OnePlus To Bring Its Concept Smartphone in India

OnePlus is set to bring its new concept smartphone called OnePlus Concept One.

Concept uses electrochromic glass which turns dark and hide the camera setup when electricity is passed. Mostly this glass is used in sunroof of premium glass. To use this technology on smartphone OnePlus has worked with McLaren.

Concept One First-hand Experience in Top Cities

OnePlus fans can get first-hand experience on the phone on 8 Feb 2020 in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Concept will be going across North America, Europe and India for one tour. Users can leave their feedback. Company is also hosting product briefing session for the most intrigued people at 10 AM on 8^th Feb 2020.

Design

Smartphone has papaya orange shade. Phone has been revealed to have aluminium alloy frame and thin gold finish layer. Company has not revealed much other than this about the phone right now.

OnePlus Past Journey in India

OnePlus has been creating beautiful designed products with premium quality built and advanced technology for users. OnePlus is trying to find new users in the country to expand. It has been launched in India 5 years back but has successfully built trust among the users. It has been one of the most popular smartphones among premium phones in India.

When it was launched 5 years back, company did not use any big campaigns and has completely relied on the word-of-mouth from users. Word-of-mouth is still their core strategy but apart from this, later brand moved to digital channels. Brand is also exploring traditional mediums and celebrity associations to target larger audience.

OnePlus Focus in India

To increase team strength

India is the most important market for them, and they are trying to reach larger audience. OnePlus has biggest team in India as compared to their other headquarters with strength of 400 members. Brand is also trying to grow their team from 400 members to 1000 members in next 3 years.

To expand offline presence

OnePlus has 30 stores in top cities, and they are planning to have 100 stores in top 50 cities. Brand has plans to cover all tier I cities and then look at some tier II cities as well. This will help in creating awareness and growing trust among the users.

Xiaomi Plans To Bring Back Mi Premium Phones To India in 2020

Xiaomi entered the Indian market on 15 July 2014 with a sale tie up with flipkart for Mi 3. Smartphone was priced at Rs 13,999. Company has seen a good growth in India since then. Xiaomi has launched more than 40 smartphones in India under different brand Redmi, Mi and Poco. Redmi was known for its affordable price whereas Mi and Poco were known for its premium phones.

Till now company have more focused on Redmi series and it has done quite well in Indian market. Redmi phones are providing good features at cheaper rates compared to other smartphone brands. This is the reason company has gained good popularity in less time in Indian market. It has also helped company to get market share in Indian market.

In past three years since 2017 there was only Mi A series that has continued (Mi A1, Mi A2 and Mi A3). Premium phones k20, K20 pro and Poco F1 were launched but it did not do as well as Samsung and One Plus.

Consumers interest towards the smartphones have changed with time. Increase in the market for devices coming under the range of Rs 20000 to Rs 25000 has increased. As compared to 2017 percentage has increased to 7 to 8 percent in 2018 from 4 to 5 percent and it is growing further.

Xiaomi will bring in more smartphones under Mi this year. Till now company is not that successful in wining hearts of people in India for its premium phones. It still has struggle with other brands OnePlus and Apple for premium phones.

In last 2 years Xiaomi has also bought in other products Mi TVs, Audio and Lifestyle. It has strengthened its distribution network. Company has 75 Mi homes, premium retail network across top 10 cities, 2000 service centres and 7 manufacturing facilities.

Xiaomi plans to expand by bringing more products in Mi segment. Consumers will see more smartphones, entertainment and lifestyle products under Mi brand. Mi Note 10, Mi Note 10 Pro and Mi A4 are the upcoming phones in 2020 for now. Apart from this Xiaomi will launch other smartphones also under Redmi brand Redmi K30, Redmi K30 Pro, Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Poco is declared as independent product now in India. It will operate independently from now and not under Xiaomi brand in India.

Apps To Have On Your Mobile For Wedding Season

Wedding season has started. We all know there are many things from small to big that needs to be planned for wedding in India. No matter whether it is wedding of bride or groom, families start planning few months before. Afterall, there are so many things to be taken care of, from location to outfits to food menu and so on...

