Content
- Budget smartphones OnePlus
- Sberbank buys Rambler
- Zepp E smart watches come to Russia
- Apple News
- “Navitel Navigator 11” for Huawei
- The most popular smartphones of the decade
- New pickup truck leaves in Russia
- Week with LG XBOOM Go PL
- … and dessert
Budget smartphones OnePlus
BBK Electronics brand OnePlus unveiled two budget smartphones OnePlus N100 and OnePlus N10 5G this week. The first will cost 179 euros, it is equipped with a 6.5 ”display with HD + resolution, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of permanent memory, a main camera with three lenses (13 + 2 + 2 MP) and a 13 MP front camera. The N100 has a 5000 mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging.
The second model is more serious, it already uses Snapdragon 690, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of permanent memory, and a 6.49 ″ Full HD + screen with a 90 Hz refresh rate. The main camera with four modules (64 + 13 + 2 + 2 MP), and the front camera is 16 MP. The battery is a bit more modest, 4300 mAh, but there is support for the proprietary fast 30W Warp Charge charging. The N10 5G will be priced at € 329.
In both models, the fingerprint scanner is classic and is located on the back of the device, and the operating system is Oxygen OS 10.5 based on Android.
As you can see, from the company of one model, which released one “killer of flagships”, nothing remains, the business model changes, and OnePlus begins to expand the line. Following the OnePlus Nord, which seemed to allow the manufacturer to play in the middle price segment, while remaining a strong product, the company has released quite budget solutions that should simply expand the range. Apparently, for this reason, OnePlus founder Carl Pei left the company; nevertheless, not everyone will like turning from a rather unique brand into a mass product. But BBK Electronics wants its subsidiary to be profitable, and it’s not possible to make a lot on the flagship killer alone.
In addition, OnePlus announced that it will release a limited edition special version of the device called the OnePlus 8T Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition. The novelty will be available in China on November 2, but so far there is only an official poster, from which it is difficult to understand how this version will differ. And you probably already know that the Polish developer CD Projekt RED for the third time announced the postponement of the release date of Cyberpunk 2077, previously the release of the game was scheduled for November 19, but now it is scheduled for December 10.
In our country, OnePlus still remains a kind of exotic, and if so, I recommend you our review of another smartphone no less rare for our latitudes – Motorola RAZR 5G:
Sberbank buys Rambler
Sberbank will get full control over Rambler Group, for this it will buy out 45% stake in Rambler Group, which belongs to Alexander Mamut. The parties signed binding documents and announced the closure of the deal. At the first stage, Sberbank will pay 3 billion, the next tranche will be carried out later during the year. Acquisition of full control over the asset will allow us to fill our ecosystem with unique products, services and provide customers with more media opportunities. Sberbank intends to invest in the creation of its own content, expansion of the catalog of films and TV series, in order to make the Okko online cinema the largest OTT platform in Russia. The number of unique users of Rambler services in 2020 increased by 17%. The monthly audience of the media service is 66 million users. At the moment, it includes more than 30 assets, among which Okko is the main one. 17 million people use the service, there are more than 70 films in its catalog. Also, as part of the deal, Sberbank will acquire the rights to the Khudozhestvenny cinema.
Sberbank began to actively buy out IT companies in various market sectors, which is not surprising, having practically unlimited financial resources, you can afford this. But while all Sber’s actions in the sector look a little chaotic and scattered, a person who is able to put this whole puzzle into a full-fledged picture should come to the head of the company’s technological direction, and there are not so many such people on the market. If the purchased assets of a financial institution operate separately, then, with a high degree of probability, some of them will cease to exist after a while.
Zepp E smart watches come to Russia
The new Zepp smart watch will officially enter the Russian market in November E. Zepp is a professional developer of portable devices designed to monitor health and improve the quality of life. The brand rose to prominence in the North American sporting goods market a decade ago with the release of a sensor that allows athletes to obtain performance data. The developer uses a modern algorithmic artificial intelligence system and, on its basis, creates digital solutions for monitoring the health of users. Zepp devices not only monitor the indicators of the state of the body and monitor physical activity, but also analyze the data obtained, and promptly warn the owner of the watch about possible problems.
