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Xiaomi Says It Sold Over 2 Million Smartphones in India in Q3 2016

HIGHLIGHTS
Xiaomi claims over 2 million smartphones sold in India in Q3
Redmi 3, Redmi 3 Note are some of the popular phones from Xiaomi
Xiaomi claims it achieved over 150 percent year-on-year growth
Xiaomi has claimed that it has sold over 2 million smartphones in India in the third-quarter of 2016. The Chinese company revealed the news via a tweet. Xiaomi also claimed that it achieved over 150 percent year-on-year growth from Q3 2015 to Q3 2016.

The figures claimed by the Chinese company are impressive considering that the third-quarter is yet to be over. In October, the company sold 1 million smartphone units in just 18 days. This was announced by CEO Lei Jun in an open letter to employees.

A recent IDC report had claimed that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Redmi 3S series “fuelled the online shipments” to a large extent for the company. The IDC report had also claimed that Xiaomi for the first time made it to the top five smartphone vendors list based on shipments. The research firm had said that Xiaomi grew over 2.5 times over the same period last year.
Xiaomi soon after its Diwali sale had announced that it managed to sell half a million smartphones in just three days. The Redmi 3S (along with Redmi 3S Prime), on the other hand, was also the top-selling product on Flipkart during its Big Billion Days Sale while Redmi Note 3 was the best-selling smartphone of Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale.
Recently, Flipkart, one of the online retail partners of Xiaomi, had claimed that it managed to sell one million Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime smartphones in India. The smartphone was launched in the country in August this year, and was made available on Mi.com and Flipkart online.

Tags: Xiaomi, Xiaomi Mobiles, Mobiles, Android, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi Redmi 3S

[“Source-Gadgets”]

Destiny 2 Leak Reveals Possible Theme and Story Location

Destiny 2 Leak Reveals Possible Theme and Story Location
HIGHLIGHTS
Destiny 2 could see story missions take place on Deimos
This comes via a screen grab showing developers testing the game
Destiny 2 is slated for a 2017 release
Shared world sci-fi shooter Destiny just received an expansion in Rise of Iron, but in publisher Activision’s latest earnings call, it was revealed that Destiny 2 will have “a steady stream” of new experiences.

And it appears that one of these experiences will take place on Deimos – a satellite moon of Mars. The red planet is home to one of Destiny’s factions, the Cabal – a warmongering race that has never been a central focus of Destiny or its many expansions.

The source for this is a Reddit thread which states that Bungie employees are testing the game.

(Also see: Destiny Sequel Set for 2017)

“I have a seen the images of Bungie devs on Destiny test build, but has anyone seen any Destiny 2 test builds? Whilst looking at my friends list on Xbox one, I found the Bungie employee Evil Otto online (which he rarely is),” posted Redditor ATypicalFruit. “His activity displayed as Destiny II: Private Test Build.”
The user took a screenshot and asked the developer if he was testing Destiny 2. After this, it seems that Evil Otto is appearing offline. Much of the discussion revolves around Deimos being the Greek God of Terror, suggesting that Destiny 2 could see the Cabal take on a main role in its proceedings.
In other Destiny 2 news, it has been heavily rumoured that the game will come to PC.

This comes via Kotaku reporter Jason Schreier who had this to say on popular gaming forum NeoGAF:

“I have also heard that D2 [Destiny 2] is coming to PC and that Vicarious Visions is working on it. Don’t know about raid matchmaking (that’d be dumb imo [in my opinion] unless they finally make matchmaking an option rather than a setting). I expect D2 to feel more like a new game than a continuation of D1. What I heard is that the reason it was rebooted earlier this year (and is now helmed by GAF poster Luke Smith) is because the original version felt too much like an expansion. I’m expecting them to change everything. I don’t think Bungie has decided yet what you’ll be able to bring over from year 1 or what you’ll get as a reward for being a long-term player. But I expect a fresh start.”

(Also see: Destiny 2 Coming to PC: Sources)

Vicarious Visions is a studio owned by Destiny publisher Activision responsible for ports of games like Skylanders and is also working on the Crash Bandicoot remaster announced by Sony at E3 2016.

Schreier has a solid track record, what with being correct on No Man’s Sky’s delay and Ubisoft not releasing a new Assassin’s Creed game this year. With Destiny: Rise of Iron forsaking PS3 and Xbox 360 owners, it would make sense to see a sequel on the PS4 and Xbox One, along with supporting a PC release to reach a wider audience.

