Vivo has previously broken records by launching the slimmest smartphone - the Vivo X5 Max, with a thickness of 4.75mm. Now the Chinese tech company has once again set a benchmark for others by launching world's first smartphone with 6GB of RAM - the Vivo Xplay5 Elite. It also launched a more affordable version, the Vivo Xplay5 featuring 4GB of RAM, at the same event in China.
The dual-SIM Vivo Xplay5 Elite (seen below), the more powerful model out of the two, is made of metal with Gorilla Glass 4 coating body. Like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge models, this handset too features a dual curved 5.43-inch Super Amoled display with QHD (1440x2560 pixels) resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm's flagship chipset, the quad-core Snapdragon 820 SoC clocked at 2.15GHz, paired with 6GB RAM and Adreno 530 GPU.
In the optics department, the Vivo Xplay5 Elite sports a 16-megapixel rear camera powered by Sony IMX298 sensor, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), 6P Lens, f/2.0 aperture, and dual-tone LED flash. An 8-megapixel front-facing camera is also present. The Xplay5 Elite supports 4G LTE networks (Indian bands included), Hi-Fi 3.0 (2*ES9028+OPA1612), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, Micro-USB (with OTG), and is backed by a 3600mAh battery. At the back it also has a fingerprint sensor. It houses 128GB of non-expandable inbuilt storage, measures 153.5x76.2x7.59mm, and weighs 167.8 grams. In addition, the device comes with a bunch of sensors - gravity, ambient light, proximity, and gyroscope. Both handsets additionally have split-screen multitasking functionality.
Running Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the Funtouch OS 2.6 skin on top, the smartphone will hit the stores in China starting March 8 and will come with a price tag of CNY 4,288 (roughly Rs. 44,300).
The Vivo Xplay5 (seen above) runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with its Funtouch OS 2.5.1 skin on top. It shares the same dual curved QHD display, camera, battery, connectivity options, and inbuilt storage as seen with Xplay5 Elite. However, it packs a less powerful octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC clocked at 1.8GHz, clubbed with 4GB RAM and Adreno 510 GPU. It has a different Hi-Fi chip - CS4395+AD45257 as well. Measuring 153.5X76.2X7.59mm, the Xplay5 also sports fingerprint sensor, weighs 167.8 grams and will be priced at CNY 3,698 (roughly Rs. 38,200). The smartphones' availability details outside China are not yet known.
New Delhi: Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has started shipping its premium hatchback Baleno to Europe, ahead of the formal launch of the model by its Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corp.
The Baleno, which is produced only in India, has already become the first model to be exported by Maruti to its parent Suzuki's home market, Japan.
SMC will showcase India-made Baleno in the upcoming Geneva International Motor, which will be open to the press on March 1 and 2 and then to the general public from March 3-13.
"The shipments of the Baleno has started from last week," a company official told PTI.
Suzuki Motor Corporation said that after its world premiere at the last Frankfurt Motor Show, it is ready for the market launch of the new Baleno in Europe.
"The model will go on sale in Europe in this spring," the company said in a statement.
MSI, an arm of SMC, launched the Baleno in India last year. It will be launched in Japan next month.
The first consignment comprised 1,800 units and was shipped from Mundra Port in Gujarat, where SMC is setting up a manufacturing plant to supply cars to its Indian arm.
Maruti also plans to export the Baleno to over 100 global markets. The company and its supplier partners have invested Rs 1,060 crore in the development of Baleno, which is being manufactured at the company's Manesar plant.
In the domestic market, the car has been well accepted. Last month, Baleno made it to the eight rank in the top ten passenger vehicle models with sale of 7,698 units
Baleno competes with the likes of Hyundai i20, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo and is sold through the company's new premium network of showrooms, Nexa.
