At $10,600, Bitcoin price is on track for its second-best quarter ever

Data shows Bitcoin should seal both its best Q3 on record and its second-highest lifetime quarterly close on Sep. 30.

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ASUS ExpertBook P2451F laptop review: A great laptop, but I’d wait for version 2.0

I’ll keep this short: Avoid the ExpertBook P2451F. It’s a superb laptop in all regards, except in the one that really matters: the display.

It’s slim, it’s light, it’s built like a tank. The keyboard is really nice (and it’s backlit), you get all the ports you could need in an office environment (including that VGA port for projectors), and its battery will easily get you through a workday.

But that display, oh that display.

I get it, this isn’t a so-called ‘creator’s laptop’, it’s not even meant for content consumption. This is a laptop that’s meant for busy little worker bees and students. For, you know, work, not play. Kudos to ASUS for enforcing that ethos with that display, but methinks they went a bit too far.

I’m fine with the display’s poor colour accuracy (only 46% sRGB), its average brightness level (~190 nits), and the nearly inaudible speakers. No, what really bothers me, and what will bother anyone who picks up this laptop, is that awful, awful contrast ratio of 70:1.

This is literally 10 times worse than anything you’ll find on competing laptops from Lenovo, Xiaomi, and even Honor, and is a result of very high levels of backlight bleed.

If you view a black image on your LCD display, that faint glow you see is backlight bleed. In fact, every LCD display suffers from some level of backlight bleed, but it’s usually so low that you won’t notice it unless you’re looking at a pure black image.

The ExpertBook is the exception to that rule, and I can guarantee that there’s nothing in your house — unless you’re using an 8-year old laptop that you didn’t want to spend much money on — that suffers from as much backlight bleed as the ExpertBook P2451F.

Why is this a problem? I’m currently typing this review out in Microsoft Word and my Windows theme is set to a dark grey (which already looks like a dull grey because of the bleed). On this display, Word’s blue title bar is almost the same dark grey as my Windows theme. The edges are glowing, and because the display isn’t perfectly perpendicular to my face, the top half of the page is whitish while the bottom is a weird yellow-grey.

If I turn the laptop even slightly to the left or right, the edges get a dull grey glow. Everything that isn’t white has a halo around it.

In fact, I think I’m getting a headache just staring at this screen.

While this isn’t the very worst display I’ve seen on a laptop, and I do believe it’s fractionally better than some of the displays I’ve seen on enterprise laptops that companies buy en masse for their hapless staff, this easily ranks as among the very worst.

It’s otherwise a great laptop

It’s a shame, really, because this is, screen aside, one of the best workhorse Ultrabooks I’ve used this year.

Specs are almost sensible and include an Intel Core i7-10710U CPU, 8 GB RAM (upgradeable), a fast 512 GB SSD, and an Nvidia MX110 GPU (I’m not sure what it does, because it's only fractionally faster than the Intel integrated graphics). Included in the box is an HDD cage for installing a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD after the fact.

Performance is more than enough for the average worker bee, and at 8.5 hrs (in my testing) the battery will easily get you through a full workday. The laptop also doesn’t get too hot or noisy when under full load.

The keyboard is a joy to type on, and it’s backlit. The trackpad is meh, though. It does the job, but not particularly well.

If you miss the ThinkPad TrackPoint, ASUS has included a variant — called SensePoint — in this model, which I enjoyed using (though there were some drift issues that will, hopefully, be fixed via a driver update).

The speakers are fine, but not very loud.

The laptop is slim, and so thin and light for its size that I’d be happy to carry it around with me to whichever room I choose to wander into.

The laptop is also solidly built, with no flex, even under the keyboard, and has a hinge that’s strong and doesn’t cause display wobble when typing. ASUS claims that the laptop is tested to ‘mil-std 810g’ durability standards, with all components being torture tested in especially harsh conditions to ensure that nothing will fail.

I don’t know why there’s a microSD card slot, but you get everything else, including USB-A, USB-C, Ethernet, HDMI, and even a VGA port. The webcam also has a physical privacy cover. Oh, and there’s WiFi 6 support thrown in.

There’s also a fingerprint sensor.

Verdict: There’s potential here, but it’s yet to be fully realised

Priced from Rs 58,999 onwards, the ExpertBook P2 line is on the more expensive side. Judging by my review unit, it is an expertly crafted lineup of devices, and if it wasn’t for that display, it could have been exceptional. I don’t know why ASUS, after taking so much care with the design, chose to hobble it by scrimping on the display. I wish they hadn’t, because I love everything else about this laptop.

But they did, and that’s sad, and it’s also their loss. If you’re looking for a well-built workhorse that won’t break the bank, or your back, get the Mi Notebook 14, or any of Lenovo’s IdeaPads. They’ll perform just as well — the Mi Notebook line is, in fact, cheaper and more powerful — and while some may not be better built, they all have better displays.

If you’re looking for a premium device, check out Lenovo’s Yoga C640 – a beautifully crafted laptop with a 360-degree hinge and one of the best displays in its class.

The ExpertBook’s features and add-ons might appeal to the enterprise customer, but for you and me, there are simply too many excellent alternatives out there.

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WHO plans to distribute 120 mn rapid COVID-19 test kits to poorer nations at $5 each

Some 120 million rapid tests for Covid-19 will be made available to poorer countries at $5 each, the World Health Organization announced Monday – if it can find the money.

The WHO said the $600 million scheme would enable low- and middle-income countries to close the dramatic gap in testing for the new coronavirus, which has now killed more than a million people since first being recorded in China in December.

The quick tests, to be distributed across 133 countries over the next six months, are not as reliable as the regular PCR nasal swab tests but are far faster, cheaper and easier to carry out.

"We have an agreement, we have seed funding and now we need the full amount of funds to buy these tests," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference.

Last week, the WHO issued the first emergency-use listing for a quality, antigen-based rapid diagnostic test (RDT), with others expected to follow.

"A substantial proportion of these rapid tests – 120 million – will be made available to low- and middle-income countries," said Tedros.

"These tests provide reliable results in approximately 15 to 30 minutes, rather than hours or days, at a lower price, with less sophisticated equipment.

"This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have lab facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out PCR tests."

No lab required

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is co-convening the WHO-led pooled global search for Covid-19 diagnostics, is putting in $50 million from its Covid-19 response pot.

Global Fund executive director Peter Sands said the RDTs were no silver bullet but were a hugely valuable complement to PCR tests.

"Although they are a bit less accurate, they're much faster, cheaper and don't require a lab," said Sands.

"This will enable low- and middle-income countries to begin to close the dramatic gap in testing."

Sands, said that currently, high-income countries were conducting 292 tests per day per 1,00,000 people; upper-middle-income countries 77; lower-middle-income countries, 61; and low-income countries, 14.

He said that if the poorest countries were testing at the same rate as the richest, 120 million tests would not last two weeks.

The tests could be used where PCR tests are unavailable; quickly testing contacts where a PCR test has confirmed a case; and in places with widespread community transmission.

Sands said the first orders were going in this week.

The tests are being produced by two companies: US multinational Abbott Laboratories and South Korea-based SD BioSensor.

