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Showing posts from November, 2020

Bolsonaro's policies lead to 12 year high of deforestation rates in the Amazon rainforest

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Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged again over the past year, hitting a 12-year high, according to official figures released Monday that drew a chorus of condemnation of President Jair Bolsonaro's government. A total of 11,088 square kilometres (4,281 square miles) of the forest was destroyed in Brazil's share of the world's biggest rainforest in the 12 months to August, according to the Brazilian space agency's PRODES monitoring program, which analyzes satellite images to track deforestation. That is equivalent to an area larger than Jamaica and was a 9.5-percent increase from the previous year when deforestation also hit a more than decade-long high. "Because of such deforestation, Brazil is probably the only major greenhouse gas emitter that managed to increase its emissions in the year the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the global economy," said the Brazilian Climate Observatory, a coalition of environmental groups. Forests such as the Amazon

Samsung May Discontinue High-end Galaxy Note Smartphones - Sources

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Samsung Electronics Co Ltd may discontinue its premium Galaxy Note phone next year, sources with knowledge of the matter said, a move that would reflect the sharp drop in demand for highend smartphones due to the coronavirus pandemic. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2Vl1nML

Jabra launches Elite 85t earphones with ANC, up to 25-hour battery life at Rs 18,999

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Jabra has expanded its audio products line up in India by launching Elite 85t earphones that come with advanced active noise cancellation (ANC) technology and many other features. The device will have a very compact size to give users a light feel and a hear through mode to be mindful of things happening around you. It also features a long battery life. Jabra will be selling Elite 85t via e-commerce platform Amazon from today (1 December 2020) at Rs 18,999. The Jabra Elite 85t will be available in Titanium Black colour and the company has promised that more colour variants will be dropping in January, 2021. The company claims that the Jabra Elite 85t will offer “a level of noise-cancelling that goes one step further than Jabra’s standard ANC offerings”. The ANC function can be modulated as well according to the need of the user. The products come with a dual chipset in the earbuds to aid the noise cancellation capability and optimal sound processing. For clear sound and superior ba

Microsoft Teams support for Internet Explorer 11 ends, Microsoft 365 apps support to end by mid August 2021

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Microsoft is going ahead with its plan of ending support for Internet Explorer 11 or IE 11. As per the roadmap, Microsoft Teams stopped working on the browser starting 30 November. In Microsoft’s attempt at moving users to the new Microsoft Edge from the old IE, the Microsoft Teams web app became the first app to support the browser. Microsoft had announced back in August this year that they are planning to end support for IE 11 by August 2021. With the transition set in motion, other Microsoft’s online services such as Office 365, OneDrive, and Outlook are also soon not going to work on Internet Explorer 11. The blog post by Microsoft stated that the next step on Microsoft's timeline for phasing out Internet Explorer 11 support was ending support for Microsoft Edge Legacy by 9 March 2021. The timeline announced on 17 August 2020 gave a full-year time period for users to make the jump to Edge as IE will put to bed forever on 17 August 2021. The browser’s death basically means

London AI lab DeepMind claims breakthrough that could accelerate drug discovery

Some scientists spend their lives trying to pinpoint the shape of tiny proteins in the human body. Proteins are the microscopic mechanisms that drive the behaviour of viruses, bacteria, the human body and all living things. They begin as strings of chemical compounds before twisting and folding into three-dimensional shapes that define what they can do — and what they cannot. For biologists, identifying the precise shape of a protein often requires months, years or even decades of experimentation. It requires skill, intelligence and more than a little elbow grease. Sometimes they never succeed. Now, an artificial intelligence lab in London has built a computer system that can do the job in a few hours — perhaps even a few minutes. DeepMind, a lab owned by the same parent company as Google, said Monday that its system, called AlphaFold, had solved what is known as “the protein folding problem.” Given the string of amino acids that make up a protein, the system can rapidly and reliab

Windows 10 Users, Rejoice! Android Apps May Be Coming To Your PC Soon

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This is not the first time Microsoft will try running Android apps on Windows 10. The company had earlier toyed with the idea via its Project Astoria, but that never saw the light of the day. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2JxbdZc

Arijit Singh, Tanishk Bagchi and Neha Kakkar Are 2020’s Most Streamed Artists In India On Spotify