Bajaj Auto have launched the new V15 motorcycle in India at Rs 62,000, ex-Delhi. While the list price of the motorcycle is Rs 61,000, Bajaj Auto has a cafe racer cover, grabrail, crash guard and saree guard as part of the compulsory accessories package which accounts for the additional Rs 1,000. Ex-showroom prices for other metros are Rs 62,820 for Mumbai, Rs 63,682 for Chennai and Rs 65,498 for Kolkata. The Bajaj V15 looks like a mix between a cafe racer and a cruiser motorcycle. Bajaj Auto have used metal from INS Vikrant after it was scrapped for use in the V15. Each Bajaj V15 carries an INS Vikrant logo on its fuel tank cap. The motorcycle has thicker front forks than what we have seen in 150cc motorcycles in India. It also offers an 18-inch tyre in the front and a 16-inch at the rear, signalling its cruiser intentions.
Bajaj have used a new 12PS/13Nm 150cc DTS-i engine in the V15, along with a 5-speed transmission. Deliveries of the motorcycle start from March 2016. source link : overdrive.in
German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India (MBI) launched a commemorative edition of its best-selling mid-size luxury sedan, the E-Class, to mark 20 years of production in India.
The Edition E has three variants, priced at Rs 48.60 lakh (ex-showroom Pune) for the lowest variant, while the topmost variant, called E 350 CDI, is Rs 60.61 lakh.
Mercedes-Benz, in a joint venture with Tata Motors (then Telco), started manufacturing the E-Class in India in 1995, and since then, the car has evolved to its current form through four generations. The Edition E is the last of the fourth generation, and will be phased out once its replacement is finalised.
The E-Class, the first ever ‘Made in India’ luxury sedan, has been the highest selling luxury car in India, with over 32,000 sold in the country.
The second generation of the E-Class, the W210, was introduced in 1997 when it was still produced by the joint venture company.
In 2000-2001, the Tatas sold their stake in MBI, and the German company took 100 per cent ownership.
The third generation, the W211, still produced at Pimpri, was unveiled in 2002.
In 2009, when MBI shifted to its new manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune, it rolled out the fourth generation, W212, followed, in 2013, with a facelift of this model.
The Edition E is the ‘refreshed version’ of the W212, company officials said. “It is a moment of immense pride for us that the E-Class, which is the highest-selling luxury sedan in India, completes 20 glorious years of production in India,” said Roland Folger, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, in a statement.
“Twenty years of E-Class in India also reiterates the influence of the brand Mercedes-Benz on customers, and its contribution towards the evolution of luxury motoring in India.”
Twenty years of
E-Class reiterates the influence of the brand on customers
LeEco has announced the sale of their flagship LeEco Le Max Pro starting 22 February, at MWC 2016. The device is ridiculously powerful, playing host to the Snapdragon 820 and with specs to match. The phone will be priced at 1,999RMB (Rs 21,000).
The Le Max Pro made waves at CES 2016, walking away with the “Best of CES” award and is a device that boasts of a number of world firsts. The device is the first device to offer the Snapdragon 820 chipset, an ultrasonic finger print scanner and support for 802.11ad. It’s also claimed to be the world’s first device to use a full-floating glass panel.
If that wasn’t enough, the device will have 4GB of RAM and use UFS 2.0 flash storage for the internal memory. To those not in the know, UFS 2.0 is the gold standard as far as speed in the mobile space is concerned.
The imaging sensor is also no slouch. The rear camera is the lovely 21MP Sony IMX 230 sensor coupled to an f/2,0 lens, while the front camera is a 4MP one with a wide-angle lens.
The device is a gorgeous blend of aluminium and glass, featuring a bezel-less design, a unibody, all-metal, aluminium design. It’s also a screwless design and uses the aforementioned floating glass panel, which was apparently custom made by Sharp.
LeEco seems to have timed the release date of the device just before Xiaomi’s press event tomorrow, where they’re expected to announce their own Snapdragon 820 powered, WiFi 802.11ad and 26MP camera toting Mi 5. The Mi 5 is also expected to be priced in the same range as the LeEco Le Max Pro.
The #Jungle #Book, due in theaters April 15, is directed by Favreau from a script written by Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li). The stereoscopic #3D feature, which will also be available in IMAX, is being produced by Brigham Taylor, who also produced Disney’s Tomorrowland. Working alongside cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Noah), MPC is the lead visual effects studio, with Christopher Glass and Alex McDowell (Watchmen) serving as production designers.