The 120 million tests reflect 20 percent of the firms' manufacturing capacity. The other 80 percent remain available for procurement.

By 1600 GMT Monday, the respiratory disease had claimed 1,002,432 victims from 33,178,275 recorded infections, according to an AFP tally collected from official sources.

"The current numbers are likely an under-estimate of the true toll," said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan.

He said Friday that another million deaths were "highly likely" before a vaccine comes around, unless countries and individuals take collective action to combat the spread of the virus.

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Government investment firm develops blockchain health passport in Singapore

Singapore continues to apply blockchain in its public administration.

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Bitcoin exchange reserves down $5B in 2020 hints at whale accumulation

Bitcoin exchange reserves dropped by $5 billion in the past year, showing signs of accumulation.

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‘Scary’ COVID-19 heart studies showing inflammation raise doubts, concerns from experts

On 27 July, the academic journal JAMA Cardiology published a paper showing that 78 out of 100 study participants had abnormalities typically seen in a potentially life-threatening heart condition. Their hearts had been imaged roughly two months after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. And while two-thirds of the group had suffered mild or no symptoms, medical scans showed fluid and scarring — signs of heart inflammation, or myocarditis.

These findings, among others, “indicate the need for ongoing investigation of the long-term cardiovascular consequences of Covid-19,” wrote the authors, who are based in Germany at University Hospital Frankfurt.

Not everyone was impressed with the paper. The day after it published, scientists identified statistical errors, which the research team went on to correct. Another noted that the study’s controls — people who hadn’t been infected with the virus — also showed inflammation on their heart scans.

But those conversations were unfolding among small groups of scientists on Twitter. Meanwhile, colleges across the country struggled with a vexing question: Was it safe to move forward with fall sports? The study caught their eye because of the rare but devastating possibility of sudden cardiac death in athletes and soon, high-profile media outlets were credulously citing the study as one of the hurdles for a fall season.

An 8 Aug article in The Washington Post referred to the findings as “bad news for everyone in a general way and scary news for athletes in a specific way.” On 11 Aug, in what would be a highly contentious decision, the Big Ten Conference announced it was postponing its fall season due to ongoing concerns related to the pandemic. The conference later issued a statement on the postponement, which read, in part: “While the data on cardiomyopathy is preliminary and incomplete, the uncertain risk was unacceptable at this time.” Around the same time, Pac-12 announced it would postpone its season as well, in part due to similar concerns.

But over the course of roughly a dozen interviews by Undark with physicians and researchers specializing in cardiac radiology, cardiac pathology, and sports cardiology, several expressed concerns over the limitations of the German research, and with a more recent heart imaging study published by a team at The Ohio State University. Some also shared deep misgivings about how the findings of these small studies are being interpreted, reported, and used in the wider world. September’s media coverage has been more circumspect, but these preliminary findings are already being used to guide treatment of virus-positive athletes.

While the experts agreed that COVID-19 can harm the heart, the severity and frequency of the outcomes, as well as how to test for myocarditis, is under fierce debate.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have since reversed course, with plans to resume their seasons this fall, but the implications of this new research go beyond football. Many experts worry about broader, graver consequences, including the overuse of the pricey heart scans — known as cardiac MRI — and unduly frightening Americans, both of which, they say, could jeopardize public trust in science.

Michael Ackerman, a genetic cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic who has no professional ties to any of the college sports conferences, took issue with the “spookiness” that was being assigned to myocarditis. “If this is the reason why a conference is shutting down a sport,” he said, “I call nonsense on that.”

Even prior to the pandemic, sports medicine physicians were sensitive to the potentially devastating effects of heart problems in athletes. In 1990, Loyola Marymount University basketball player Hank Gathers collapsed on the court during a game and died shortly after. While he had been previously diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat, an autopsy found he died of cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disorder, with myocarditis. In 1993, tragedy struck again when Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis died during a team practice under similar circumstances. Though instances of sudden death in athletes are rare, “the outcome is such a drastic one in an otherwise healthy young population,” said Ella Kazerooni, a radiologist at Michigan Medicine who has been coordinating coronavirus testing for University of Michigan student-athletes. For this reason, teams try to stay on top of information about cardiac diseases and screening recommendations.

Myocarditis, in particular, is an important cause of abnormal heartbeats, or arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death in physically active individuals. The condition is often triggered by a viral infection — it tends to spike seasonally with the flu season. In the early months of the pandemic, case reports and autopsies of hospitalized patients showed that the coronavirus can damage the heart. These findings helped motivate the German and OSU researchers to investigate further.

In May, the American College of Cardiology’s Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council recommended that athletes with positive coronavirus tests should rest for at least two weeks, regardless of whether they have symptoms. Current guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association also state that anyone with cardiac symptoms, such as chest pain or labored breathing, should undergo preliminary testing to check the heart’s structure and function. Additionally, a common laboratory test measures a heart protein called troponin, which releases into the bloodstream when the heart is damaged.

If any of these initial tests turn up abnormalities that suggest myocarditis, a cardiac MRI can help confirm the diagnosis. The MRI produces black and white scans, which can be used to create a 3D view of the heart muscle. It’s among the best tools for identifying inflammation and scar tissue. Cardiac MRIs are rarely used on people who don’t have heart-related symptoms. But the German and OSU studies have prompted some patients and doctors to ask whether the scans should be used more often.

A cardiac MRI showing acute myocarditis, taken as a horizontal slice of the chest cavity. Visual: Case courtesy of Dr Tamara Razon Cuenza, Radiopaedia.org, from case rID: 77023

The German study compared three groups of patients: people who tested positive for the coronavirus; people who never contracted the virus and were healthy; and people who never had the virus, but had health issues such as diabetes and hypertension. This third group was included to help disentangle Covid-19 abnormalities from abnormalities that may have been caused by other health conditions — a process called risk matching.

In interviews with Undark, experts offered divergent views of the results, such that the results started to take on the quality of a Rorschach test. “Unfortunately, there is substantial subjectivity in the interpretation of many advanced medical imaging studies, including cardiac MRI,” Venkatesh Murthy, a cardiologist and expert in cardiac imaging at Michigan Medicine, wrote in an email. And when it comes to heart scans of people who are post-Covid and lacking symptoms, he said physicians really don’t know which abnormalities are benign and which are a cause for concern.

Several physicians said they weren’t surprised by the presence of inflammation in study subjects who tested positive for coronavirus. That’s common in people who have just recovered from a viral infection that causes a lot of inflammation, said Chetan Shenoy, a cardiologist and expert in cardiac MRI at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

James Carr, the current president of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance and a radiologist at Northwestern Medicine, said that he finds the presence of scar tissue in Covid-19 patients compelling. “For me, that’s one of the bigger take-home points,” he said. Others noted that the risk-matched group also had a large number of cardiac abnormalities, including scar tissue, so the scarring in the Covid-19 patients might not have been caused by the virus.

