Tech

The Xbox app is now available on select LG smart TVs, enabling anyone who owns a compatible model to stream games directly from the cloud without needing an Xbox console. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in over 25 countries will be able to enjoy cloud playable games from their library on their TV with a Bluetooth controller. Last year, Microsoft brought Xbox Cloud Gaming support to Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Xbox Cloud Gaming on LG Smart TVs

In an Xbox Wire post on Wednesday, Microsoft confirmed that the Xbox app was rolling out to 2022 LG OLED TVs, select 2023 LG smart TVs and newer models, along with smart monitors running webOS24 or later versions. The app support will soon come to StanbyME screen.

With the Xbox app, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to stream select games they own and titles from the game pass library directly on supported LG TVs. Microsoft expanded its Xbox Cloud Gaming offering in November last year to include the library of select purchased games.

Game Pass members who own a compatible LG TV can now stream recent first-party Xbox titles like Avowed and South of Midnight without requiring an Xbox console. And with stream your own game feature, players can start streaming the recently released Assassin’s Creed Shadows with the Xbox app on an LG TV.

To enjoy Xbox Cloud Gaming on an LG TV, players would need a compatible television, a Game Pass Ultimate membership and a Bluetooth controller — this could be either the Xbox Wireless Controller or the DualSense controller. Eligible users can navigate to the LG Gaming Portal on their TVs, download the Xbox app, sign in to their Microsoft account, connect a controller and start playing.

In addition to LG TVs, Xbox Cloud Gaming via the Xbox app is available on Fire TV Stick, Android, iOS, iPadOS, PC (both Windows and Mac), Meta Quest headsets and Samsung smart TVs.

Earlier this month, Microsoft finally brought the stream your own game service to Xbox Series S/X consoles.

The Central Bank of Russia and the country’s Finance Ministry are planning to launch an experimental crypto exchange in the coming days. The step is part of Russia’s roadmap of gradually legalising cryptocurrencies. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was addressing a ministry meeting this week, when he shed light on the plans, according to reports from local media. The development follows Russia’s support for the creation of a blockchain-based payments platform to be used exclusively by members of the BRICS group.

Due to the volatility and risks associated with cryptocurrencies, the Central Bank of Russia proposed the testing crypto activities under an experimental legal regime (ELR). Earlier in March, it said it would conduct these crypto transaction trials with “highly qualified investors”.

Investors with portfolios worth at least RUB 100 million (roughly Rs. 10 crore) will be considered as suitable to test the crypto exchange. Individuals whose income exceeded RUB 50 million (roughly Rs. 5 crore) will also be considered as qualified investors, according to an Interfax report.

Qualified investors will be allowed to invest in settlement-based securities, derivative financial instruments, and digital financial assets via the upcoming platform. These investments will reportedly exclude cryptocurrency delivery to investors but link returns to its value.

The experiment is said to be at least six months away from being launched.

Commenting on the development, Bitget COO Vugar Usi Zade told Gadgets 360 that Russia’s move could signify a shift towards greater institutional involvement and the legitimisation of digital assets in international trade.

“By limiting participation to ‘super-qualified’ entities likely institutional players and state-affiliated firms, the Kremlin is creating a controlled sandbox. This mirrors Singapore’s early licensed exchange model but with a distinctly geopolitical twist: facilitating trade with BRICS allies amid sanctions,” Zade said. “As geopolitical dynamics evolve, such developments warrant close attention from investors and policymakers alike.”

The crypto sector currently lacks comprehensive regulations in Russia. The Central Bank of Russia does not recognise crypto assets as a mode of payment, but citizens are permitted to purchase, hold, and trade crypto.

In recent years, Russia has prioritised discussions about crypto on official levels. In February this year, for instance, Russia’s Energy Ministry started discussions on mandating registrations for firms providing crypto mining equipment. The country has also been using Bitcoin to facilitate foreign trade.

Poco F7 could make its debut in global markets in the coming weeks. Details about the smartphone have surfaced online previously. Now, a tipster has leaked the purported launch timeline of the successor to the Poco F6. The handset was previously spotted on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) website, hinting at an imminent launch in the country. Globally, it is expected to join the Poco F7 Ultra and Poco F7 Pro models, which were unveiled by the company in March. Notably, a senior Poco executive recently teased the India launch of the Poco F7 Ultra in India.