The film’s voice cast includes Bill Murray as the voice of Baloo the Bear, Christopher Walken as King Louie, Giancarlo Esposito as Akela, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Idris Elba as Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, and newcomer Neel Sethi as Mowgli.
Disney has a slew of live-action remakes of classic animation properties on its development and production slate, including The Sword in the Stone, Mulan, Winnie the Pooh, Beauty and the Beast, the Tim Burton-directed Dumbo, and the “Bald Mountain” sequence in Fantasia, and the proven box office success of live-action films such as last year’s Cinderella and 2014’s Maleficent mean that audiences can expect similar projects to continue into the unforeseen future. Also in development at Disney is a Maleficent sequel, a new Peter Pan spinoff, Tink, starring Reese Witherspoon as Tinker Bell, and a live-action Prince Charming movie. Oh, and let’s not forget Alice in Wonderland. That live-action remake, also from director Tim Burton, has a sequel as well, Alice Through the Looking Glass, which arrives in theaters on May 27.
Rather than the usual clips and animatics, the presentation at the El Capitan Theater included a sneak preview of the entire film, for which anticipation has been growing since the first bits of footage were screened at the D23 Expo back in August 2015. The theater itself is one of the venues at which fans will be able to see The Jungle Book movie in Dolby Vision, a brand-new laser projection system designed in part to combat the dimming effect of 3D.
“The picture is really bright,” Favreau said of the format during the event. “Once you see it, it’s hard to look at a regular projection system ever again, especially in 3D… For this film, it was interesting to see this level of contrast and dynamic range. We’re dealing with, essentially, a computer-generated image that has a lot of information and latitude.”
“We’re creating a full, photo-real world that we can recognize as real,” Legato added. “We’ve all seen pictures of animals. We see how they move. We see how they walk and talk and we can tell if it’s artificial or not.”
Despite the lush environments and realistic looking animals that populate the film, none of The Jungle Book was shot on location. Shot in a big empty building in downtown Los Angeles, everything on the screen -- with the exception of actor Sethi, who plays Mowgli -- is computer generated and animated.
“We had a motion-capture volume, we had actors playing the parts, we had suits, we had sets that were lined up with what the digital set looked like. And then we captured it,” Favreau said. “First we had an animatic version, as you would on an animated film, then a motion-capture version that we edited, and then finally we took that and shot the kid as though he were an element.”
The film’s realism can be credited to MPC, which most recently provided visual effects for Ridley Scott’s The Martian, Kenneth Branagh’s re-envisioning of Cinderella and James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and Weta Digital, known for its Oscar-winning work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies as well as the last two Planet of the Apes movies. MPC handled the bulk of the film’s effects, with Weta -- which has a trove of experience animating realistic-looking fantastical characters such as The Hobbit’s Smaug -- stepping in to handle a sequence set around King Louie.
“The idea of going out to the jungle and shooting this just felt like it wouldn’t have the magic the ’67 film had,” Favreau said. “There was a dreamlike quality to it. There was a surreal quality to it. It was a high-water mark for character animation, because of the character and the emotion and the music. And that’s what I remember about it, and so I wanted to make sure we preserved that.”
One of Favreau’s objectives for The Jungle Book was to put a live-action sensibility into a computer-generated world. To blur the lines between what is practical and what is computer-generated, two different sets were used: one that was used for filming, and the other that was being built for the next shot. This meant that individual sets were constantly being built and then broken down when they weren’t being used or had already served their purpose.
“Some people seek out an experience that they’ve never seen before,” Favreau said, “and I’m proud to have the film that will introduce this technology in much the same way I was introduced with Avatar to that tech. It’s the marriage of story and technology that always makes for an interesting presentation.”