Tags: Destiny 2, Destiny, PS4, Xbox One, Rise of Iron, Bungie, Activision, Deimos, Mars, Cabal

[“source-ndtv”]

IRS Ups Deduction vs. Depreciation to $2,500 for Computers, Phones

The Internal Revenue Service has increased the amount small businesses can expense versus depreciate on their taxes each year. It’s a change that should simplify record keeping and increase the amount of a capital investment you can write off in a year.

Specifically, the federal agency has boosted the so-called “IRS safe harbor” limit businesses can deduct on a capital investment within a single year from $500 to $2,500.

A capital investment is one used by a business to acquire, produce, or improve tangible property. It might range from investment in a new building to investment in a new piece of equipment or other new technology.

The IRS says the change is the result of feedback on a request put out to businesses asking for ways to make paperwork easier. The agency says it received more than 150 letters from businesses pointing out that a $500 threshold didn’t cover the cost of many expensed items such as tablet computers and machinery.

For example, purchasing tablets for $2,000 would have to be amortized for four years at $500 each year. Raising the IRS safe harbor threshold for capitalization from $500 to $2,500 would allow for the deduction to come in one year.

Safe Harbor is a term for an amount that the IRS won’t question. As a part of this new rule, the IRS has said it won’t question $2,500 deductions in years previous to the official 2016 start.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen says in an agency announcement, “We received many thoughtful comments from taxpayers, their representatives and the professional tax community. This important step simplifies taxes for small businesses, easing the record keeping and paperwork burden on small business owners and their tax preparers.”

Capitalization has traditionally taken place over years as a deduction on the depreciation of property that’s intended to last years. But now businesses can deduct a larger expense for technology in a single year leaving depreciation for much bigger ticket items. The IRS safe harbor change affects businesses that do not maintain an applicable financial statement (audited financial statement).

And, as always, deductions can be taken on repair and maintenance costs which are not counted under the $2,500 limit. For taxpayers with an applicable financial statement, the small-dollar threshold remains $5,000.

Deduction Definition Photo via Shutterstock

[“source-smallbiztrends”]

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Titanfall 2 to Blame for EA Share Crash: Analyst

HIGHLIGHTS

In video games, like Hollywood, it’s tough to repeat past hits
EA may have erred by Titanfall 2 so close to a new Call of Duty
Titanfall 2 features mechanized titans fighting in a futuristic world

The video-game designers who gave birth to the hit Call of Duty franchise are finding it’s hard to outgun their own creation.

Titanfall 2, released Friday, was designed by Jason West and Vince Zampella, who developed Call of Duty for Activision Blizzard Inc. Sales of the new title fell short of one analyst’s forecast, in part because of competition from Call of Duty. That sent shares of Electronic Arts Inc., which released Titanfall 2, to their biggest loss in almost nine months.

Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co., cut his sales forecast for the new Titanfall by a third to six million units, based on tracking of purchases at Amazon.com Inc. The projection suggests that in video games, like Hollywood, it’s tough to repeat past hits, particularly in a crowded market.

(Also see:Titanfall Review)

Electronic Arts “appears to have wound up shooting its own foot off,” Creutz wrote in a note Friday.Electronic Arts, based in Redwood City, California, fell 4 percent to $79.45 at the close in New York. The stock was up 20 percent this year through Thursday. Activision, based in Santa Monica, California, fell less than 1 percent to $43.32.

Creutz lowered his rating on Electronic Arts to market perform from buy and cut his target price for the shares to $82 from $96.

Although Titanfall 2 scored with critics, Electronic Arts may have erred by releasing the first-person shooter game so close to a new Call of Duty due out November 4 and Battlefield 1, another Electronic Arts title that was released last week, Creutz said. Call of Duty was the top-selling video game in the US last year.

(Also see: Everything You Need to Know About the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Beta)

Dusty Welch, the chief operating officer of West and Zampella’s design studio, Respawn Entertainment, said he was pleased with the release.

“The team here at Respawn poured their hearts into this game, and we’re happy to see that hard work pay off not only through overwhelmingly positive reviews, but also by the response from our fans,” he said in an e-mailed statement.

Titanfall 2 features mechanized titans fighting in a futuristic world. Unlike the previous title in the series, Titanfall 2 is available for Sony’s PlayStation 4 console as well as for Microsoft’s Xbox One. It’s also available for the first time a single player game.