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In India, the most streamed tracks for the year 2020 are Shayad” by Arijit Singh, Pritam and Irshad Kamil; international track “Falling” by Trevor Daniel; “Ghungroo (From “War”)” by Arijit Singh, Shilpa Rao, Kumaar, and Vishal-Shekhar and “Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage (From "Kabir Singh")” by Arijit Singh and Mithoon. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/37l2mSM

Tata Sky Users Get Live TV Pause And Record On Australia Vs India Cricket Matches As Sony Backs Down

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Sony Pictures Network India has the broadcast rights for the one-day internationals, T20 internationals and test matches for India’s tour of Australia. The Australia vs India series ends on January 19. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/33z2Weu

World AIDS Day 2020: Why it’s important to keep diagnosing, treating AIDS patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Since 2013, global efforts have been made to gain control over the AIDS epidemic by 2020 through UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 targets. The focus has been to have 90 percent of all people living with HIV know their status; and of those, 90percent initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART); and of those, 90 percent reaching viral suppression through ART adherence. Viral suppression means that virus in their blood is undetectable and they cannot transmit HIV sexually. Much ground has been made towards achieving these goals. To date, 14 countries have reached the 90-90-90 targets. However, missed targets in other countries have allowed 3.5 million HIV infections and 820,000 AIDS-related deaths to occur since 2015. One of the countries missing the mark is South Africa, which carries 20 percent of the global HIV burden. By 2018, encouragingly 90 percent of all people with HIV in South Africa knew their status. However, only 68 percentwho knew their status were on ART; and of those, 87 percent were

FAU-G mobile game appears on Play Store; now open for pre-registration: All we know

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Back in September, when the Indian government banned the PUBG Mobile game in India, Studio nCore Pvt Ltd announced a home-grown substitute of the game called FAUG , short for The Fearless and United Guards . The game is now live on Play Store and is open for pre-registration. If you pre-register for the game, you will receive a notification whenever the game is available for download. Details like official release date, size of the game, compatible devices are still under the wraps for now. Going by the description on Play Store , the battleground of the game will be "India's northern border" where a group is fighting to protect the nation's pride and sovereignty. The players will get the skin of a "patriotic soldier" and are expected to experience the "bravery, brotherhood, and sacrifice of the men guarding the country’s borders". In addition to this, the listing also reveals a couple of screenshots from the game, giving a glimpse of what the

The Next Apple iPhone With 10x Optical Zoom May Again Reset Smartphone Photography Goalposts

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A report in DigiTimes said that the next iPhone may include a Samsung periscope lens. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3mqAFyk

Sony Backs Down And Tata Sky Users Get Live TV Pause And Record On Australia Vs India Cricket Matches

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Sony Pictures Network India has the broadcast rights for the one-day internationals, T20 internationals and test matches for India’s tour of Australia. The Australia vs India series ends on January 19. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3o9pdrg

Got A Microsoft Xbox Series X Or Series S Console? You May Want To Download This Update Now

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There also the new “Optimized for Series X|S” badge that will now be added to the game tiles in the My Games and Apps section. There are more than 39 fully optimized games for the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/39vR6py

Cyber Monday Poised To Mark Record For U.S. Online Retail Sales

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Cyber Monday was set to become the biggest online shopping day ever for the United States, garnering up to $11.4 billion as the coronavirus pandemic prompts consumers to stay at home and turn to the internet for their holiday shopping needs. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3fV1mc8

5G Is the Fastest Deployed Mobile Network, Will Reach 1 Billion People By Year End: Ericsson

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By the end of this year, the report says that there will be 218 million 5G subscriptions around the world, up from Ericsson's forecast of 190 million back in June. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/37pjYwO

Canada Plans Digital Tax In 2022 On Global Tech Giants Such As Facebook, Google

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Canada plans to impose a tax on corporations providing digital services from 2022 that will stay in place until major nations come up with a coordinated approach on taxation, the Finance Department said on Monday. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/36lMQXv

Thought Microsoft Surface Pro X Is The Best Fit For Windows 10? Apple's M1 Embarrasses The Surface

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The latest experiment makes the M1-powered Mac about 60 to 85 percent faster than the fastest Windows on ARM device. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3fWceqa