For the story itself, Favreau looked at both Rudyard Kipling‘s 1894 book of stories and Disney’s 1967 big screen take. “I think, though, that, as far as story structure, the ’67 actually had a lot to offer, so we tried to stick with it as much as we could,” Favreau said. “What I really tried to do, though, was focus on the images that I remembered from it before going back to look at it again. That was a trick that I learned on Iron Man. It’s not necessarily what’s in the material that’s so important, it’s what you remember. I find that everybody has a collective memory that’s very similar. There were images that I remember very clearly that I listed off and those were the top priority. Then, as you go back and we started to break story together, you start to figure out that Walt and his team came up with a lot of the same conclusions and a lot of the same story points. There’s a lot of familiarity there.”
One of the main challenges was finding precisely the right way for the new Jungle Book movie to depict its talking animals. Favreau and Legato looked at every previous example they could find (even Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Dog with a Blog) to determine exactly what worked and what didn’t. “There are certain animals that talk well,” Favreau explained. “A snake is harder to talk. You want it to have phonemes, the mouth movements that are required to make the sound. We always erred on the side of subtlety.”
While Walt Disney used an orangutan for King Louie in the animated film, Favreau’s version tries to stay true to the animal’s habitats and native environments. This means that King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken) won’t be an orangutan in the new movie. But Favreau did manage to find a loophole that would allow him to bring the likeness of King Louie to life while staying true to the animal’s habitat. Instead of an orangutan, the film uses a now-extinct descendant of the orangutan called the Gigantopithecus, which were native to the area.
Although the Jungle Book movie’s animals were always intended to look as photoreal as possible, some of the features of the actors playing them were actually incorporated into the character designs. There’s not so much of Scarlett Johansson in the python, Ka, but you might find that Baloo’s eyebrows bear a subtle resemblance to those of Bill Murray.
“For King Louie, we really wanted him to have blue eyes and the look and the way [Christopher Walken]’s face is rigged,” Favreau said. “We did some motion capture work and key framing and video reference… We tried to make it informant enough that you could see the soul of the actor, but not enough to take you out of the reality of the movie.
“We had a motion-capture volume, we had actors playing the parts, we had suits, we had sets that were lined up with what the digital set looked like. And then we captured it,” Favreau said. “First we had an animatic version, as you would on an animated film, then a motion-capture version that we edited, and then finally we took that and shot the kid as though he were an element.”
“You have to breathe life into this thing,” Favreau concluded. “Otherwise, it’s just an exercise in technology and that’s not entertainment. You need to have a beating heart in there and that’s what your cast gives you.”
It's widely known that the shape of Sugarloaf mountain is referenced in the emblem. What wasn't known – until now – is that all the curves and spaces represent local landmarks, from the surrounding mountains to the islands. Hold the logo up on the beach and you can apply it to every part of the surrounding natural environment.
"We wanted to give a sculpture city a sculpture logo," Gelli told us after his talk. "We put all the curves that nobody knows. I've never talked about this – only Sugarloaf because the logo uses that for its main shape – but all the curves [represent the landscape]. We tried to bring the shape of all the big mountains that we have because it was really important that the people of Rio could feel represented in the logo."
At certain angles, the dancing people almost assume letterforms. "Many people started to see the word 'Rio' in the logo," said Gelli. "The major of Rio said to us: 'Oh, great! You put Rio in the symbol. We said, er…" he laughed. “That's something we never imagined."
"But unconsciously we did put those things there. Before we started to design things – to find the best colour, textures, shapes, things like that – we tried to identify the soul. In this process, when you're trying to find the unique perspective that the creative challenge has, you put the seed on the floor to grow," he explained. "The materialisation is just a consequence of this whole process."
The Paralympics logo mixes two archetypal symbols: the heart and the infinity symbol. "It's not an obvious heart," says Gelli. "But it was important to find symbols that are perceived as positive in all cultures.
"We used 3D because we wanted to create a tactile experience. You have a lot of blind people. We wanted to open a new experience for them."
One interpretation Gelli heard involved an outcome he hadn't planned. "One day a man in the slum told me that the three forces are the people, the company and the politicians – they're together in a big hug to change the city and to change the country," he explained.
"I think that happened, in a certain way," he adds. "You can see in Rio today a huge challenge, a huge change, in the city – and it was part of this big hug that happened."
Running from 17 to 19 February, the annual Design Indaba Conference in Cape Town features the best of global creativity on one stage.
