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This week, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 sees its first multiplayer beta. Dubbed the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 private beta, it’ll run from August 3 to August 6 on PS4 with Xbox One and Windows PC to follow. On the surface it might seem like any usual pre-release trial for the yearly franchise, which has seen multiplayer betas for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and Call of Duty: World War 2 in recent memory. However, look a little deeper and you’ll realise that it’s much more. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, developer Treyarch is forsaking the usual single-player campaign in favour of traditional multiplayer modes, an expanded Call of Duty Zombies co-operative experience complete with multiple factions, and of course battle royale that’s known as Blackout. So, if you’re on the fence about buying Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, the beta and its subsequent impressions are your only way of knowing if its any good. But just ‘good’ isn’t the benchmark anymore. We’re in...

Mars will be closest to the Earth in a decade and a half on the night of July 31, 2018. The Earth will have the Red Planet and the Sun on either side, with the three celestial bodies in a straight line. Though the two planets will be at closest distances to each other, they will still be 57.6 million km apart. This the closest distance between Mars and Earth till October 2020, but the Red Planet’s visibility as good as tomorrow night’s only every 15-17 years. Those who were watching the lunar eclipse on July 27 must have noticed Mars in the sky too, as the planet was easily visible a few degrees below our natural satellite. Mars closest to Earth in 15 years Though Mars is closest to the Earth in 15 years is a phenomenon for our generation, it is nowhere as big a deal as it was in 2003. Back then, Mars and Earth were ‘just’ 56 million km apart – a feat phenomenon that had not occurred in 60,000 years and will not happen again till the year 2287, as per NASA estimates. On July 31 20...

We’ve reached the end of an exciting week of tech news, with Xiaomi launching the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite at its ‘global launch’ in Madrid, Spain possibly the biggest highlight. The brand new Xiaomi Mi A2 is the successor to the Mi A1 that was launched at a global launch event in New Delhi, India last year. The Mi A1 was Xiaomi’s first Android One smartphone – certified by Google to provide an optimised stock Android experience, as well as timely software and security updates – and was essentially a rebranded Mi 5X smartphone for global markets. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is likewise based on the Mi 6X smartphone that Xiaomi launched in China earlier this year, and is thus a successor in almost every regard. The Mi A2 Lite however appears to be a completely new model – it hasn’t been launched in China under a different name. The Mi A2 is set to launch in India on August 8, and ahead of that date, we’ve also learnt some interesting things about the India launch. Also, the Mi A2 Lite will not b...

While a recent leak showed thicker bezels on the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone over the OLED models in the 2018 iPhone lineup, a new report claims that Apple has preferred a ‘Full Active LCD’ panel for the cheaper model to offer plenty of display area. The Cupertino company is reported to have tied up with Japan Display for manufacturing the required LCD panel. The Japanese manufacturer is also reportedly designing a third-generation ‘Japan Pixel Eyes’ touch sensor. Due to the advancements in terms of designing – despite using cheaper solutions such as an LCD over an OLED panel, the company is claimed to have some production constraints and will not be able to bring the 6.1-inch model alongside the other two new iPhone versions sometime in September. It is instead reportedly in plans to release the affordable model sometime in November. Separately, it is said that the iPhone maker is preparing new iPad Pro models that won’t include a headphone jack and come with the same Face ID technology that...

It seems that Fortnite Android may be exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. According to multiple reports, Epic Games’ battle royale sensation could feature heavily at Samsung’s Unpacked 2018 event and remain exclusive to the smartphone for a 30-day period. Fortnite is currently the most popular game in the world and is on Nintendo Switch, iOS, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. While a Fortnite Android release date has been slated for “summer”, Epic Games has said little else on the matter. As per XDA, in order for Samsung to entice consumers to bother with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Fortnite could be key. The site claims “anyone that buys the Galaxy Note 9 is also going to get some free V-Bucks, free skins, and more. V-Bucks are used to buy a battle pass and skins, dances, or gliders in the game. This will all be bundled with the phone when it launches.” In addition to this, 9to5Google has suggested that Samsung Galaxy Note 9 pre-orders would come with Fortnite Android micro-transactions in ...

Asphalt 9 Legends for Android and iOS is out now after an extended soft-launch period that began in February. In our first impressions of this racing game we stated that it’s a surprisingly polished entry in the long-running series. With the final release of Asphalt 9 having a 1.5GB download size on iOS and Android, we took it for an extended drive to let you know if it’s a worthy successor to Asphalt 8: Airborne. First up, if you were expecting this to be a story heavy affair like recent Need for Speed games, think again. With Asphalt 9: Legends, the focus is squarely on racing. The objective is to win each season of races. Thankfully, you won’t just be jostling for pole position in every event. From being tasked with escaping from the cops, to beating the clock for the best timing, or completing stunts galore, there’s enough variety to keep you going. Throw in a steady number of unlocks such as acquiring upgrades that let you improve your car’s handling and speed, blueprints to get...