West and Zampella were fired by Activision in 2010. They later sued for past-due royalties in a case that was settled out of court. Their first title in their new series, 2014’s Titanfall, was a hit for Electronic Arts.

John Reseburg, a spokesman for Electronic Arts, declined to comment on the forecast, citing the quiet period companies typically adhere to before releasing earnings. Electronic Arts is scheduled to report fiscal second-quarter results on November 1.

Tags: Titanfall 2, EA, Electronic Arts, Call of Duty, PlayStation 4, PS4, Xbox One, Infinite Warfare, Gaming, Apps

[“source-ndtv”]

New MacBook Pro Sees Replacement of MagSafe 2 Port With USB Type-C

HIGHLIGHTS

Headphone jack still intact on new MacBook Pro
MagSafe port used magnetic component to connect to laptop
New MacBook Pro can be charged from any Thunderbolt 3 port

Back in September, Apple took a bold step by removing the conventional 3.5mm headphone jack from its new iPhone models. Now, the company seems to have continued the trend of replacing the conventional connectivity options with the launch of its new MacBook Pro. However, in doing so, company has removed one of the things that helped the company develop its reputation in terms of design – the MagSafe connector.

The company announced on Thursday at its MacBook Pro launch event that MagSafe 2 charging port on the laptop has been replaced with a Thunderbolt 3 port. The most obvious advantage of this replacement is that the new MacBook Pro can be charged from any of its four Thunderbolt 3 ports. MagSafe charging port, due to its magnetic attachment, prevented the laptop from being yanked if the charging wire was pulled upon.

The new MacBook Pro models comes with four Thunderbolt 3-enabled USB Type-C ports that have replaced the functionality of most ports that were present on previous version of MacBook Pro. The USB Type-C ports act as replacements for the HDMI port, standard size USB port, SD Card slot, and Thunderbolt 2 ports. Surprisingly, the company did not decide to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack on the new version of MacBook Pro.In order to make its devices slimmer, over the time, Apple has tried to experiment different connectivity options. Provided the compact size and faster transfer speeds on USB Type-C ports, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that company is aggressively pushing it into mainstream usage.

It seems highly unlikely that the company will ever consider bringing MagSafe port back as the USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports are more compact and utilitarian. However, its contribution to the company is likely to be remembered by more than just Mac vs PC advertisements, where it gave the edge to the Cupertino company.

Tags: Apple Magsafe, Apple MacBook Pro, Apple, Laptops, Thunderbolt 3 Port, MacBook Charging Port

[“Source-Gadgets”]

Mobile Phone Production in India May Reach 500 Million in 2 Years: DoT

Mobile Phone Production in India May Reach 500 Million in 2 Years: DoT
Mobile phone manufacturing in the country may reach 500 million units in coming two years on the back of good base of talent and an incentive policy, a top Department of Telecom (DoT) official said Sunday.

This year, India produced 100 million phones as compared to 45 million last year.

“The number of phones being manufactured was 10 million sometime back (which increased) to 45 million last year and 100 million this year. The time has come when we will reach 500 million, may be in 2 years,” Telecom Secretary J S Deepak said in New Delhi.

(Also see: Mobile Phone Production in India Reaches 100 Million)

He was speaking on the second day of a seminar on Telecom and Broadcasting theme – ART (Adjudication, Regulation, Telecommunication) of Convergence, TDSAT.

He added that apart from phones, the differential tariff is helping domestic manufacturers to get into other areas like medical electronics, consumer electronics as well as broadband equipment, set up boxes.

“Today with base of talent and incentive policy, India is becoming a global hub for manufacturing of phones and specially low-end phones,” he added.

The government is making efforts to reduce imports of electronic products and meet requirement of domestic market through indigenous production.
The government has received proposals worth Rs. 1.13 lakh crore in the electronics manufacturing segment from major brands under the modified special incentive package scheme (M-SIPS).

M-SIPS has been extended till July 2020, which was earlier valid till July 2017. The scheme offers capital subsidies to large investments in electronics manufacturing and system design.

The Secretary also said that making high-speed broadband available to individuals in rural areas is a priority of the government.

According to a survey, he said, while Internet users may have touched 400 million, broadband users are in the range of 40-50 million and growing very slowly in rural areas.