Below are some apps which will help you during wedding season around:

WedMeGood –

This app helps you to find vendors according to your requirement and budget. You can directly contact vendors through their available contact numbers. App also has more than 1.5 million wedding photos with unique ideas. You will also find collection of more than 5000 mehndi designs. Explore various bridal Lehenga photos. You can also choose your favorite wedding songs from sangeet to baraat to shaadi, phera and vidai.

You can invite your members whom you want to be part of your planning and share details with them. There is search filter available which helps you in searching what exactly you want.

Pinterest –

You can get ideas for many things on Pinterest. For example) recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and much more. You can search for wedding and you will get many ideas on Pinterest about it.

Instagram –

You can search for your favorite celebrities and check their wedding look. You can also search for the latest wedding trends on Instagram. There are many wedding influencers also available whom you can follow if you find them right.

YouTube –

You can find wedding songs, dance videos, different hairstyles on YouTube. You can choose and create your list. You can also upload your pre wed video on YouTube and share it with your family and friends.

Facebook –

It will help you to share current event pictures and happiness with your social friends as we all know Facebook is the platform where you will find all your friends and relatives at one place.

Myntra & Manyavar –

You can browse through Myntra and Manyavar both for ethnic wear collections. On Myntra app you can shop for other western wears also as per your requirements. Manyavar, you can check their ethnic collection online through their website – www.manyavar.com

Have Fun with Jio’s New Year Plan of Rs 2020 for 12 Months

Internet Rates Have Risen -

In December we have seen internet rates have risen by approx. 50 %. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea has increased their rates from Dec 3 onwards. Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel shared their new rates in unlimited plan with 50% higher cost. Reliance Jio all in one plans are 40 % higher on other hand. Telecom companies were facing losses due to the data available at cheaper rates.

As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), prices of mobile data have reduced a lot as compared to 2014. In 2014 mobile date was offered at the rate of Rs 269 per GB. In 2015 it was offered at the rate of Rs 226 per GB. Then when 4G technology came in India the rates went too low with Rs 75.57 per GB in 2016.

Further the rates of wireless data were down more from Rs 19.35 per GB in year 2017 to Rs 11.78 per GB in year 2018.

Jio New Year Offer for 12 Months –

Company on 23^rd December announced their new year offer plan for 12 months for both smartphone users and featured phone users. Smartphone & featured phone users will get access to 1-year unlimited services.

Smartphone users will get 1.5 GB data per day with jio to jio unlimited voice calls and sms for one year. Feature phone users will get 500 MB data per day with jio to jio unlimited voice calls and free sms. Offer is available from 24^th Dec 2019 and will be available till first week of Jan 2020. There will be similar offer for 1-year plan for Rs 2199 which users can take benefit of if in case they miss to recharge with Rs 2020 plan.

IUC May Be Reduced to Zero From 1 Jan 2020 –

Currently you have to pay 6 paise per minute if you are making calls to non jio mobile. Jio to jio calls are free but IUC (Interconnect Usage Charge) are paid to the other mobile network operator if you are making calls to the respective mobile operators. Earlier Reliance Jio use to pay the IUC charges to other operators like Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel or others. Company has paid nearly Rs 13,500 crores in past.

But now for IUC company has to deduct 6 paise per minute call for offnet mobile calls. It is not mandatory to opt for IUC Top-Up if you don’t have to make calls to other networks. If you have only jio to jio calls, then IUC Top-Up is not required. IUC Top-Up does not have any validity you can use it as per your usage whenever required.

Good thing is IUC may be reduced to zero from 1^st Jan 2020 and then you don’t have to pay any charges for making calls to other mobile networks like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, etc.

Mobile Industry 2020 – Overview

Mobile Industry 2020 – Overview

Mobile industry has seen a rapid growth in continuous years. Percentage of people moving online is increasing day by day. Mobile has become the most important element in people’s life. We are highly dependent on our smartphones for most of our work, whether it is for entertainment purpose or shopping or research or for communication mobile fulfill our needs.

Millennials Moving Rapidly Towards Digitalization

There was a study conducted by Ipsos and commissioned by PayPal to analyze about the latest trends in mobile commerce across the globe and India.