Poco F7 Launch Timeline (Expected)

The Poco F7 may launch in select global markets by the end of May, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by tipster Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh). The post did not reveal if the suggested launch timeline was applicable to the Indian market, and the handset could arrive in India at a later date. 

The base Poco F7 model (identified as 25053PC47I) was reportedly spotted on the BIS website. The listing hints at an imminent launch in India, but the company has yet to make an announcement on this front.

The standard Poco F7 could arrive in India alongside the Poco F7 Ultra. Poco India’s Country Head Himanshu Tandon previously teased the introduction of the Poco F7 Ultra handset in the country. The company has yet to officially confirm any launch details for that smartphone.

The Poco F7 Ultra was introduced in some regions alongside a Poco F7 Pro version. The latter is not expected to be launched in India, according to recent reports.

Previous reports claim that the Poco F7 may share similar features to the Redmi Turbo 4 Pro handset. If this is true, it could come with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC, a 7,550mAh battery with 22.5W reverse fast charging support, a 6.83-inch screen with a 1.5K resolution and a dual-loop “3D ice cooling” technology.

Apple is said to have finalised locations for new stores in India in an effort to broaden its retail operations. As per a report, the Cupertino-based tech giant plans to open its third store in the country at Noida’s DLF Mall of India. Meanwhile, Kopa Mall in Pune has reportedly been finalised as the location for the fourth Apple Store in India. Further, the company is also said to have plans of opening two additional stores, bringing the total number of Apple Stores in the country to six.

New Apple Store Locations in India

Citing unnamed sources, Financial Express reports that Apple is planning to embark on its second phase of retail expansion in India. As part of its plans, the company has already finalised the Noida and Pune locations for its third and fourth Apple stores, respectively. In addition to these locations, the iPhone maker is also said to be searching for two adequate places for two more stores in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Notably, the company currently has two official stores in India, located at Delhi’s Select Citywalk Mall and the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai. Both of these stores reported a combined revenue of Rs. 800 Crore in the first year of sales, with Apple Saket having a 60 percent share despite being a smaller store. If Apple goes ahead with its reported plans, the Noida Apple Store would become the second retail outlet for the iPhone maker in Delhi-NCR.

Further, the planned Mumbai Store would potentially be the second official Apple Store in the city. The report mentions job listings on LinkedIn posted by Apple for 20 positions, a majority of which are related to retail operations.

Notably, Apple’s senior Vice President of Retail, Deirdre O’Brien reportedly first announced the company’s expansion plans in October 2024. Shortly after, the company embarked on a recruitment frenzy which involved the hiring of nearly 400 employees for the expansion of its upcoming India operations. Apple’s existing Select Citywalk Mall and BKC stores are estimated to have 90-100 employees each, and the company is speculated to be planning similar recruitment numbers for its future stores in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai.

HP has unveiled the latest versions of its EliteBook, ProBook, and OmniBook series laptops in India on Thursday. The HP EliteBook and ProBook lineups are designed for enterprise and retail customers, and they include the HP EliteBook 8 (G1i, G1a), HP EliteBook 6 (G1q G1a), and HP ProBook 4 G1q models. The HP OmniBook family, which is introduced for creators, freelancers and everyday users consist of four models — OmniBook Ultra 14, OmniBook 5 16, OmniBook 7 Aero 13, and OmniBook X Flip 14.

The new Copilot+ PCs are powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra 200 V series, AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processors. They include dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPU) capable of delivering 40 to 55 trillion operations per second (TOPS).

HP EliteBook 8 (G1i, G1a), HP EliteBook 6 (G1q G1a), and HP ProBook 4 G1q Price

The HP EliteBook 8 G1i has a starting price of Rs. 1,46,622, while the HP EliteBook 6 G1q is launched with an initial price tag of Rs. 87,440. The price of the HP ProBook 4 G1q starts at Rs. 77,200. They are currently up for sale via HP’s online store. 

Pricing for the HP EliteBook 8 G1a and HP EliteBook 6 G1a are yet to be revealed, but the company  says they will be available for purchase soon via its online stores.

