Mi 7 Launch Unlikely at MWC 2018, Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Expected Instead: Reports

Xiaomi Mi 7 may not be the showstopper at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 as the company is now reported to have no plans of making any major announcements at the forthcoming convention. Apart from rumours around the Mi 7, there were some also speculations towards the Mi Max 3 that are not likely to become a reality at MWC 2018. Instead, the Chinese company is said to be preparing the Mi MIX 2S that could be showcased in Barcelona to grab some eyeballs from the upcoming flagship offerings by Samsung and Sony.

While Xiaomi has already secured its place as an exhibitor at this year's MWC, a report by AndroidHeadlines, citing a high-level employee, claimed that there are no plans to make any major announcements at the venue. This hints that the Chinese giant would take the route of HTC and LG, both of which are also not expected to bring their top-end smartphone models to Barcelona. The reason for abandoning the Mi 7 launch at this year's MWC might be to avoid Samsung and its Galaxy S9and Galaxy S9+ that are set to launch ahead of MWC 2018 on February 25. Sony is also in the headlines for reportedly preparing the launch of the Xperia XZ Pro on the same date to rival the new Galaxy family.

Nevertheless, if we believe a Weibo tipster, Xiaomi is planning to launch the Mi MIX 2S sometime around the MWC. This would help the company get some global attention as well as play a safe game against the Galaxy S9 series. There aren't any details available about the Mi MIX 2S. However, the Weibo tipster points to the presence of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which will certainly debut on the Mi 7.

Xiaomi last month announced its partnership with Qualcomm for choosing the Snapdragon 845 for the new Mi 7. Also, there are reports that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will come with a 6-inch bezel-less 18:9 OLED display and will feature a 3D face sensing technology similar to Apple's Face ID feature that was launched with the iPhone X last year. Xiaomi last month announced its partnership with Qualcomm for opting the Snapdragon 845 on the new Mi 7.

Motorola to Open 50 Moto Hub Stores in Delhi

In the second phase, the company plans to bring the Moto Hub experience to over 100 cities.

"More than two-thirds of the smartphone customers in the country buy devices at retail stores. Moto Hub addresses this need by offering a complete platform to interact, engage and purchase," Mathur added.

The Moto Hub stores will offer the entire portfolio of Motorola devices, including online exclusives such as Moto X4 smartphones and Moto Mods -- magnetically attachable modules that transform the smartphone into a TV projector, a powerful speaker or a camera. The clip-on accessories work with its Z-series of Motorola phones.

Amazon Says Created Over 6,500 Temporary Jobs Ahead of Great Indian Sale

E-commerce giant Amazon India said it has created over 6,500 temporary jobs for its mega sale later this month. Amazon.in will host its Great Indian Sale from January 20 to January 24, 2018. More than 5,500 of these "seasonal positions" have been created across Amazon India's network of fulfilment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations, Amazon India Vice President (Customer Fulfilment) Akhil Saxena told PTI.

Saxena added that another 1,000 associates have been added to the company's customer service sites to cater to higher customer demand expected during the sale period.

"This enhancement will be instrumental in driving an exceptional experience during the upcoming Great Indian Sale. These thousands of associates will help in augmenting our capabilities to serve our customers better and enable us to deliver consistently high levels of customer experience," Saxena said.

These positions have been created in metros as well as cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru, among others. Saxena said the company's service partner stations have also hired additional seasonal associates to enable faster deliveries during the sale.

Amazon Says Created Over 6,500 Temporary Jobs Ahead of Great Indian Sale

E-commerce giant Amazon India said it has created over 6,500 temporary jobs for its mega sale later this month. Amazon.in will host its Great Indian Sale from January 20 to January 24, 2018. More than 5,500 of these "seasonal positions" have been created across Amazon India's network of fulfilment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations, Amazon India Vice President (Customer Fulfilment) Akhil Saxena told PTI.

Saxena added that another 1,000 associates have been added to the company's customer service sites to cater to higher customer demand expected during the sale period.

"This enhancement will be instrumental in driving an exceptional experience during the upcoming Great Indian Sale. These thousands of associates will help in augmenting our capabilities to serve our customers better and enable us to deliver consistently high levels of customer experience," Saxena said.

These positions have been created in metros as well as cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru, among others. Saxena said the company's service partner stations have also hired additional seasonal associates to enable faster deliveries during the sale.

Government Taking Steps to Improve Mobile Internet Connectivity: Sinha

To improve Internet connectivity through mobile phones especially in the rural areas, there is a plan to equip towers with solar power kits so that they keep functioning even when there is no power supply, the government said on Friday.

During the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha also said the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) which was earlier in losses has posted an operating profit and more towers will be set up to improve the service and connectivity of the public sector enterprise.

"There are around 4.61 lakh mobile towers in the country out of which BSNL has 66,771 mobile towers. Government has approved hiving off mobile tower assets of BSNL into a separate company fully owned by the BSNL. The subsidiary company may monetise its assets on achieving financial health and stability," Sinha said.

Jio v Airtel v Vodafone v Idea: 1GB 4G Data Per Day Plans Compared

Ever since Reliance Jio jumped into the Indian telecom scene, a price war has raged among major telecom operators to offer the most affordable prepaid packs and postpaid plans. Customers are, in turn, taking advantage of the cheapest mobile data and call rates in the world.

With the availability of 4G in India touching new highs this year, users are consuming massive amounts of data and operators are pandering to the needs with tariffs that offer high daily limits for data. We look at all the prepaid packs and postpaid plans that offer 1GB of 4G data per day. For the purposes of simplicity, we're excluding all packs and plans that offer more than 1GB data per day per month.

Nokia 9 leaked again, specs revealed through FCC website in the US

okia 9 is expected to launch soon, possibly even in January, and its details are now leaking online. In the latest leak, which comes from the FCC in the US, there are details that hint the Nokia 9 will be a bezel-less phone with a dual camera and a 5.5-inch screen. Although, there is nothing official about these details, the fact that they appeared on the website of FCC, which is a regulatory body in the US, means they are accurate.

A few days ago, the Nokia 9 had received 3C certification in China. These certifications as well as permission from FCC is sought for mobile phones usually just weeks ahead of their launch so chances are that the Nokia 9, which is going to a high-end from HMD Global that makes Nokia phones, may launch as early as this January.