The German study’s corresponding author, Eike Nagel, attributed the mixed responses to the fact that “we just don’t know enough yet.” A cardiologist and expert in cardiac MRI, Nagel defended the work, pointing out that one of his measurements found scar tissue in 20 percent of those positive for SARS-CoV-2 versus just 7 percent in the risk-matched group, a nearly threefold increase. He also said he is confident that his team’s technique for measuring inflammation is accurate and meaningful because they’ve validated it in studies of other diseases. Further, the troponin levels were slightly elevated in the Covid-19 group, showing that something must be damaging the heart, he said. While it might not be severe enough to cause sudden death, he added, if the condition is chronic, it could take a toll.

Nagel is planning follow-up studies. But in the meantime, he encouraged physicians to think beyond binaries of “normal” and “abnormal” when it comes to diagnosing myocarditis. Even subtle increases in inflammation could have an effect, he said, if they persist over time.

The nuances of the myocarditis studies have been largely absent from the broader public conversation. In the month of August, the German paper was often cited in coverage of college sports. And though the OSU paper had not yet been published, its preliminary findings were shared with major athletic conferences as they deliberated about the fall season. The New York Times reported that the OSU study had already revealed an “alarmingly high rate of myocarditis” among recovered college athletes, almost all of whom had experienced mild or no Covid-19 symptoms. The article quoted the university’s director of sports cardiology, Curt Daniels: “Everybody is saying now that maybe we should do cardiac MRIs.”

Things ramped up on Sept. 3, when Penn State’s director of athletic medicine mistakenly commented in a meeting that cardiac MRI scans revealed that approximately one third of Big Ten athletes with Covid-19 had myocarditis. The university quickly issued a correction that the true rate was closer to 15 percent — but not before the national news media widely reported the wrong statistics.

“This is pretty frightening,” said CNN’s Sanjay Gupta.

High-profile Twitter users made similar comments: “If even young athletes in their prime come down with heart damage — there IS NO SAFE HERD (w/out vaccine) to be had,” wrote one Harvard epidemiologist.

Wow. 30 to 35% of #COVID19 infected athlete’s heart muscles are inflamed w/ myocarditis, says Penn State physician of Big Ten sport league.

If even young athletes in their prime come down with heart damage—there IS NO SAFE HERD (w/out vaccine) to be had. https://t.co/SCAKUG4RV3

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 3, 2020

FOLLOWUP—Penn state has has clarified the data and the newspaper has posted a correction - the correction now says myocarditis is actually 15%. Still high. https://t.co/ihkuHRWOYa pic.twitter.com/8aoxRDR7ei

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) September 4, 2020

Today we learned ~1/3 Big Ten athletes who were #COVID19 + had abnormal heart MRIs, consistent w/ myocarditis, even those without symptoms. If anyone still is questioning whether this virus attacks the heart, it's denialism. https://t.co/8qGJDhjlpk

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) September 3, 2020

By the end of August, even science magazines were publishing heart-related headlines that some of Undark’s sources characterize as alarmist. Among the more noteworthy headlines: “Covid-19 Can Wreck Your Heart, Even If You Haven’t Had Any Symptoms” at Scientific American and “‘Carnage’ in a Lab Dish Shows How the Coronavirus May Damage the Heart” at STAT.

"The fear has ratcheted up incredibly,” said Ackerman. After the media started reporting on Covid-19 heart problems, and again following publication of the German paper, he said worried patients started calling his clinic.

Ackerman acknowledges that there may be good non-heart reasons to delay or cancel a season: concerns about disease transmission, for instance, or lack of coronavirus testing. “But the heart cannot and should not be the driving reason.” In this context, Ackerman said, the German paper just doesn’t hold up: For one, the test subjects were older and sicker than college-athletes. Another mistake, he added, was prematurely equating the MRI scans — the significance of which are unclear — with a potentially life-threatening disease.

Several other studies that haven’t received the same amount of attention provide another reason for restraint, said Joseph Maleszewski, a cardiac pathologist at the Mayo Clinic. The studies look at autopsies of people who died from Covid-19. And while autopsy research is still in its infancy, so far, the rate of myocarditis in the autopsies is lower than in the cardiac MRIs. Maleszewski said he worries about hasty conclusions on Covid’s effects on the heart: “If you reach that far on tenuous ground, and you wind up not being right, it undercuts the things you’re right about.” This potentially feeds the narrative that the claims around Covid-19 are mostly just politics, rather than ongoing, dynamic science, he added.

Several physicians told Undark that the overwrought messaging around myocarditis is having a ripple effect, with patients contacting their physicians to request a cardiac MRI. There are downsides to doing these tests when they aren’t warranted, said Murthy: the cost and the required resources (“In the U.S., our capacity to do these is nowhere near sufficient to test large numbers of people who have no cardiac symptoms from Covid.”) Then there’s the potential for incidental findings — things spotted on a scanner that might be causing no harm, but that fall outside the range of normal. That can start a chain of events, with a patient receiving one test after another for something that was never going to harm them, said Murthy.

And while it may seem rational to consider canceling football out of an abundance of heart-based caution, Ackerman disagreed. As director of the Windland Smith Rice Genetic Heart Rhythm Clinic, he treats hundreds of athletes, many of whom were previously disqualified from competitive sports due to preexisting heart conditions. Postponement or cancellation, he said, will have “similarly devastating consequences” on athletes’ mental wellbeing. Are we weighing all of it in the balance, he added, “or are we being selective in which item we are putting forward as the tipping point item, the playing with fire item?”

On 11 September, the long-awaited results of the Ohio State University study of student-athletes published in the form of a research letter in JAMA Cardiology. The authors scanned 26 college athletes who tested positive for Covid-19 and had mild to no symptoms, identifying what they termed “suspected myocarditis” in four individuals. A university press release noted that the cardiac MRI had been “effective in identifying myocardial inflammation not picked up by other methods” and that the technology has the potential to identify athletes who can safely return to play.

The motivation for the research was clinical, said Saurabh Rajpal, the lead author and a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. It can be hard to detect subtle symptoms in athletes because they don’t get winded as easily as non-athletes, said Rajpal. So he and his colleagues decided that the best way to ensure safe participation was to include a cardiac MRI with other testing.

Unlike the German paper, the OSU study didn’t have a comparison group. That’s important to keep in mind when interpreting the results, said Kate Hanneman, a cardiac radiologist and expert in cardiac imaging at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Athlete hearts are different from the hearts of the general population; for example, previous studies have found scar tissue in endurance athletes. Without a point of comparison, it’s not clear whether the abnormalities spotted on the MRI scans were caused by the coronavirus. She also noted that the study participants lacked two criteria usually needed for a diagnosis of myocarditis: cardiac symptoms and elevated troponin levels.

A summary published by The American College of Cardiology made similar points, concluding: “While this study adds to emerging data, it does not imply that CMR should be performed in all Covid-19 positive patients to screen for myocardial inflammation.” A few days later, an open letter appeared online. It had been initiated by Murthy and was cosigned by roughly 50 medical professionals. Addressed to 18 medical societies, the letter asked them to discourage the use of cardiac MRIs on asymptomatic people who test positive for Covid-19.

A day after the open letter published, the Big Ten announced that football season will resume in late-October. Players who test positive for the virus will undergo comprehensive heart screening, including an MRI. Big Ten universities will create a cardiac registry, pooling the test results for future study.