HP OmniBook Ultra 14, OmniBook X Flip 14, HP Omnibook 7 Aero 13, HP OmniBook 5 16 Price

The price of HP OmniBook Ultra 14 begins at Rs. 1,86,499, while the price of OmniBook X Flip 14 starts at Rs. 1,14,999. The HP OmniBook 7 Aero 13 comes with a starting price of Rs. 87,499, and the OmniBook 5 16 arrives for a starting price of Rs. 78,999. 

All models will be available to purchase via HP’s online store and HP World stores across the country.

HP EliteBook 8 G1i, OmniBook Series Specifications

As mentioned, HP’s new EliteBook, ProBook, and OmniBook series run on Intel, AMD and Qualcomm processors with a dedicated NPU capable of 40 to 55 trillion TOPS. The HP EliteBook 8 G1i ships with Windows 11 Pro and features a 14-inch WUXGA IPS touchscreen with 800 nits brightness. It runs on up to an Intel Core Ultra 5 238V processor alongside Intel Arc graphics. It packs 32GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage. It sports a 5-megapixel IR AI camera.

HP EliteBook 8 G1i
Photo Credit: HP

The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 runs on Windows 11 Home and boasts a 14-inch IPS touch display with 2.2K resolution. It is powered by up to AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 processor alongside an AMD Radeon 890M GPU. It carries 32GB RAM onboard and 1TB SSD storage. HP has packed a 9-megapixel IR AI camera on this version.

The HP OmniBook X Flip, HP OmniBook 7 Aero and HP OmniBook 5 come with Windows 11 Home. The former has a 14-inch OLED utra wide viewing angle (UWVA) touch display with 3K resolution, while the HP OmniBook 7 Aero has a 13.3-inch WQXGA IPS display. The HP OmniBook 5 has a 16-inch IPS 2K resolution display with 300 nits brightness.

The HP OmniBook X Flip can be configured with up to an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor alongside Intel Arc graphics. The HP OmniBook 7 Aero and HP OmniBook 5 support up to an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 chipset alongside AMD Radeon 840M graphics.

All three models have 16GB of onboard RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. The HP OmniBook X Flip and OmniBook 7 Aero get a 5-megapixel IR camera, while the OmniBook 5 features a HP True Vision 1080 pixel full-HD camera.

As Copilot+ PCs, the new EliteBook, ProBook, and OmniBook lineups are equipped with several AI features. They offer Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and feature backlit keyboards. They include HP’s on-device AI chatbot, HP AI Companion and provide real-time noise cancellation. They feature Poly Camera Pro, which offers AI-powered features like auto frames during video calls.

Honor Pad GT was launched in China on Wednesday. The tablet comes with a 2.8K LCD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and a MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Extreme Edition chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM and a 10,100mAh battery with 66W fast charging support. The Honor Band 10 was unveiled alongside the gaming tablet with a 1.57-inch AMOLED display, 5ATM water resistance rating and up to 14 days of battery life. Notably, the company also introduced the Honor GT Pro smartphone on the same day.

Honor Pad GT, Honor Band 10 Price, Availability

Honor Pad GT price starts in China at CNY 1,899 (roughly Rs. 22,200) for the 8GB+128GB model, while the 8GB + 256GB variant costs CNY 2,199 (roughly Rs. 25,700). The 12GB+256GB and 12GB+512GB RAM and storage configurations are priced at CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 29,200) and CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs. 32,800), respectively. The tablet is available in blue, grey and white colourways.

On the other hand, the Honor Band 10 is priced at CNY 229 (roughly Rs. 2,700) for the standard version, while the NFC variant costs CNY 269 (roughly Rs. 3,100). It comes in Coastal Blue, Mint Green, Obsidian Black and Silver Grey shades. Both the smart wearable and the aforementioned tablet are available for purchase in the country via the Honor China e-store.

Honor Band 10 is offered in Coastal Blue, Mint Green, Obsidian Black and Silver Grey shades
Photo Credit: Honor

Honor Pad GT Features

The Honor Pad GT sports an 11.5-inch 2.8K (2,800×1,840 pixels) LCD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 500 nits brightness level. It has a TÜV Rheinland eye-protection certification. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Extreme Edition SoC paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of onboard storage. The tablet ships with Android 15-based MagicOS 9.0.