Smart watches from the Zepp E line are made in a stylish minimalist design and are available in round and rectangular cases. The thickness of the device is only 9 mm, while it can provide up to 10 days of battery life. The gadget is equipped with a built-in system for assessing the health of the user Huami-PAI, has in its arsenal monitoring sleep phases, a tracker for monitoring the level of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), as well as BioTracker 2.0 PPG from Huami, with which you can accurately track the heart rate, heart rate contractions and receive alerts if irregular values are detected during exercise. The watch has 11 sports modes and a Bluetooth Music Control function to control the music player from the device screen without having to take out your smartphone. In both versions of the watch, a high-quality AMOLED display is installed, in the round version the pixel density is 326 ppi, and in the rectangular version – 341 ppi, both models support the Always-on mode. The device is compatible with Android and iOS OS, each platform has its own application.
Already, smart watches Zepp E watches can be purchased in the official store of the brand on AliExpress and in the store “Hello” in Ukraine. And in November they will appear in Russia in the network of CSN stores at a price of 18 rubles. for a round model and 990 20 rubles. for a rectangular one.
Apple News
According to the Financial Times, Apple is stepping up its efforts to develop a “disruptive search technology” that can squeeze Google’s monopoly. To this end, Apple is increasingly publishing job advertisements for relevant professionals. In addition, it is noted that the activity of Applebot, the company’s search bot, which collects data for the needs of the future search engine, has increased. Apple’s initiative is clear. With its own search engine, the company will be able to strengthen its position in advertising and marketing, as well as gain prospects for global development. Apple has the necessary resources to fight Google, and in 2018, the Cupertinians were even able to lure John Giannandrea, Google’s leading search engine specialist, over to them.
In my opinion, Apple has come to its senses late with its own search engine, the market already has leaders in the face of Google and local players like the domestic Yandex. I see the situation the same as with the iMessage messenger, when, despite all the advantages of the product, users still mostly use Telegram and WhatsApp as more widespread and universal solutions. Perhaps the Apple search engine will suffer a similar fate.
And also this week, Apple itself announced that due to changes in exchange rates, it increases prices for applications and domestic purchases in the App Store in the following countries: Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa. For Russia, prices will rise by about 30-80 rubles. Instead of 79 rubles, you will have to pay 99, instead of 149 – 179, instead of 299 – 379, and so on. Since the store uses fixed price tags, the changes will affect all apps and purchases. The exception will be subscriptions – here the prices are determined by the developers themselves. But given the significant change in the exchange rate, it is possible that this category will not do without increases.
Yes, and Apple launched the Apple One on Friday. Recall that Apple One in Russia for 365 rubles a month offers access to Music, TV +, Arcade services and provides 50 GB in the iCloud cloud. There is also a family subscription for 525 rubles per month, which can be used by up to 6 people and which gives access to the same services, only the space in iCloud has been increased to 200 GB. For those who sit with the whole family in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple One family subscription will come in handy, as it allows you to significantly reduce monthly expenses for accessing various services.
By the way, here Spotify announced that the launch of the service in Russia has become the most successful in recent years and has given a large increase in new users. But, it seems to me, Spotify is too early to rejoice, especially given the fact that at the start they gave everyone three free months of access to their product, and how many users will remain after, that’s another question.
It so happened that the week was tightly devoted to Apple, it all started with the sales figures for new iPhones in Spillikins:
We also have ten reasons to buy and not buy an iPhone 12 Pro:
And on Friday, material was published comparing the iPhone 12 Pro with the previous model iPhone 11 Pro:
“Navitel Navigator 11” for Huawei
There are more and more applications for the Huawei / Honor ecosystem every day, and even exclusives appear. Thus, the new 11th version of the Navitel Navigator mobile application for Huawei and Honor smartphones became available in AppGallery earlier than other platforms. Navitel Navigator 11 is a new version of the well-known navigation software from Russian developers with full support for HMS (Huawei Mobile Services). The main changes in the application are a completely redesigned interface that has become more pleasant, a voice search function, active voice prompts along the route that work even when the application screen is minimized, as well as a more convenient search by POI categories and much more.
Navitel Navigator 11 is a multifunctional GPS navigator that allows you to quickly plot the best route, taking into account the traffic situation and building a route to bypass traffic jams. Users have access to offline navigation, camera and restriction alerts, road sign alerts, 3D junctions, lane selection assistance, and an extensive POI database. To use the application, no Internet connection is required, a signal from GPS satellites and, of course, preloaded maps of the region are enough. Detailed offline maps are available for 67 countries and territories, contain data on the industrial and residential structure of settlements with address search, as well as a detailed road transport network.
Maps for Navitel Navigator 11 are paid, for example, Europe and Russia cost 980 rubles, which is not so expensive, and if you only need the central part of Russia, then detailed maps of the region will cost you 500 rubles. I will have to ride for several days with the Navitel Navigator 11, which I have already installed on the Huawei P40 Pro, and evaluate it in operation, especially since all users have access to a seven-day trial period, after which they can already make a decision about buying the necessary maps.