Echoing others, Shenoy said he welcomes more research, and a well-designed registry could eventually provide useful data. But, he said, it’s premature to use these tests to diagnose or assess the risk for people who don’t have cardiac symptoms. “None of it,” he wrote in an email, “is supported by any evidence when it comes to asymptomatic athletes.”

Sara Talpos is a senior editor at Undark and a freelance writer whose recent work has been published in Science, Mosaic, and the Kenyon Review’s special issue on science writing.

This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.

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Crypto Finance Conference to host industry experts in-person in January 2021

Physical crypto events come back, but with a set of strict COVID-19 measures.

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Google Meet to allow free users to make video calls for more than 60 minutes till March 2021

Google has now stated that it is extending its policy allowing free Google Meet users host calls for more than 60 minutes to 31 March 2021. In a blog post, Group Product Manager of Google Meet Samir Pradhan wrote that as everyone looks forward to a holiday season with less travel and important milestones like family reunions, weddings and others, they want to continue helping those who rely on Meet to stay in touch over the coming months.

"As a sign of our commitment, today we’re continuing unlimited Meet calls (up to 24 hours) in the free version through March 31 2021 for Gmail accounts," he added.

Pradhan also said that Google has also added a number of experiences to make Meet more fun and productive. Users will now get to see their family on the big screen when they cast calls to the television, or join hands-free on their Nest Hub Max.

The blog stated that users will be able to jump on the call with background blur or take trivia night to the next level by seeing  49 of the competitors (and the user themselves) at the same time.

The development comes days after Google declared that the free features of Google Meet are going to last only till the end of this month.

Google had confirmed that it was not making any changes to Meet promo, or advanced features. However, G Suite and G Suite for Education customers are set to lose free access to some advanced Google Meet features.

 

 

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NBA 2K21 reflections: A brand new shot meter and cringeworthy fashions

NBA 2K has become the undisputed king of putting serious, respected actors in motion capture hijinks. But when they could’ve focused their energies on changing the setting, plot and painfully drawn out dialogue of MyCareer, what they chose to change was… the shot meter?

This strikes me as odd, because when it comes to making choices, NBA 2K has made some pretty great ones. If you’re buying the game year on year, you already know not to expect an overhaul and that’s because 2K seems to work on a maxim of refinement rather than charging out to fix what ain’t broke. I for one, like this about them. But this year, they seem to have broken their own rule.

So let’s focus in on two key choices made for NBA 2K21 that released early this month: The annual telling of the MyCareer tale and the brand new shot meter.

Let’s start with the story of Junior. The son of a college basketball hero who decides to follow in his father’s footsteps after a conversation with stranger…on a ferry. No seriously, that’s minute one of the storyline. The stranger, who turns out to be a high school basketball coach, is played by Djimon Honsou, and he convinces you that football (the American kind) is not your thing. You should play basketball instead. Like so...

And because we all change the course of our lives because of what a dude on a ferry tells us, you make the switch.

What follows is the exact same pattern that 2K career mode has followed since its inception.

Play game. Cutscene. Play game. Cutscene. Yet another cutscene. Play game. And now, here’s three cutscenes back-to-back for absolutely no reason.

This year’s cutscenes are particularly drawn out and the cause is the two parallel storylines. You have Junior, navigating life in the present day and Junior flashing back to a conversation with his deceased father. The father, played by Jesse Williams, becomes little more than an exposition dump for Junior’s issues, which by the way, are constantly hinted at in the present day and need no further explanation. Essentially, you’re watching your character’s origin story while playing his origin story.

It’s an entire plot point that is almost as skippable as David Aldridge.

Once you start playing high school ball, you meet Archie, an old friend of your father’s, who wants to be your future agent. Unfortunately, they cast this role with The Wire's Michael K Williams, which makes you distrust him from the absolute get-go.

But while Djimon Honsou’s plot as your high school coach fades away pointlessly, at least the Archie storyline leaves you with a choice that requires some actual decision-making.

And that’s what I wanted more of. Less ‘watching people talk to my character’ and more ‘doing things that affect my character’. NBA 2K21 tried to make this happen but the results were hilarious at best. One of the other big choices involves leaving college because your girlfriend is mad at you. But even that seemed realistic when compared to your choice of suit for the NBA Draft.

Before picking a suit, Archie and the salesperson at the store dutifully inform you that your choice of suit will define how you look going forward. But the result of picking an even slightly loud two button are disastrous.

Allow me to regale you with the consequences of dressing big for your big night.

It’s like Russell Westbrook and Kanye West had a baby, that they both thought was a little… extra.

Of course, the build-up to draft night is always a bone of contention for 2K fans. I personally loved the combine build-up of NBA 2K20 and I felt like they had a gap for it. Interviews and press junkets just before draft night decide the last few inches of your draft stock. But the ‘right’ answers, even though you’re constantly told there are none, are painfully obvious. Swap that out with some long jumps and sprints and that draft build-up would’ve been on point.

Another way you can secure your final spot on the draft board is via a chance meeting with Zion Williamson. He challenges you to a game on a street court and honestly, this was the most fun of all the draft night proceedings. 2K is counting on you to be cocky and over-confident about your player and I was honestly expecting a gimme. But, Zion does what only a 20-year-old cover athlete of a major sports game franchise can, utterly obliterates you.

There goes the lottery…

Post-draft, there’s only one new plot point that creeps around in the background. Somehow, your team lands two lottery picks and decides to grab you and the #1 overall pick, who also plays, shockingly, in the exact same position as you. How has this GM not been fired?

That aside, it’s the pretty much the usual. Agents are spoken to via text, sponsorships are signed and teammates (that #1 overall pick) are traded for next to no return.

MyCareer was crying out for an overhaul. Instead, we have a storyline that hits a lot of great notes, but they’re notes that have been hit at least twice before. I’m hoping next year brings some fundamental story changes and some serious editing on those cut scenes. Plot points like daddy issues, chips on shoulders and why a kid from New Jersey would dream of being a millionaire basketball superstar need little to no explanatory dialogue.

Instead, how about a MyCareer plot that starts in Europe? Paella for thought.

Now, let’s jump out of MyCareer and into gameplay for the second big choice of NBA 2K21.

Let me be utterly honest: NBA 2K is one of the most authentic sports sim experiences on the planet. So for me to criticise their gameplay choices is a bit like Loul Deng trash talking Dame Lillard.

But, when you’ve got the space, you gotta take the shot... which is impossible because of the comically difficult shot meter.

In fairness, 2K have released a patch, and that has made things easier, but on a purely conceptual level, this shot meter is insane. It completely changes you how you’ve used the pro stick in the past, not to mention how precise the green point is.

Even one of the greatest real-life jump shooters in the NBA, and this year’s cover star, felt a need to register a complaint.

Am I the only one struggling with this shot meter ? ‍♂️ and I ain’t made a free throw yet

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) September 4, 2020

It’s like the developer forgot that the only reason people play NBA 2K games is because they can’t actually play basketball. It’s a tough sport. If you don’t have the training, I wager that the odds of hitting a three-pointer in real life are next to impossible. That’s why we need the damn game.