World AIDS Day: Battles won and lost against AIDS hold valuable lessons for managing COVID-19

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World AIDS Day this year finds us still deep amid another pandemic – COVID-19 . The highly infectious novel coronavirus has swept across the world, devastating health systems and laying waste to economies as governments introduced drastic measures to contain the spread. Not since the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1990s have countries faced such a common health threat. This explains why UNAIDS has selected the theme “ Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility ” for this year’s World AIDS Day. Infectious diseases such as these remain a major threat to human health and prosperity. Around 32.7 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses in the last 40 years. At the time of writing, 1.4 million people had already died from COVID-19 in just one year. These diseases take incredible expertise, collaboration and dedication from all levels of society to track, understand, treat and prevent. The HIV/AIDS response played out over a much longer trajectory than COVID-19. But it is, in som

World AIDS Day 2020: Despite ambitious global targets, India's progress in AIDS control falls short in a few crucial aspects

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Since the inception of the National AIDS Control Program in 1992, India has done a commendable job of raising awareness and of bringing down the number of HIV infections. Still, India has a long way to go in terms of achieving her set targets. Today, on World AIDS Day (1 December), is a good time to reflect on the progress India has made in AIDS prevention and control, and the way forward. Burden of HIV/AIDS in India India’s first AIDS case was detected in 1986 and since then the burden has grown to an estimated 23.49 lakh persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2019. According to the India HIV Estimates 2019 report, the prevalence of HIV among adults was estimated to be 0.22 percent. It may seem like a small proportion. However, given India’s population, it translates to 2.1 million people. The number of AIDS-related deaths was estimated to be 58,960. As per the statistics, it seems that after reaching a peak in the early 2000s, both the prevalence and mortality are showing a downward t

UK Bans Installation of New Huawei 5G Kit from September 2021

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Britain has already ordered all Huawei equipment to be removed from its 5G network by the end of 2027. The US had earlier placed sanctions on Huawei that bars American companies to do business with the Chinese tech firm. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2JbcGVz

Nokia 5.4 May Launch in December With Hole-Punch Display and Quad Rear Cameras: Here's What We Know

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The Nokia 5.4 will succeed the Nokia 5.3 smartphone that was launched in March this year. Currently, the Nokia 5.3 is available in India for Rs 12,999 for the 4GB + 64GB option. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3qezZyo

NASA astronaut shares a video of the Earth while travelling to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, it goes viral

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Victor Glover, a NASA astronaut who was recently launched to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon Crew-1 mission. shared his first video of the Earth taken from space on Twitter. And the breathtaking view drew plenty of comments and likes from the Twitterati. Taking to the micro-blogging site, he wrote, "My first video from space! Looking at the Earth through the window of Dragon Resilience. The scale of detail and sensory inputs made this a breathtaking perspective!" In the video he can be heard saying that the video does not do it any justice, adding that it is pretty amazing. Since being posted on 25 November, the video has received over 1.9 million views, over one lakh likes and has been retweeted over 14 thousand times. https://twitter.com/AstroVicGlover/status/1331317532796489728?s=20   Victor Glover made history when he got abroad the ISS on 17 November, becoming the first African American to begin a six-month stint on the orbiting lab. G

Microsoft reportedly fixes Xbox bug that could have leaked user email IDs through gamer tag

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Microsoft has patched a bug in the Xbox website that could have led threat actors to link Xbox gamer tags to the real email addresses of the users. According to a report by ZDNet , the vulnerability was reported recently to Microsoft through the company's recently launched Xbox bug bounty program. In an interaction with ZDNet , Joseph 'Doc' Harris, one of the several security researchers who reported the issue to Microsoft, stated that the bug was located on enforcement.xbox.com, the web portal where Xbox users go to view strikes against their Xbox profile and file appeals if they feel they have been unfairly punished for their behaviour on the Xbox network. As per the report, once users log in to the website, the Xbox Enforcement site creates a cookie file in their browser replete with details about their web session so that the gamer does not have to re-authenticate the next time they visit the site again. Harris revealed that the portal's cookie file contained an

Pune's Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope bags 'IEEE Milestone' status for contributions, achievements