The most popular smartphones of the decade
Yandex.Market has published an infographic on the most popular smartphones of the decade. The information is based on the transitions of service users to online stores, so it may differ from real market data.
We have published reviews on all the devices presented, so I invite you to immerse yourself in memories with us:
New pickup truck leaves in Russia
Great Wall Motor, which owns the Haval brand, is launching the GWM Pickup pickup brand on the Russian market. The first model to appear in Russia will be the GWM Wingle 7 pickup in the long wheelbase Comfort version. The car has already appeared on sale in Haval dealerships, its cost is 1 rubles, which is much more expensive than the same UAZ Pickup, the maximum version of which costs 749 rubles.
The GWM Wingle 7 is a five-seater pickup truck with a two-row cab, equipped with a 2 hp 143-liter turbocharged diesel engine, a six-speed manual transmission, and an AWD system with a Borg Warner transfer case and a crawler gear. The spaciousness of the GWM Wingle 7 pickup is achieved thanks to the large size of the cargo platform, which has anti-slip and anti-vandal dusting. The car has regular cruise control and a simple media system with steering wheel control buttons and the ability to connect to phones via Bluetooth.
So that you have an idea of what a modern Chinese car is, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with our Haval F7 test:
Week with LG XBOOM Go PL
In October, new portable speakers of the X BOOM Go PL series from the Korean company LG arrived in Russia. Of course, such a product is more in demand in the summer, when people go on vacation, but, unfortunately, circumstances developed in such a way that the company’s devices were delayed a little. I got my hands on the LG XBOOM Go PL7, the oldest and largest model in the line.
The device is distinguished by an unusual slightly futuristic design, the latter is complemented by LED indicators along the edges, which can flash in time with the music, or you can turn them off, this is optional. The dimensions of the older model are decent (245x98x98 mm), and the weight is 1.46 kg, the latter is due to the filling and the 3900 mAh battery, thanks to which, according to the manufacturer, the column can work without recharging for 24 hours. Moreover, the operating time really reaches 24 hours, and besides this, the column can be used as an external battery and somewhere in nature to charge the same smartphones from it. By the way, the gadget is also protected from moisture according to the IPX5 standard, so it is ideal for outdoor events. The disadvantage of the X BOOM Go PL is that the manufacturer, in order not to spoil the design of the device, did not provide any carrying handle on it, and it is not very convenient to hold the gadget with one hand.
My LG XBOOM Go PL7 originally settled in the kitchen, where it ideally fit into the light interior, but later somehow imperceptibly migrated to the nursery, where it also looks good. So even with its futuristic appearance, the speaker will easily fit into any environment.
In terms of sound, the Korean company LG continues to cooperate with the British brand Meridian, and the LG XBOOM Go PL series speakers are no exception. In terms of sound quality, I liked the PL7; for a fairly compact and relatively inexpensive speaker, it plays very decently, and the volume is abundant. I saw these speakers at the stand in the LG brand store, so you can always come and listen to XBOOM Go PL personally to form your own opinion.
Of the nice features of the device, it is worth noting the possibility of combining up to 100 older models into a chain, but since I had only one system, I could not check this option. In addition, one or two LG XBOOM Go PL devices can be connected to LG OLED 2020, NanoCell and UHD TVs with Bluetooth functionality. The devices can be used as a front or rear speaker, and you can also connect two speakers to the TV at the same time, using them as right and left channels, working simultaneously with the sound from the TV. An interesting solution, it’s a pity that I have an OLED 2019, and, accordingly, I don’t have the opportunity to use acoustics together with TV.
The older model LG XBOOM Go PL7 in Russia costs 9 rubles, which, in general, is quite acceptable for a speaker with a long battery life and good sound. It would also add support for a voice assistant and a convenient carrying handle, and it would be great. Yes, you can control the device through the LG XBOOM app, which is available for Android and iOS, and the speaker receives updates through the same app.
… and dessert
The fourth season of HBO’s medical drama The Good Doctor kicks off at Amediatek on November 3. The new season of The Good Doctor is dedicated to the crisis America plunged into due to the pandemic. The creators decided to take a course on the hottest topic of our day after one of the leading actors of the series, Daniel Dae Kim, was diagnosed with the coronavirus. But, of course, there will be other important changes: for example, it is known that in the fourth season one of the regular characters will leave the series.
And I also recommend you our fresh selection of new TV series and films:
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