For optics, the Honor Pad GT comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera sensor and an 8-megapixel selfie shooter. It is equipped with eight speakers and Honor’s Ice Cooling System. The tablet supports keyboard and mouse mapping. It packs a 10,100mAh battery with 66W wired fast charging support. For connectivity, there’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 support. The Honor Pad GT measures 259.1×176.1×6.12mm in size and weighs 480g.

Honor Band 10 Features

The Honor Band 10 has a 1.57-inch (256×402 pixels) AMOLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate and always-on display. It supports an ambient light sensor, which helps automatically adjust the screen’s brightness. The smart band is equipped with heart rate, blood oxygen level (SpO2), and stress monitors alongside sleep and menstrual cycle trackers. It has AI-backed features which help detect early signs of atrial fibrillation, premature beats, and sleep apnea.

The wearable offers support for 96 preset workout modes, including 11 pro-level sports. It has a 5ATM rating for water resistance and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity support. The band is available in a NFC version as well. The smart wearable is claimed to offer up to 14 days of battery life on a single charge with minimal use. The smart band is claimed to last for up to 10 days with typical use and for up to three days with Always-On Display enabled.

Google updated the Gemini 2.0 Flash artificial intelligence (AI) model last week. The new update refines the model’s conversational capability and makes it better suited for creative tasks, according to the Mountain View-based tech giant. The company claims that users will notice the difference when talking to the AI about certain topics and tasks. The update comes at a time when the 2.5 Flash AI model is already available to the users of the chatbot, although as an experimental preview.

Gemini 2.0 Flash Becomes More Conversational

On the Gemini update page, the tech giant added a new entry dated April 19 titled “Update to 2.0 Flash in Gemini.” With this update, Google says, the AI model will provide “more natural, collaborative, and adaptive conversational style.” Its biggest impact will be felt during general interactions and while engaging with the chatbot about certain topics.

Google suggests talking to the AI model about interests, a problem at school or work, and a more creative perspective to see the difference in the output. Additionally, the company said the new model is also updated with improved context awareness. This should make it easier to convey the intention behind a query, and the AI should generate more satisfactory responses.

Gadgets 360 staff members were able to access and test the new AI model. While it does feel more interactive and the responses are slightly more conversational, we were not able to notice any major improvements. However, we briefly tested the AI model, and it could be that the difference becomes more apparent with longer usage.

The tech giant’s refinement of the Gemini 2.0 Flash model is an interesting decision. While it is the default model for those on the free tier, and it is available to all Gemini users, 2.0 Flash is also nearing the end of its life cycle. Google has already made the Gemini 2.5 Flash available as an experimental preview, and a stable version will likely be released soon.

In recent times, Google’s focus has been on Gemini Live, the two-way real-time voice conversation feature within the AI app. The company has released live video and screen sharing capabilities to the paid users. Separately, it also showcased a prototype of AI Glasses, which is equipped with Gemini Live features, at a TED Talk event.

Red Magic 10 Air has been unveiled in select global markets. The handset is backed by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and an in-house R3 chip alongside a nine-layer ICE-X cooling system. It has two 50-megapixel rear cameras, a 16-megapixel selfie shooter and a 6,000mAh battery with 80W wired fast charging support. The smartphone is equipped with a Magic Key, RGB lights and shoulder triggers with a 520Hz response rate. The latest addition to the series comes months after the company unveiled the Red Magic 10 Pro+ and Red Magic 10 Pro in China in November 2024.

Red Magic 10 Air Price, Availability

Red Magic 10 Air price is set at $499 (roughly Rs. 42,600) for the 12GB+256GB model, while the 16GB+512GB variant costs $649 (roughly Rs. 55,400). The latter is available in a Flare (orange) colourway, while the former version is offered in Hailstone (white) and Twilight (black) shades as well. 

The smartphone will go on sale in the US starting May 7 via the Red Magic website. It will be open for an early bird $30 (roughly Rs. 2,600) discount coupon from April 29 to May 6.

Red Magic 10 Air Features, Specifications

The Red Magic 10 Air sports a 6.8-inch full-HD+ (1,116×2,480 pixels) AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, up to 2,000Hz touch sampling rate, up to 1,600 nits peak brightness level and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. 

