading to periodic bands of precipitates,” Dr. Sun added. A fluoroelastomer layer makes the Liesegang-patterned ionic skin a sensitive triboelectric tactile sensor. The modulus-contrast of soft valleys and rigid ridges allows the triboelectric tactile sensor to detect dynamic pressure stimuli, recognize fine textures, and maintain pressure sensitivity even when stretched to human skin’s maximum failure strain (~50%).
The researchers added additional piezoresistive ionogel to their patterned ionic skin to better replicate the biological multimodal tactile sensory system. The artificial skin-like touch sensor performed well in preliminary tests, even when stretched.
“This work creatively introduces the non-equilibrium reaction-diffusion phenomenon into the design of ionic sensing materials,” Dr. Sun remarked. Aesthetic ionic skin with periodic Liesegang patterns has stiff ridges in a soft hydrogel matrix.
A modulus-contrast hybrid structure gives the ionic skin unique tactile sensing capabilities of triboelectric-based strain-undisturbed pressure sensitivity and fine texture identification, which have seldom been realized in artificial ionic skins.
This team’s hydrogel-based artificial tactile sensor might be utilized to produce soft robotic skins or artificial fingers that can detect dynamic and static pressure signals when a robot grasps objects. Dr. Sun and his team’s findings may also inspire Liesegang patterning-based ionic skins for robotics.
“The Liesegang-patterned aesthetic ionic skin was fabricated on a hydrogel substrate, and the resulting material has a certain thickness of about 2 mm,” Dr. Sun said. Future soft robotic applications may require thinner material. Liesegang patterns will be introduced into an ultra-thin matrix to create thin-film artificial ionic skins in our next experiments.
Some beta testers worldwide have been given access to WhatsApp’s new feature, which allows users to lock conversations. In the coming weeks, the communication app will spread out this feature to even more users.
The company is striving to improve the app’s privacy, which is one of the most frequently requested features. Those who have chosen to secure their chat can unlock it using their fingerprints.
According to the wabetainfo report, it is presently available to a select group of beta testers and will be made available to a wider audience in the coming weeks.
How Will It Function?
You must access conversation info to determine whether the feature is enabled. Then they will see a new option labeled ‘Chat Lock’. When enabled, a new section titled ‘Locked Chats’ will appear in your chat list, which you can access by using your fingerprint to activate it.
“Once a chat is locked, only the user’s fingerprint can unlock it, rendering it nearly impossible for anyone else to access the chat. As an additional privacy measure, this feature prevents media files such as photographs and videos sent in a locked chat from being automatically saved to the device’s gallery, according to a report by Wabetainfo.
Additionally, if someone attempts to access your phone without providing the required authentication, they will be prompted to clear the conversation in order to access it.
WhatsApp Permits Users to Perform Same
WhatsApp permits users to access their accounts on multiple devices.
WhatsApp has now announced that users will be able to use the same account on multiple devices, enhancing its multi-device offering.
Consequently, you can connect your phone as one of up to four additional devices, just like when you link web browsers, tablets, and desktops to WhatsApp. It will be a significant relief for users who require multiple devices simultaneously for personal or professional use, as they will be able to sign in to their WhatsApp account whenever they need to use one of their devices.
“Each linked phone connects to WhatsApp independently, ensuring that your personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and if your primary device is inactive for a long period, we automatically log you out of all companion devices,” WhatsApp explained in a blog post.