Instead of making the shot meter more satisfying, they’ve made it so difficult that a man who routinely trash talks MVP candidates (and sends them home from the playoffs) thought he needed to tweet out his grievances like his order was delayed on Zomato.

Thankfully, and once again to 2K’s credit, this jump shot functionality is easily switched off and you can quickly revert to the OG.

Speaking of OG, I am especially glad that they haven’t tinkered too much with the parts of the game that were a hit from the past few editions.

The Blacktop continues to be a great place to try out your own dream match-ups. Magic and Kareem in a 2-on-2 with Lebron and AD? You got it. A 1-on-1 between between Isiah Thomas Jr and Mugsy Bogues? That’s a weird one, but ok, you can do that too. With each variation from 1-on-1 to 5-on-5, you have to adjust the way you play to grab the W, which means a lot of time spent learning and perfecting your craft. And of course, a ton of fun on multiple controllers.

The MyLeague remains the sandbox of insanity it has always been with unlimited customisation and an AI that’s gotten smarter and smarter at beating you at your own salary cap game. But the new rookie class is not in yet, which means no new names to tinker with. Easily sorted with an update later in the year, I’m sure. But a real dampener for anyone hoping to spend their time trading their way up the draft in MyLeague or MyGM.

Oh and the Neighborhood now has… more colours. Cool, I guess.

Crunch time view: There’s a lot about this game that could’ve been much, much better. But, if you aren’t an NBA 2K super-nerd, and you didn’t play NBA 2K20, you will still enjoy it. On the court, it’s almost faultless and the game continues to be excellent at rewarding you for levelling up and learning new skills. Which means there’s plenty of incentive for a long, dominant NBA career. Just make sure to get your revenge on Zion for that brutal pre-draft beatdown.

The author is an advertising professional and basketball enthusiast who can rattle off the names of each of the 10 players to start Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers

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Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month: Early diagnosis afford patients better quality of life, disease management

Every six minutes, a woman is diagnosed with gynaecological cancer. Of the five types of cancer prevalent in women, cervix uteri is found to be the most common. Gynecologic cancers are often detected through a general screening procedure by an oncologist or gynaecologist. If diagnosed and treated early enough, the majority of early-stage and a significant number of stage 2 and 3 cancer can be treated or managed, and potentially cured. For advanced stages of cancer, palliative chemotherapy and targeted therapy can significantly improve quality of life and chances of survival.

Diagnosis is essential for medical experts to give you precise care, track and manage an illness. It is important for women to be aware of the symptoms, causes and screening tests for gynaecologic cancers. With recent advancements in science and technology, healthcare delivery to address cancers have evolved considerable. There are now screening measures in place for cancer diagnosis in more major hospitals in urban India.

Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer typically affects women above 45 years of age. A few of the reasons that women suffer from this type of cancer is due to their hereditary — family history of ovarian cancer, presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes – which are linked with ovarian cancer – and an unhealthy lifestyle that leads to obesity.

This type of cancer is not easy to detect in its early stages due to its vague symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, increased frequency or urgency of urination, fatigue, constipation, irregular menstrual cycle.

A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose early ovarian cancer.

Uterine Cancer

Most often, the causes for this form of cancer is early or a delayed menstrual cycle, medicines such as hormone replacement, or obesity.

Some of the symptoms women with early stage uterine cancer can expect are unusual vaginal spotting or bleeding, pelvic pain or vaginal discharge or heavy white discharge.

Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer develops in a woman's cervix (the outer, part of the uterus) and is usually caused by changes in DNA, like mutations. The incidence of cervical cancer is also tied to the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the population – it is surprisingly widespread but women are more susceptible to cancer risk from HPV infection.

Other risk factors are a history of smoking, oral contraceptive use, intercourse from an early age, multiple sexual partners and immunosuppression. Commonly reported symptoms are irregular menstrual cycle, bleeding after sex, vaginal or heavy white discharge and frequent pain in the lower abdomen, waist or back.

As per GLOBOCAN 2018 data, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women. It can be detected through regular screening for cancer in health check-ups.

Treatment options

Treatment depends on the type of cancer, stage and general health of the woman. The decision for a single treatment or a combination becomes very challenging, especially when the woman is young, and cancer is advanced. Gynecologic cancers are treated in several ways, mainly depending on the kind of cancer and how far it has spread.

For instance, ovarian cancer can be treated by an operation which is known as ‘staging laparotomy’ or ‘debulking’ along with ‘Chemotherapy’ before or after the operation. Uterine cancer can be treated by hysterectomy (an operation to remove the uterus) and radiation therapy after surgery if the cancerous cells are still present in the body.

Cervical cancer can be treated by operation or surgery at the earliest stage and ‘radiation therapy’ and ‘chemotherapy’ for the advanced stage.

How to reduce risk

• Protect yourself from HPV— Some gynaecological cancers are caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a very common sexually transmitted infection. The HPV vaccine reduces the burden of the HPV-related gynecologic cancers such as, cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. It is recommended that girls aged 11 to 12 years be vaccinated. It can also be given as early as age 9 and until age 26
• Get screened early — Early screening helps in recognizing the disease before there are any symptoms which can lead to effective treatment
• Recognize the warning signs — Recognize the symptoms and talk to your doctor if you believe that you are at an increased risk of gynecologic cancer
• Make healthy choices — Maintain a healthy diet and control your weight to reduce obesity. It is also good to set achievable weight loss goals
• Get genetic testing done — The rising incidence of cancer among women once again signifies the importance of regular screening and going for annual health check-ups, especially if your mother, daughter, sister or any female relatives have had ovarian cancer or breast cancer before the age of 45. Consult with your doctor and opt for genetic testing to assess the risk.

Cancer management during COVID-19

The pandemic has indeed created a delay in healthcare delivery especially for cancer patients who need to make frequent visits to healthcare facilities.

To lower the risk of infection among cancer patients, most cancer centres have adopted online methods of reaching out to the patient and caregiver. However, with ease in government restrictions, cancer patients can now visit the hospitals, diagnostic centres and continue their treatment and undergo screening for cancer.

While we are still grappling with the virus, doctors should take maximum precautions to minimize the risk of contracting the virus. This includes the screening of cancer patients and staff to identify any COVID-19 suspect, adopt outpatient consultations for patients who do not need active management, continue to conduct follow-up sessions over video/audio call.

Awareness to prevent gynecologic cancer

Stigma related to gynecologic cancer care and diagnosis needs to be debunked for more women to come forward and get themselves screened. September is recognized as Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month and is a perfect time to encourage women to learn more and be aware of cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, ovaries, and uterus including early detection and prevention.

India's National Cancer Control Program emphasizes the importance of early detection and treatment. Married women can undergo the ‘Screening test’ to get themselves a regular check-up even if they do not have any health concerns. A ‘Pap Smear’ is the most common test that is conducted in this screening test. It looks for abnormal cell changes in the cervix to detect cervical cancer in its early stage. This test will help identify any cancer in the initial stage and can be treated easily.

The author is a medical oncologist at the P.D Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai

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What's the matter with the Universe? Astrophysics produces the most precise answer yet

A team of US astrophysicists has produced one of the most precise measurements ever made of the total amount of matter in the Universe, a longtime mystery of the cosmos.