“May be 7 percent people in rural areas use Internet.

More importantly, it’s the issue of digital divide. We have only 14 percent rural households which are digitally literate…this needs to change,” he said.

Tags: DoT, Mobiles, Telecom

[“Source-Gadgets”]

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 With Bezel-Less Display Likely to Launch on October 25

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 With Bezel-Less Display Likely to Launch on October 25
HIGHLIGHTS
The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is likely to launch on October 25
Leak suggests an edge-to-edge display
The smartphone was previously tipped to sport 6GB of RAM
Xiaomi has scheduled an event in China on October 25, where it is expected to announce the Mi Note 2 smartphone. The company is finally unveiling the smartphone after many leaks and speculations about the launch. Additionally, the latest leak hints that the Mi Note 2 will have an all top display, with no sensors or front camera on top, giving it a very different look from the current models in the market, but no dual-edge display as rumoured earlier.

Xiaomi is hosting an event in China at the Peking University Gymnasium on October 25, where it is likely to launch the Mi Note successor. Xiaomi has also announced that Hong Kong-based actor Tony Leung will be the host for the event.

Separately, a few photos of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 have been leaked on Weibo, which show that the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will have very thin bezel on all four sides. The bottom chin usually used for navigation buttons, and the top part used for front camera as well as sensors is not seen in these images, and the Mi Note 2 instead sports an edge-to-edge display. The images also show the smartphone running MIUI OS, adding more credibility.
This images contradict previous leaks that speculated the Mi Note 2 will come with a dual-edge display. However, the leaked images only show the smartphone from the front, hence the dual camera setup rumour leaked recently could still be true.

The Mi Note 2 was expected to arrive on several occasions throughout the latter part of the year, the latest one being September 14, but the launch hasn’t happened yet. We were about to give up hope, when CEO Lei Jun himself reignited launch expectations by saying that the Mi Note 2 will “have a surprise” whenever it launches. However, Xiaomi is now finally looking to put all rumours to rest on October 25.

As mentioned, the Mi Note 2 has been leaked on several occasions revealing key specifications. The smartphone is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 821 SoC, and pack a 3600mAh battery. It’s anticipated to sport two speaker grilles at the bottom, and have a fingerprint sensor at the front. Lastly, the Mi Note 2 is expected to come in 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage and 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage bundles and be priced at CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 25,000) and CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs. 28,000) respectively.

Tags: Xiaomi, Mobiles, Android, Xiaomi Mi Note 2, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Features, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Price, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Specifications, Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Launch

[“Source-Gadgets”]

Huawei Hints at 2 Phone Launches at Thursday Event; Won’t Be Part of Mate Series

HIGHLIGHTS

Huawei’s Richard Yu teased two smartphone launches at the IFA event
Company’s executive clarifies new smartphones are not from Mate series
Evan Blass says Huawei to launch smartphones Nova and Nova Plus

Huawei’s Device CEO Richard Yu has reportedly posted teasers regarding two smartphone launches at its event on Thursday, just ahead of the start of IFA 2016 on Friday. However, the company executive has also clarified that these smartphones will not be Mate S2 and Mate 9 as suggested in some earlier leaks.

The teasers posted on Chinese social networking website Weibo were spotted by Android Pure, and don’t reveal much about the upcoming smartphones but do suggest that one of them will be sporting a square camera panel at the back while the other will be sporting a circular rear camera setup.

On Monday, popular tipster Evan Blass suggested that Huawei will be launching two smartphones under its Nova series, named Nova and Nova Plus, along with MediaPad M3 tablet at IFA.

The Nova series by the company will reportedly be aimed at its female users.

One of company’s executives has also confirmed that the smartphones that will be launched ahead of IFA will not be from Huawei’s ‘Mate’ series and said that they will be from an entirely new series of smartphones, as reported by Android Headlines. According to the report, new smartphones from Mate series will be launched in two months and the company will also introduce a new version of their Android-based Emotion UI.

It will be interesting to see what the upcoming smartphones from Huawei have to offer but for any confirmation regarding their features, we will have to wait for official announcement by the company on Thursday.

Share a screenshot and win Samsung smartphones worth Rs. 90,000 by participating in the #BrowseFaster contest.