As per the study analysis, India is moving rapidly towards digitalization and millennials are making good use of technology for online purchases.

They conducted a survey for 11 countries, with approx. 22,000 consumers and 4,000 business respondents to examine how people sell and shop online.

Study showed 88% of the surveyed Indians use mobile phones to make payments, way above the global average of 71%.

This shows us how people are moving online on mobile and make use of technologies. In 2020 it is expected the rate of people using mobile might go high.

Smartphone To See Growth Of Approx. 13.8% Compared to 2019

Smartphone industry would see growth of 13.8% in sales compared to last year however overall mobile handsets sale would slow down by 2 percent in 2020 as feature phone and smart feature phone sales would drop.

As per one of the reports in techARC, total of 213 million smartphones will be sold in 2020. Out of which 48 million of smartphones sold will be old smartphones.

The overall smartphone sales will grow at 13.3 per cent with new smartphone sales increasing at 13.8 per cent and pre-owned smartphone sales growing at 11.6 per cent.

Estimated growth of smartphones in medium range (Rs 25,001-Rs 50,000) will be high compared to premium range (above Rs 50,000) and budget range (Rs 10,001-Rs 25,000) of smartphones respectively.

Southern states will be the highest contributor in selling smartphones compared to other states.

More Creative & Innovative Mobile Games To Come

Gaming sector is growing at the rate of 22 percent CAGR and is likely to touch $1 billion in revenue by the end of year 2020. Increase in number of mobile gamers have bought big pc games also to mobile. PUBG Mobile is the biggest hit of the year and then Call of Duty Mobile has made a successful entry this year. It is “Best Game of 2019”. Game has also won title of “Users’ Choice Game of 2019”.

Brawls Star is good arcade game on android which is characterized in “Best Competitive Games of 2019”. There are other games also in this category - Dark Sword 2, SHADOWGUN LEGENDS - FPS PvP and Coop Shooting Game and Stick Cricket Live.

Games like 1945, Angry Birds Dream Blast, Ludo All Star – Online Classic Board & Dice Game, Masala Madness: Cooking Game and Overkill the Dead: Survival won the title of “Best Casual Games of 2019”.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, F1 Manager, Dungeon Faster, Assassin's Creed Rebellion: Adventure RPG and Alt-Frequencies won title of “Best Innovative Games of 2019”.

We have seen good mobile games in year 2019. 2020 might bring more good games to the platform across different genres. Gaming companies will be working on AR and VR concepts also for more games for entertaining experience.

WhatsApp To Not Work on All Mobile Phones in 2020

Users those who are using windows phone will not be able to access WhatsApp anymore. Company is planning to shutdown the service for windows phone from 31^st of Dec.

WhatsApp will not work on any android device which is running on version 2.3.7 or older. iPhone running iOS 8 or older will also be not supported by WhatsApp.

5G Network Will Take Few Years

5G network would move things better but there is no conformity or any announcement by when India will experience the touch of 5G network.

Indian Traditional Games Which Moved Online On Mobile

Gaming is best source of entertainment; we all have grown up playing games. Games refreshes our mind and keeps us entertained. There are games with which, we have memories because games not only give us fun but also keeps us connected. There are many games which we have played with our family and friends on festive occasions or in get togethers.

Due to our busy schedule, many such traditional games were lost somewhere. Thanks to gaming companies which have bought many such classic games online in digital space so that we can enjoy it and feel the same experience which we used to feel while playing it offline. In fact, gaming companies are continuously putting their hard efforts to make the experience better and healthier.

Rummy – One of the most popular card games played since ages. Game’s varieties and the skills involved in it make it popular among players. There are different types of rummy played in different parts of world. In India 13 cards Indian rummy is mostly played.

This wonderful skill-based game is bought online with better experience. Game has different variants points rummy, pool rummy, deals rummy and raise rummy (exclusive on Rummycircle).

The objective of game is to form valid sets and sequences of 13 cards. To win the game you need to make minimum 2 sequences out of which one pure sequence is compulsory and rest can be any valid sequence or sets.