The answer, published in The Astrophysical Journal on Monday, is that matter accounts for 31.5 percent – give or take 1.3 percent – of the total amount of matter and energy that make up the Universe.

The remaining 68.5 percent is dark energy, a mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the Universe to accelerate over time, and was first inferred by observations of distant supernovae in the late 1990s.

Put another way, this means the total amount of matter in the observable Universe is equivalent to 66 billion trillion times the mass of our Sun, Mohamed Abdullah, a University of California, Riverside astrophysicist and the paper's lead author, told AFP.

Most of this matter –80 percent – is called dark matter. Its nature is not yet known, but it may consist of some as-yet-undiscovered subatomic particle.

The latest measurements correspond well with values previously found by other teams using different cosmological techniques, such as measuring temperature fluctuations in the low-energy radiation left over from the Big Bang.

"This has been a long process over the course of 100 years where we're gradually getting more and more precise," Gillian Wilson, the study's co-author and a professor at UCR told AFP.

"It's just kind of cool to be able to make such a fundamental measurement about the Universe without leaving planet Earth," she added.

So how exactly do you weigh the Universe?

The team honed a 90-year-old technique that involves observing how galaxies orbit inside galaxy clusters -- massive systems that contain thousands of galaxies.

These observations told them how strong each galaxy cluster's gravitational pull was, from which its total mass could then be calculated.

Fate of the Universe

In fact, explained Wilson, their technique was originally developed by the pioneering astronomer Fritz Zwicky, who was the first person to suspect the existence of dark matter in galaxy clusters, in the 1930s.

He noticed that the combined gravitational mass of the galaxies he observed in the nearby Coma galaxy cluster was insufficient to prevent those galaxies from flying away from one another, and realized there must be some other invisible matter at play.

The UCR team, whose research received money from the US National Science Foundation and NASA, refined Zwicky's technique, developing a tool they called GalWeight that determines more accurately which galaxies belong to a given cluster and which do not.

They applied their tool to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the most detailed three-dimensional maps of the Universe currently available, measuring the mass of 1,800 galaxy clusters and creating a catalog.

Finally, they compared the number of clusters observed per unit volume in their catalog against a series of computer simulations, each of which was fed a different value for the total matter of the Universe.

Simulations with too little matter had too few clusters, while those with too much matter had too many clusters.

The "Goldilocks" value they found fit just right.

Wilson explained that having a more precise measure of the total amount of matter in the Universe may take us a step closer to learning the nature of dark matter, because "we know just how much matter we should be looking for" when scientists carry out particle experiments, for example at the Large Hadron Collider.

What's more, "the total amount of dark matter and dark energy tells us the fate of the Universe," she added, with the current scientific consensus being that we are headed for a "Big Freeze" where galaxies move further and further apart, and the stars in those galaxies eventually run out of fuel.

 

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Honda CB 350 cruiser launched in India at Rs 1.9 lakh: All you need to know

We are the midst of the Honda two-wheeler launch in India. And the motorcycle will be called the CB 350. From the looks of it, the Honda CB 350 will rival the likes of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and also the Benelli Imperiale 400 in India. This is the first cruiser motorcycle by Honda in India. It will be manufactured in India and will be sold through the company's Honda Big Wing India network, giving it a premium appeal. The Honda CB 350 has been priced at Rs 1.9 lakh, ex-showroom.

From the images, it can be seen that the Honda CB 350 comes with a retro design that the CB brand has been famous for. The details include neo-classic LED headlights, single-pod instrumentation, alloy wheels and interesting chrome highlights all through the design of the motorcycle. The motorcycle will come with a dual-channel ABS as standard.  Further, the motorcycle gets chrome mirrors, voluptuous tank design and a single seat that looks reasonably comfortable for longer saddle time.

The Honda CB 350 will be powered by a single-cylinder 350cc motor which should make an impressive power and torque rating. Details of which will be released shortly.

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Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 gaming laptop launched in India, pricing starts at Rs 2,79,990

Asus has finally launched its ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 dual-screen laptop in India. Touted to be one of the most powerful laptops produced by the company, the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 is aimed at gaming or content creation. It comes with up to a 10th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, with up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics. The device provides up to 48 GB of expandable DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of RAID 0 M.2 NVMe PCI 3.0x4 SSD storage.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 laptop is priced starting at Rs 2,79,990 in India. The laptop will be available for purchase starting 30 September via e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart and through Asus Exclusive Stores and ROG Stores.

The dual-screen laptop was first announced globally back in April. It was the first-ever dual-screen laptop designed especially for gaming.

While the primary display is a 15.6-inch screen, the secondary screen is a 14.1-inch, 60-Hz touchscreen with a 3840x1100 resolution. It is positioned at the upper half of the keyboard deck. On the other hand, the primary screen comes in two variants. It could either be a 4K 60-Hz panel or a FHD 300-Hz panel. While one is for content creators, the other is clearly for gamers.

Users will be able to monitor both the screens at once as the top edge of the second screen lifts up to a 13-degree angle. Also, the CPU has been built to perfectly execute tasks such as photo editing, 3D rendering, and streaming for long hours at a stretch. The GPU, on the other side, enables high frame rates and incredible realism for more immersive gaming.

The laptop has a 90 Wh battery and charges through a USB-C port that also supports Thunderbolt 3. It also has connectivity support for an HDMI 2.0b port, a 3.5mm microphone jack, a 3.5mm microphone-in/ headphone-out combo jack, and an RJ45 port. Other than ROG Zephyrus Duo 15, Asus has some other dual-screen laptops like the Zenbook Duo and the Zenbook Pro Duo.

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Honda CB 350 cruiser launched in India at Rs. 3.5 lakh: All you need to know

We are the midst of the Honda two-wheeler launch in India. And the motorcycle will be called the CB 350. From the looks of it, the Honda CB 350 will rival the likes of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and also the Benelli Imperiale 400 in India. This is the first cruiser motorcycle by Honda in India. It will be manufactured in India and will be sold through the company's Honda Big Wing India network, giving it a premium appeal. The Honda CB 350 has been priced at Rs 3.5 lakh, ex-showroom.

From the images, it can be seen that the Honda CB 350 comes with a retro design that the CB brand has been famous for. The details include neo-classic LED headlights, single-pod instrumentation, alloy wheels and interesting chrome highlights all through the design of the motorcycle. The motorcycle will come with a dual-channel ABS as standard.  Further, the motorcycle gets chrome mirrors, voluptuous tank design and a single seat that looks reasonably comfortable for longer saddle time.

The Honda CB 350 will be powered by a single-cylinder 350cc motor which should make an impressive power and torque rating. Details of which will be released shortly.

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OnePlus 8T Pro will not launch this year, confirms company CEO Pete Lau

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that OnePlus 8T Pro will not debut in 2020. The announcement was made via a Weibo post where he also revealed the date for the China release of the OnePlus 8T. According to Lau, people looking for "Pro" or a flagship OnePlus phone should opt for OnePlus 8 Pro (Review) as for now. In addition to this, he revealed that there is more to look forward to than the OnePlus 8T on 14 October. According to a report by GSMArena, OnePlus might launch a smartwatch, wireless earbuds and a Nord handset in the US on 14 October.