Tags: Huawei Nova Smartphones, Mobiles, Android, Huawei IFA Event, Huawei Smartphone Launch

[“Source-Gadgets”]

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Leak Tips Dual-Edge Curved Display, Dual Camera Setup

HIGHLIGHTS

It is expected to support a USB Type-C port
The Mi Note 2 is pegged to be powered by a Snapdragon 821 SoC
Xiaomi will offer 64GB and 128GB inbuilt storage options

The Xiaomi Mi Note 2 is expected to launch on Friday, but before that happens, we already know quite a bit about the smartphone. The Mi Note 2 has been subjected tovarious leaks, and the latest comes in the form of more images. These new images testify to the old rumours of a dual camera setup, and the dual-edge curved display.

The latest Mi Note 2 images were leaked by tipster @kjuma (and were picked up by Gizmochina). The images aren’t as clear as the render images we were treated to a while back, but they still clearly show the much talked about dual-edge display. In the meanwhile, Xiaomi has taken inspiration from Huawei, LG and HTC to introduce the dual camera setup in the Mi Note 2. However, this isn’t the first smartphone that Xiaomi has introduced with two cameras at the back. TheXiaomi Redmi Pro launched in July also sported the dual camera module.

One of the images also give away some of the specification details, and the Mi Note 2 is expected to feature an all metal body, a 5.5-inch Oled screen, 6GB RAM, 128GB inbuilt storage offering, and a Snapdragon 821 chipset.

Past leaks suggest that the Mi Note 2 will come with a USB Type-C port, 3600mAh battery, two speaker grilles, and a fingerprint sensor at the front. There’s another 6GB RAM/64GB storage bundle expected alongside the above mentioned configurations. The 64GB is expected to be priced at CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 25,000) and the 128GB variant should be priced at CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs. 28,000).

Share a screenshot and win Samsung smartphones worth Rs. 90,000 by participating in the #BrowseFaster contest.

Tags: Xiaomi, Mobiles, Android, Mi Note 2, Mi Note 2 Leaks, Mi Note 2 Features, Dual Camera Setup, Dual Edge Display

[“Source-Gadgets”]

LG Stylus 2 Plus Launched in India: Price, Specifications, and More

HIGHLIGHTS

The variant launched in India sports 3GB of RAM
The phablet bears a 5.7-inch display and nano-coated stylus
It is powered by a 3000mAh battery

LG has officially launched the Stylus 2 Plus in India. To recall, the smartphone was tipped to have already become available in India via offline retail stores earlier this week. The LG Stylus 2 Plus has been priced at Rs. 24,450 in the country.

The LG Stylus 2 Plus was first announced in April for Taiwan, but got global availability in June.

The Stylus 2 Plus retains the same form factor as the original LG Stylus 2. It however has received significant enhancements compared to its original sibling. Similar to the LG Stylus 2, it retains the pen with a nano-coated tip which will offer more accuracy compared to the previous rubber-tipped pen seen on the LG G4 Stylus.

Some of the other features that the LG Stylus 2 Plus comes include Pen Pop, which shows a popup menu when the stylus is removed and further offers shortcuts such as Quick Memo, Off Memo, and Pop Scanner. Another notable feature of the Stylus 2 is the Pen Keeper, which notifies users when the stylus bay is empty.

For specifications, the LG Stylus 2 Plus features a 5.7-inch In-Cell display with a screen resolution of 1080×1920 pixels. It is powered by a 1.4GHz ocIta-core processor.

The LG Stylus 2 Plus variant launched in India sports a 3GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 200GB). The variant sports a 16-megapixel and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, both of which sport LED flash modules.

The Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based LG Stylus 2 Plus is backed by a 3000mAh removable battery and supports 4G LTE, VoLTE, 3G, and 2G connectivity options. Some of the other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, and Micro-USB. It measures 155×79.6×7.4mm and weighs 145 grams.

In an emailed statement, Amit Gujral, Marketing Head – Mobiles, LG India said, “We believe in constantly refining our products to best suit the needs of our consumers. With the Stylus 2 Plus smartphone, we have taken the Stylus experience to a whole new level and that too at a very competitive price point. With the new LG Stylus 2 Plus, consumer experience shall be a delight with some innovative features such as Pen Pop, which shall enable Instant access to all pen functions, Pop Scanner, which shall enable picture editing like never before, Screen-Off Memo, using which users can write Memos on phone screen without the need to wake up the phone, Pen Keeper, that alerts the user when they forget to place the stylus back after use and many more.”

[“source-ndtv”]