PUBG Mobile for Android and iOS finally gets War Mode as a part of the 0.7.0 update. The PUBG Mobile 0.7.0 update download size is 1.6GB on Android and 2.2GB on iOS. With this update, you can experience War Mode, which is PUBG Mobile’s take on deathmatch. Teams skydive into a small area of the map and players continuously respawn. The first team to reach 100 points wins. You earn three points for killing an opponent, one point for killing a downed opponent and one point for saving a teammate. Also new is the PUBG Mobile clan system. Players can create and customise unique clan icons and work to earn exclusive rewards by climbing in ranks and completing challenges. Here’s a list of everything new with PUBG Mobile 0.7.0. PUBG Mobile 0.7.0 update patch notes Arcade Mode – War: a new, faster-paced variation of Arcade mode. Added the SLR Sniper Rifle. Added Light Foregrip, Half Foregrip, Thumb Foregrip. Parameters for Vertical Foregrip and Angled Foregrip have been adj...

As promised, Fox has released a new trailer for Alita: Battle Angel, the oft-delayed adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s manga from Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron. Starring Rosa Salazar as the titular cyborg protagonist via motion capture, the film has a terrific cast which includes three Oscar winners in Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, and Mahershala Ali. Rodriguez has directed and co-written the film alongside Laeta Kalogridis (Altered Carbon) and Cameron, who’s also a producer. The new Alita: Battle Angel trailer expands on the glimpse of its fictional dystopian world we got in the teaser trailer in December last year, focusing on the personal journey of its eponymous heroine. Alita’s human brain was transferred into a new body by a scientist (Waltz) who’s now her caretaker. We’re told she’s the “last of her kind” containing “technology that has been lost for 300 years”. She sets out to find the answers she’s looking for while being chased by corrupt forces that want to control...

Pirated copies of PC games such as Watch Dogs 2 and Grand Theft Auto V were being sold on Flipkart earlier this week. According to complaints from customers on Twitter, the site allowed sellers to list illegal versions of these games. In the case of Watch Dogs 2, a crack could be purchased. For the uninitiated, a crack allows users to bypass the game’s security features, usually to avoid paying for it completely. In this case, purchasing it avoids paying full price. As for GTA V, certain merchants were selling accounts which already have the game registered. Legal copies are sold on disc or via code that’s redeemed via Rockstar Social Club, GTA V’s online service created by series developer Rockstar Games. Selling access to an account to play GTA V is a telltale sign of it usually being acquired through phishing or hacking attempts designed to steal accounts from those who have already bought the game. For its part, Flipkart claims these products have been removed from its marketpla...

The biggest annual pop culture event, San Diego Comic-Con, kicked off its 2018 iteration on Thursday and will last through the weekend. For those lucky enough to be in the city of San Diego, it means a real-life glimpse at the people behind their favourite TV shows, movies, comic books, and video games. Given the event does not have live streams, the rest of us at home have to be content with the stuff we can find on the Internet, be it video clips released by the studios or trinkets of news pouring out on Twitter. To make things easier for people like us, we’ve decided to compile the biggest trailers shown at San Diego Comic-Con, and will keep adding to the list as new ones keep coming in. So be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking in for the next few days. Here are the best film and TV trailers we’ve seen at Comic-Con. Updated Sunday 1:30am IST: added trailers from Warner Bros. presentation A war is brewing underwater, and our eponymous superhero (Jason Momoa) must embrac...

At its San Diego Comic-Con 2018 panel, the cast and crew of Star Trek: Discovery unveiled the first trailer of its upcoming second season, giving us a look at what’s in store when the sci-fi series returns early 2019. The first Star Trek: Discovery season 2 trailer picks up where season 1 left off, with the USS Discovery answering the distress call of the USS Enterprise. It introduces Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike – Kirk’s predecessor – in the flesh, who takes control of Discovery citing a new threat in the galaxy: a series of “red bursts” scattered across 30,000 light years.   The Discovery crew then sets off on their new adventure, which means a montage of action sequences with a sprinkling of awkward humour and Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) shouting: “This is the power of math, people!” It also introduces guest star Tig Notaro, who will appear as chief engineer Reno, and a new Starfleet officer named Linus, a Saurian. The trailer also hits on a subplot of Michael B...