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near here has received the prestigious ''IEEE Milestone'' status that honours significant technical achievements and excellence in unique products, services, seminal papers and patents for the benefit of humanity, authorities from National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) said on Friday. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology in all areas related to electrical and electronics engineering. As per the NCRA, this is only the third such IEEE Milestone recognition for an Indian contribution. "It is a very proud and special moment, not just for GMRT and NCRA (and the global astronomy community), but also for the science and technology fraternity in the country, to see a modern, made in India facility earn this international recognition," Professor Yashwant Gupta, NCRA centre director, said at a press confer

Automation to drive business continuity, efficiency and value addition from human resources

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If data is the new oil, automation is the force that drives enterprises forward. Implementing automation technology can streamline processes, enable faster decision making and even solve business problems, when used in conjunction with AI, machine learning and other digital technology. Effectively, it can completely change the face of businesses management by freeing up mental bandwidth of leaders, leaving them to innovate and strategize. Interestingly, the pandemic gave a boost to the use of RPA and offering enterprises a first-hand experience of the importance of automation. To discuss their insights on how intelligent automation is transforming the way India Inc. works, technology leaders from diverse sectors of India Inc came together for a virtual conversation, under the aegis of ‘Future Ready India’, an initiative hosted by Automation Anywhere in collaboration with CNBC TV-18 and Forbes India. The participants included Rajesh Uppal, Member Executive Board (HR, IT, Safety) Maru

PCOS and diabetes risk increases with obesity – here's how they affect fertility in women

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Anti-obesity Day is observed on 26 November to spread awareness about obesity. It is a condition where abnormal or excessive body fat has accumulated in the body and is affecting health negatively. As per a global report the number of adults (18 years and older) who are obese grew from 25.2 million in 2012 to 34.3 million in 2016, growing from 3.1 percent to 3.9 percent. Showing that the prevalence of obesity in India is increasing faster than the world average. With the recent lockdown and lifestyle changes due to the pandemic these numbers have been pushed further. Obesity can have extreme negative effects on the body and can increase the risk of conditions like diabetes and PCOS especially in women of reproductive age. Obesity is affecting people the world over; it is becoming a greater challenge for women who could be prone to PCOS and/or diabetes. As per research by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one in four women suffers from PCOS and over one in 10 women

Moto G 5G Launched as India's Most Affordable 5G Smartphone, Priced at Rs 20,999

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The Moto G 5G's sale in India will start on December 7 via Flipkart. The phone comes in two colour options along with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 20W TurboPower fast charging. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/39qc0Gv

Xiaomi Mi 11 To Launch in January 2021? Qualcomm Summit In December May Answer The Question

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While most reports have said that the next Mi series will be called the Mi 11 series, Xiaomi has not revealed anything about either the name or what the smartphone will be about. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3liXMJS

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 will reportedly feature a 120Hz refresh rate display

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Samsung could soon be coming out with a Galaxy Z Flip 3 foldable with a 120 Hz refresh rate display. The smartphone is going to feature a 6.9-inch foldable screen and with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is double of what is available in the current Galaxy Z Flip 5G. This has been reported by Vietnamese tipster @Chunvn8888 on Twitter. The tipster also added that the device will have a 2x - 3x outer display size (which means larger than the current devices) and a 3,900 mAh battery under the hole. The device will also have thinner bezels and a smaller hole punch. The new phone is also expected to be more durable thanks to a new ultra-thin glass that’s going to be used for the display. New UTG Much better durability Let's see if these can aged well but basically confirmed what I said before and yesterday Korean media report — Chun (@chunvn8888) November 25, 2020 According to a report by XDA Developers , a post on Weibo from renowned leaker Ice Universe too confirms the 12

Want To Buy A Sony PlayStation 5? Wait Till Jan 2021 But You Should Absolutely Not Import One

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Sony has said that PlayStation 5 consoles that have been imported to India from overseas will not be covered in the official warranty in India. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3mpah7O

Why Is Sony Stopping Tata Sky Users From Pausing Or Recording Australia Vs India Live Cricket Matches?