You will experience the same thrill and excitement in online version like you used to have it offline. Online rummy is safer compared to offline version as the top rummy platforms ensures the safety, security and fraud detection and control.

Registration is simple, you join millions of real players online. Competing with real skilled players brings more thrill, excitement and fun. Best part about rummy is it is real money game. If you know the game well and play better, you win real cash out of it. That makes the game even more interesting.

There are always free practice games for you to try and sharpen your skills.

Ludo – Most of us have played ludo in our childhood. Its on roll the dice and move concept. Game is simple and loved by many. Vikash Jaiswal, founder of Gametion Mumbai based gaming company  came up with an idea of bringing ludo game online.

There were different versions of ludo game online so the team wanted to keep the game simple by cutting off the rules which would slow down the game and make the game boring. Finally, after putting continuous efforts team was able to build a game Ludo King which is a major hit among players.

Game is simple and easy to understand. Rules are easy to understand same as traditional ludo game played since years of time.

Each player has 4 tokens placed in their home with specific color. Players have to roll the dice and get number 6 on their dice for each token to come out of home to move further in the game from start to finish.

Game moves on by, rolling the dice and your strategy of moving the tokens effectively. Player whose all 4 tokens reach the destination before other players wins the game.

Chess – Traditional game chess is also moved online. You can register and connect to millions of players online. You can challenge your friends and also chat with your opponents. Game also has many puzzles to be solved. You can see your performance stats and ratings which will help you improve.

Teen Patti – It is very popular card game played since long time in India. Teen Patti is played between 3 to 6 players with deck of 52 cards without joker card. Objective of game is to have the best 3-card hand and to maximize the pot before the showdown.

Dealer distributes one-one card to each player. Each player should get 3 cards. Cards distributed should be facing down on table players are not allowed to see the cards before the game starts. Minimum wager is decided before starting the rounds. Every player has to put their minimum stake in the pot at the center of the table.

Each player places a wager based on their card hands. Player can choose to be either seen player or blind player.

Blind player cannot see their cards and they can place a wager that is equal to current stake, but it should not be twice the current stake.

Seen player can see his or her cards and place a wager which is at least twice the current bet and not more than 4 times current stake. So, seen player has to bet twice than the blind player because he knows his cards. Blind player can also change to Seen player and his wager will increase to twice the current stake. Player can also fold and be out of the game but he or she loses the amount which is placed in pot.

Game proceeds and the player which is left till the end of the game is the winner and wins the entire amount that is placed in the pot. If 2 players are left one player can demand for Show. Then both the players have to show their cards and compare.

Reference - https://play.google.com/store/apps/category/GAME?hl=en_IN

Reference - https://www.rummycircle.com/articles/10-popular-card-games-online.html

Popular PC Game Apex Legends Coming To Mobile Soon

Gaming Industry has a good potential in India. People are getting more engaged towards online games for their source of entertainment. Entry of good mobile games have bought more interest in players. Mobile games are easy to access, and players can play it from anywhere anytime as per their comfort. Now a day’s mobile games are also coming with good graphics and sound effects so that players enjoy and stay entertained.

PUBG Mobile is the biggest example which shows how mobile games are loved across. Game has more than 400 million downloads. Soon after PUBG mobile popular game Call of Duty was launched last month called Call of Duty Mobile for mobile users. Seeing the good potential for games on mobile many good popular games are coming to mobile. Apex Legends is also among it, yes hit game Apex Legends is soon coming to mobile.

Apex Legends have more than 70 million registered players. Currently available on pc, xbox and ps4. Company CEO Andrew Wilson revealed that mobile version will be available in 2021 fiscal year. Fiscal year would begin on 1st Oct 2020 and last until Sep 30, 2021. 

Company is bringing the game to new platform and will be targeting new geographies. Apex Legends will compete with PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile on release. Cross platform play for Apex Legends is also in development.

Apex Legends is one of the best battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. In this game 20 three-man squads land on an island to defeat other players in the combat.

You can choose among different Legends (characters) in the game which has different skills and abilities in the game. Game theme is based on survival. You have to choose weapons like granades, armour and guns and battle with opponents. If you choose the right weapons and plan proper strategies, you can survive in the game.