If you were expecting Alan Wake 2 and Quantum Break 2, you should be asking Microsoft for them. According to Remedy, the developer behind 2010’s Alan Wake for Xbox 360 and later PC, as well as 2016’s Quantum Break for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, Microsoft owns the intellectual property of both games. Alan Wake was third-person action-adventure game with horror elements while Quantum Break merged sci-fi and live action TV with a shooter. Both games released to solid reviews and decent sales, at least in Alan Wake’s case despite launching in the same month as Red Dead Redemption. However it appears that Microsoft isn’t interested in green lighting sequels to either game. “Considering our history… Alan Wake was really interesting but it was a collaboration with Microsoft. Due to certain reasons, it never got a sequel. Quantum Break, also, we put a lot of effort into creating the world, the characters, the stories, but still it was Microsoft IP. They decided not to take it further. I...

With a Fortnite Android release date on the horizon Epic Games plans to further its investment in Amazon Web Services (AWS) for Fortnite. The game is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. According to a prepared statement company also plans to leverage AWS to “build new games” though none have been announced just yet. Fortnite has been using AWS since launch to support its ever-growing player base. It runs its worldwide game server fleet, backend platform systems, databases, and websites on AWS, and will leverage analytics and machine learning from Amazon as well to improve gameplay. Now it has plans to go all-in on AWS. “We’ve been developing our services on AWS since 2012. AWS has the broadest and deepest portfolio of services that allow us to stay focused on driving innovation in our products rather than the basic infrastructure needed to get or keep a service running. Their unmatched scalability has been instrumental in keeping pace wit...

The lack of new GPUs from Nvidia coupled with a slowdown in Bitcoin mining is hurting Nvidia’s partners. According to the latest earnings report from Gigabyte – a Taiwanese motherboard and graphics card manufacturer has seen a slump in earnings thanks to weaker than expected GPU demand. According to recent estimates, Gigabyte’s GPU earnings have halved, if not more. This has resulted it being down by $6 million (approximately Rs. 41 crore and 9 lacs) in the second quarter of the year from $10 million (around Rs. 68 crore and 49 lacs) in the first quarter, with its non-GPU interests holding steady as usual. “As Gigabyte’s non-GPU business is less volatile and accounted for 49 percent of total revenue in Q1 and, investors should be able to conclude that graphics card revenue dropped to the tune of 50 percent plus from Q1 to Q2,” observes Seeking Alpha which goes on to suggest that weak Bitcoin mining and gaming demand has hit the company hard. With the likes of MSI slate...

Flipkart is taking on Amazon’s Prime Day Sale with its own – the four-day Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale starts today at 4pm IST and will go on till July 19. As per the landing page, the Flipkart sale is set to offer discounts and deals on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets to take on Amazon Prime Day Sale. Detailing a bit more on what it is set to offer, Flipkart has listed a glimpse on some of the price cuts and discounts. The deals include a number of offers on smartphones from Samsung, Google, Vivo, and more. The most notable announcement until now is that the Google Pixel 2 (128GB) will be available for Rs. 42,999 during the sale period. There are exchange offers and buyback guarantee on most smartphones as well, during the sale period. The Flipkart sale deals also include offers on the Apple Watch Series 3, iPhone X, iPad 6th gen, and the Acer Predator Gaming Laptop. The upcoming Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale promises to offer ‘Blockbuster Deals’, ‘Rush Hour De...

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 beta dates for PS4, Xbox One, and PC have been revealed. Instead of a solitary beta event as is usually the case with Call of Duty games, there will be two betas. The first one is known as the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Private Multiplayer Beta that, as the name suggests, will be used by developer Treyarch to gauge the game’s multiplayer modes that are not Blackout – the game’s battle royale mode. Blackout gets its own beta a month later. With Activision having a marketing tie-up with Sony for the game, the betas will be on PS4 first and other platforms later. And yes, you’ll need to pre-order the game if you want early access. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 beta date, start time, and end time PS4  (Starts: August 3 at 10am PT – Ends: August 6 at 10am PT) PS4  and  Xbox One  (Starts: August 10 at 10am PT – Ends: August 13 at 10am PT) PC Beta Early Access  (Starts: August 10 at 10am PT) PC Open Beta  (Star...

With the great push of 4G penetration in India, a large number of smartphone users have left Wi-Fi adoption behind and gone straight to 4G, OpenSignal said in a report on Thursday. The wireless coverage mapping company highlights that the Indian government is becoming “increasingly turned on” to the potential of public Wi-Fi networks. It is reported that there are plans to provide coverage to some 250,000 panchayats and 5,000 railway stations within the next two years. The country, however, doesn’t have remarkable 4G speeds – in fact, it was found to have the slowest 4G speeds among the 77 countries as per a previous OpenSignal report. But nevertheless, it has now been found that instead of Wi-Fi, Indians are largely showing interest in 4G. OpenSignal claims that Wi-Fi networks in India don’t get the same amount of interest as 4G because the evolution of telcos in the country “somewhat skipped the fixed-broadband stage of development and raced straight on to 4G”. Having said that, it...