It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, claimed to be enhanced with a RedCore R3 chip for gaming. It supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 onboard storage. The phone ships with Android 15-based RedMagicOS 10.

For optics, the Red Magic 10 Air has a dual rear camera unit that  comprises a 50-megapixel primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) support and a 50-megapixel ultrawide shooter. It also has a 16-megapixel front camera sensor for selfies and video chats. 

The handset is equipped with DTS-X certified speakers, a customisable Magic Key and RGB lighting. The handset has capacitive shoulder triggers with a 520Hz response rate and a nine-layer ICE-X cooling system for heat dissipation. 

The Red Magic 10 Air packs a 6,000mAh battery with 80W wired fast charging support. It supports Google’s Circle to Search feature and Gemini AI features. Connectivity options include 5G, 4G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC and a USB Type-C port. The handset measures 164.3×76.6×7.85mm in size and weighs 205g.

Google’s Chrome web browser could be sold for as much as $50 billion (roughly Rs. 4,26,756 crore), the chief executive officer of rival search engine DuckDuckGo testified Wednesday at the Justice Department’s antitrust trial against the internet giant.

“I think it’s upwards of $50 billion (roughly Rs. 4,26,756 crore), if it went on the market, and that’s out of DuckDuckGo’s price range,” said Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of DuckDuckGo, which operates a privacy-focused search engine and browser.

Weinberg, who said the estimate was “back-of-the-envelope” math based on Chrome’s user base, testified as part of a three-week hearing in the DOJ’s case against Alphabet’s Google to determine how to remedy the company’s monopoly in internet search. Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google illegally monopolised the market last year and is contemplating a package of changes proposed by antitrust enforcers. The DOJ and a group of US states have argued that Google should be forced to sell off its popular Chrome web browser.

The $50 billion (roughly Rs. 4,26,756 crore) figure given by Weinberg is higher than the roughly $20 billion (roughly Rs. 1,70,743 crore) value estimated by Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mandeep Singh in November. Such a lofty price tag might dissuade potential buyers from making offers if Google were ordered to spin off Chrome.

Executives from artificial intelligence companies OpenAI and Perplexity testified earlier in the trial that their companies would be interested in buying Chrome if the court mandates a divestment.

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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Nintendo said it sees overwhelming demand for its upcoming Switch 2 game console in Japan, in a sign the gadget may still be on track for the biggest hardware launch in the industry’s history.

The Kyoto-based company introduced a lottery system to deal with high demand in its domestic market, putting a priority on customers who played frequently and made online subscription purchases on the original Switch.

“We have received 2.2 million applications for the lottery sale at our official online store for customers in Japan alone, which is far larger than what we had anticipated,” Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa posted on X Wednesday. “As such, we apologise that a significant number of the applicants won’t be selected.”

The $450 (roughly Rs. 38,407) Switch 2 will be key to the company’s future, succeeding the blockbuster success of the eight-year-old Switch. In Japan, the console will sell for 49,980 yen ($350 or roughly Rs. 29,870) in an edition exclusively in Japanese language — almost a quarter cheaper, which helped buoy demand at home. Pre-orders in the US, which had been delayed to better gauge the impact of tariffs, begin on Thursday.

Nintendo’s Tokyo-traded shares rose as much as 5.5 percent on Thursday, its biggest intraday gain in two weeks.

“As Japan accounts for a third of the global Switch installation base, it implies 6.6 million pre-orders globally,” said Pelham Smithers of Japan-focused equity research house Pelham Smithers Associates.

Analysts had earlier forecast that Nintendo will be able to produce between six million and eight million consoles by the time the Switch 2 hits shelves on June 5. Sony Group’s PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 are tied for the best launch to date, with each selling 4.5 million units in their first two months on the market.

Furukawa said Nintendo is taking various measures to ramp up production.

The Switch 2’s debut has been marred by President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policy. About a third of the new console’s units are assembled in Vietnam, which was hit with a 46 percent tariff before the US gave it a 90-day reprieve at the lower rate of 10 percent. Last week, the company said it was raising prices for Switch 2 accessories in the US and that “other adjustments to the price of any Nintendo product are also possible in the future.”

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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)