OnePlus has also announced that OnePlus 8T will launch in India on 14 October. The smartphone will feature a  120Hz Fluid AMOLED display and will come with support for 65W Warp charging tech.

OnePlus 8T expected specifications

According to a previous report, the smartphone might feature a 6.55-inch display that offers a 120 Hz refresh rate. As per the renders shared in the report, OnePlus 8T is likely to sport a punch-hole display. It is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 865 chipset and offer up to 12 GB RAM and up to 256 GB of internal storage.

As for the camera, the report reveals that the rear quad camera setup placed in a rectangular module is expected to house a 48 MP primary sensor, a 16 MP ultra-wide lens, a 5 MP macro lens and a 2 MP portrait sensor. For selfies, OnePlus 8T might come with a 32 MP front camera.

OnePlus 8T is expected to be equipped with a 4,500 mAh battery that supports 65W Warp Charge.

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ICMR's second nationwide serosurvey shows increase in COVID-19 exposure, better testing rates in August vs May

Over 7 percent of India's adult population seems to have been exposed to the coronavirus before the end of August, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found in its second nationwide sero survey for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The survey was done between 17 August and 22 September, and its results were shared Tuesday evening by the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday afternoon. This is a fair jump from the 0.73 percent exposure recorded in the first survey – conducted in the same 700 villages and urban wards as the second serosurvey.

Blood samples from 29,082 people were tested to look for IgG antibodies, which indicates exposure to the novel coronavirus at the population level. The sero survey is part of a larger effort to understand how widespread the prevalence of COVID-19 is in the Indian population.

Key findings from the 2nd sero survey

–A considerable section of the Indian population has not yet been exposed to the virus and remains at varying degree of COVID-19 infection risk, depending on where they live

–One in 15 people (10 years of age or older) is likely to have been exposed to the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) by end of August.

–The risk of infection was twice as high in slums (15.6 percent seroprevalence) as non-slum areas (8.2 percent seroprevalence) in urban centres, and four times higher than in rural areas (4.4 percent seroprevalence).

[This is dramatically different from what the first survey found: a much higher seropositivity in rural areas (69.4 percent) compared to urban slums (15.9 percent) or non-slums (14.6 percent). That said, the findings from the first survey are somewhat compromised, since only a quarter (25.9 percent) of the clusters surveyed were located in urban areas.]

–There was lower infection-to-case ratio in August compare to May – a reflection of a substantial increase in testing and detection across the country, the ministry said.

–For every confirmed COVID-19 case in August there were 26 to 32 infections that went undetected. In May, the same figure was 81-130 undetected for every case diagnosed – a success that the government claims is due to better contact tracing and tracking for COVID-19.

Many parts of India are still under varying degrees of lockdown and control. But the onslaught of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown has acutely affected labour market in India. Image: AP/Channi Anand

States with the highest seroprevalence

Mumbai

Mumbai showed the highest seroprevalence of any city in India, with 57.8 percent of samples (from slums) positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. This figure dropped to 17.4 percent for samples from non-slum areas.

Delhi

Delhi recorded a 29.1 percent seroprevalence in the second round of sampling that was conducted between 1-7 August. This was higher than the 23.1 percent recorded in the first round conducted between 27 June and 10 July.

Puducherry

Puducherry was next with a seroprevalence of 22.7 percent in the second sero survey (10-16 September). The Union Territory has recorded some 27,000 confirmed cases, 515 are deaths and 5,014 active cases till date. Puducherry's seroprevalence has seen a rapid rise from only 4.9 percent in the first round of survey (11-16 August).

Chennai, Ahmedabad, Indore

Chennai recorded a seroprevalence of 21.5 percent and Ahmedabad 17.6 percent, with Indore in Madhya Pradesh registering 7.8 percent. Each of these figures correspond to two different sero-surveys that were conducted independently of each other.

Takeaways

The ministry warned that with the holiday season around the corner and the many festivals that will be celebrated, mass gatherings need to be strictly avoided. State governments need to come up with "inventive containment strategies" for this, said the central government.

The sero survey also highlighted the need for the public to practise 'non-pharmacological interventions' – social distancing, correct cough etiquette, use of face masks and hand sanitizers – to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Elderly people, individuals with co-morbidities, children and pregnant women remain susceptible to infection and still need to take extra precautions wherever possible, the government stressed.

India has a cumulative tally of 61.45 lakh confirmed COVID-19 cases and 9.4 lakh active cases as of 30 September. 70,589 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, as per government data released this morning, and 776 people died.

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Moto E7 Plus to go on first sale today at 12 pm on Flipkart: Specifications, features and pricing

Motorola launched the Moto E7 Plus in India last week at a price of Rs 9,499. This smartphone series already includes Moto E6s (Review) that was launched in India last year at a starting price of Rs 7,999. The headlining features of Moto E7 Plus include Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 chipset, a 48 MP dual camera setup, and a 5,000 mAh battery with supports for 10W charging. Moto E7 Plus competes against Xiaomi's Redmi 9 Prime and Realme Naro 20A and more. Moto E7 Plus was first unveiled in Brazil earlier this month.

Moto E7 Plus pricing, availability

The smartphone comes in just one storage variant that offers 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage that is expandable up to 512 GB. It is priced at Rs 9,499.

Moto E7 Plus

In terms of colours, it comes in Misty Blue and Twilight Orange colour variants.

The smartphone will be available for purchase today at 12 pm on Flipkart.

Moto E7 Plus specifications

Moto E7 Plus features a 6.5-inch HD+ display that houses a waterdrop notch at the top. It is powered by the Snapdragon 460 chipset and offers 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage that is expandable up to 512 GB. It runs on Android 10 and sports a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The smartphone also comes with a dedicated Google Assistant button.

In terms of camera, the smartphone comes with a dual rear camera setup packed in a square camera module. This setup houses a 48 MP primary sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor. On the front, it comes with an 8 MP selfie camera.

Moto E7 Plus is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 10W charging.

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Realme C11 with a 5,000 mAh battery will go on sale today at 2 pm on Flipkart and Realme.com

Realme launched the Realme C11 at a price of Rs 7,499. Today, the smartphone will be available for purchase at 2 pm on Flipkart and the company's website. The highlight of Realme C11 includes its MediaTek Helio G35 chipset and a 5,000 mAh battery.

Realme C11 pricing

Realme C11 comes in just one storage variant that offers 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal storage and is priced at Rs 7,499. It comes in Rich Green and Rich Grey colour variants.

Realme C11

The smartphone will be available for purchase today at 2 pm on Flipkart and Realme's website.

Realme C11 specifications

The smartphone features a 6.5-inch IPS-matrix display with a resolution of HD+ (1600×720 pixels). It sports a 5 MP front camera with an f/2.4 aperture. Besides, Realme C11 has a 13 MP (f/2.2) dual main camera + 2 MP (portrait, f/2.4) with Super Nightscape night mode.

Powered by a Helio G35 chip, the phone is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery. It features a Bluetooth 5.0 module and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Running Android 10 OS with a Realmi UI interface, it comes with no fingerprint scanner.

Equipped with face unlock feature, Realme C11 weighs 196 grams.

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PUBG Mobile ban unlikely to be lifted in India because of its 'violent nature'

It has been almost a month since the government banned the PUBG Mobile game in India. Many attempts by authorities are being made so that the much popular game makes it's way back to India but nothing has worked quite in their favour till now. These attempts include PUBG Corporation cutting ties with Tencent for PUBG Mobile in India. A recent report by InsideSport revealed that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has confirmed that the PUBG ban is now permanent in India.

According to a report by Reuters, despite PUBG Corporation taking over the publishing rights in India, the government is not yet ready to revoke the ban. A source informed Reuters that the government is not ready to lift the ban not because it is a Chinese app but because the game is violent.

As per the report, the source said, "The violent nature of the game has been the cause of many complaints from all quarters. That does not change with the change in ownership rights.”

The report further reveals that PUBG Corporation is now looking into India's concerns and "is ready to work on anything that needed improvement". The company is reportedly in touch with Jio Platforms "to seek for cooperation opportunities" but nothing has been finalised yet.

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Realme Narzo 20A with a 5,000 mAh battery to go on first sale today at 12 pm on Flipkart

Realme launched the Narzo 20 series that includes Narzo 20A, Narzo 20 and Narzo 20 Pro (Review) recently in India. Today, the least expensive smartphone of the series, Narzo 20A, will go on its first sale on Flipkart and Realme.com. The highlights of this smartphone include its triple rear camera setup, 5,000 mAh battery and 4 GB RAM. The smartphone comes in two storage variants that offer 32 GB and 64 GB internal storage.

Realme Narzo 20A pricing, availability

The Realme Narzo 20A 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage variant is priced at Rs 8,499 and the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB is priced at Rs 9,499. The smartphone comes in Victory Blue and Glory Silver colour variants.

The Victory Design of #realmeNarzo20A is as attractive in pictures as in real life.
Glory Silver or Victory Blue?
What’s your pick?

Sale tomorrow at 12 PM only on https://t.co/HrgDJTZcxv & @Flipkart.
Know more: https://t.co/OSmN1jU8JV pic.twitter.com/wnOLJ00NMt

— realme (@realmemobiles) September 29, 2020

It will go on sale for the first time today at 12 pm on Flipkart and Realme's website.

Realme Narzo 20A specifications

Realme Narzo 20A features a 6.5-inch HD+ display. It is powered by Snapdragon 665 chipset and offers up to 4 GB RAM and up to 64 GB of internal storage.

The smartphone comes with a triple rear camera setup that includes 12 MP primary sensor, a 2 MP monochrome sensor and a 2 MP "retro" sensor. For selfies, it features an 8 MP front camera.

The smartphone comes with a 5,000 mAh battery that supports reverse charging.

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StrongBlock launches DeFi protocol but token prices slump 70%

A new DeFi protocol has been launched rewarding node operators to improve public blockchain performance, but token prices have tanked

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Bitcoin price in flux: Bulls target $11.5K, bears desire drop to $9.8K

As Bitcoin price consolidates, bulls target $11.5K and bears expect a drop below $9.8K.

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Bitcoin price in flux: Bulls target $11.5K, bears desire drop to $9.8K

As Bitcoin price consolidates, bulls target $11.5K and bears expect a drop below $9.8K.

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Oppo hosts a global 5G video call using the Find X2 Pro smartphone: All you need to know

Oppo hosted the first-ever global 5G video call recently. Oppo used the Find X2 Pro smartphone to showcase its 5G capabilities when it connected top junior tennis players who can’t compete, or watch matches at this year’s Roland-Garros. Junior tennis players from China, India, Romania, and Thailand participated in the 5G video chat.

Oppo is the title sponsor of the “Junior Wild Card Series” taking place in France.

Managing Director of OPPO France, Denis Morel and the Roland-Garros Tournament Director and former world number three and Davis Cup Winner Guy Forget connected via a video call using an Oppo Find X2 Pro with top junior tennis players to discuss how technology continues to change the world of tennis.

For the Roland-Garros 2020 activation, Oppo has also announced “Photo Gallery” which showcase the best pictures taken at Roland-Garros using the Oppo Find X2 Pro.

Oppo FInd X2 was launched in India in June this year, however, Oppo Find X2 Pro was not released in the Indian market.

“Our 5G devices perform even better in the further enhanced 5G environment at Roland-Garros this year,” said Gregor Almassy, Overseas CMO, OPPO. “Connecting global young talents with a legend like Guy Forget, showcases the capabilities and enhanced connectivity of OPPO 5G. The success of it also demonstrates that Roland-Garros and OPPO have shared commitment to enhance and provide better stadium experience for global users and fans.”

Last year, Oppo showcased its first European 5G handsets onsite and the first-ever live 8K TV images of Roland-Garros supported by the stadium’s 5G network.

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NASA still unsure about cause of 'above average' air leak on the International Space Station

A month after scientists were confined to a single module of the International Space Station to detect the location of an above-average air leak, NASA is still clueless as to the exact location of the leak.

The news came after the American and Russian astronauts aboard the ISS spent a second weekend confined to a single module recently. This was done to detect the portion of the station that was leaking some air into space. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner remained inside the Zvezda module in the Russian segment of the station from the evening of 25 September until the morning of 28 September.

Chris Cassidy tweeted that the hatches between other modules of the station were all closed during this time to identify which module has the leak.

Both Moscow and Houston Mission Control Centers have been tracking a tiny air leak for several months. A few weeks ago our crew isolated in the Russian segment of @Space_Station and closed as many hatches as possible in order to identify the location of the leak. pic.twitter.com/euJfQ6wuvF

— Chris Cassidy (@Astro_SEAL) September 24, 2020

In a series of tweets, Cassidy explained that the exercise failed to pinpoint any probable location. He also said that they have been checking all of the window seals for any indication of a leak using an ultrasonic leak detector.

Strangely the data did not point us to any particular location. Yesterday and today, Anatoly and I have been checking all of the window seals (not #navyseals) for any indication of a leak using an ultrasonic leak detector.

— Chris Cassidy (@Astro_SEAL) September 24, 2020

He insisted that there was no possibility of harm for the three astronauts but it was necessary to detect the leak in order to stop valuable air from going to waste.

So far no luck finding the source, but it looks like we will try again with the module isolation this weekend. No harm or risk to us as the crew, but it is important to find the leak we are not wasting valuable air.

— Chris Cassidy (@Astro_SEAL) September 24, 2020

After the isolation was over, Greg Dorth, manager of the ISS Program External Integration Office at NASA, said in a news briefing that the team had failed to find a “clear indication of where the leak is”.

Dorth was briefing about the upcoming Northrop Grumman NG-14 Cygnus cargo mission to the station, which is going to be launched on 1 October from Virginia and arrive at the station on 4th October. Discovered first a year ago, scientists need to locate the leak fast, preferably before the cargo vehicle arrives there as the task will be easier on a relatively peaceful space station.

from Firstpost Tech Latest News https://ift.tt/3kXTszI