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This could be an attempt to drive users to sign up for the Sony Liv premium subscriptions to catch up on Live match streaming of the India vs Australia cricket matches, highlights and more. Sony Liv Premium is priced at Rs 299 per month or Rs 999 for a year. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2Vh7cuK

Moto G 5G with a triple rear camera setup to launch today at 12 pm: All we know so far

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Motorola will launch Moto G 5G in India today at 12 pm. The company, via a tweet, revealed all the specifications of the smartphone including a triple rear camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a punch-hole display. A Flipkart teaser also confirmed that the smartphone will be available for purchase on Flipkart. The highlight of the smartphone includes 5G connectivity, a 48 MP triple rear camera setup and a 5,000 mAh battery. The all-new #motog5G is up for grabs! Switch on your sixth sense & guess the price. Share your answers & stand a chance to win India’s most affordable 5G ready device launching tomorrow at 12 PM on @Flipkart . The contest ends on 30th Nov, 11 AM. T&C Apply: https://t.co/NED6M6QdW2 pic.twitter.com/Mz53FBQnmV — Motorola India (@motorolaindia) November 29, 2020 Moto G 5G expected specifications Moto G 5G will feature a 6.7-inch full-HD+ display that comes with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels. It is expected to run on Android 10 and

New Science, Technology & Innovation Policy 2020 pushes for decentralization, a 'renewed STI ecosystem'

A power-packed apex committee meeting of the new Science, Technology & Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020 discussed various suggestions for the upcoming policy, a statement said on Saturday. The draft STIP-2020 policy was presented in the meeting held on 26 November, it said. Secretaries of all science and several line ministries – Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary M Rajeevan; Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary K N Vyas; Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) director general Shekhar Mande; Department of Biotechnology (DBT) secretary Renu Swarup; Department of Space secretary K Sivan; Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) secretary Sandeep Verma; Ministry of AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh and Scientific Secretary at the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser Arabinda Mitra participated and shared their insights and expectations from the STIP 2020. Heads of several national-level S&T institutions like the IITs, Indian Institute of Sciences, and science

Should the isolation periods be shorter than 14 days for people infected with COVID-19?

People with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are most infectious about two days before symptoms begin and for five days afterwards, according to a new analysis of previous research. A few patients who are extremely ill or have impaired immune systems may expel — or “shed” — the virus for as long as 20 days, other studies have suggested. Even in mild cases, some patients may shed live virus for about a week, the new analysis found. The accumulating data presents a quandary: Should public health officials shorten the recommended isolation time if it means more infected people will cooperate? Or should officials opt for longer periods in order to prevent transmission in virtually all cases, even if doing so takes a harsher toll on the economy? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that infected people isolate for a minimum of 10 days from the beginning of their illness. The agency is considering shortening the recommended isolation period and may iss

World's smallest memory device created to further energy-efficient computing chips

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Researchers have created the smallest memory device yet, an advance that may lead to faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient electronic chips for consumer electronics and brain-inspired computing. The scientists from the University of Texas at Austin in the US also found the physics that unlocks dense memory storage capabilities for these tiny devices. In the research, published recently in the journal Nature Nanotechnology , the scientists reduced the size of what was then the thinnest memory storage device, shrinking the cross-section area down to just a single square nanometre. According to the researchers, getting a handle on the physics that pack dense memory storage capability into these devices enabled them to make the device much smaller. They said ultrasmall holes in the material provide the key to unlocking the high-density memory storage capability. "When a single additional metal atom goes into that nanoscale hole and fills it, it confers some of its conductivi

Moto G 5G, India's Most Affordable 5G Phone to Launch Today at 12PM: Expected Price and Specifications

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The Moto G 5G features a 6.7-inch full HD+ LTPS display and runs on Android 10 out of the box. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2JqOzBQ

Sony WF-1000XM3 Noise Cancelling TWS Earphones Review: Good sound, great ANC, limited features

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Price: Rs 19,990 Rating: 4/5 The sound quality of true wireless (TWS) earphones has improved in leaps and bounds over the past twelve months. They now aspire to do everything their wired counterparts can. Active noise cancellation (ANC) seems to be the next frontier for many brands to conquer this year. The Sony WF-1000XM3 TWS earphones claim to have cracked it. So let’s see how the claim pans out.   Sony WF-1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Earphones: Build, design and features (7.5/10) These Sony buds are quite chunky and sport an unusual design. When you put them on, they remind you of the bluetooth hands-free earpieces of yesteryear. Their build quality is solid, with a predominantly matte finish and a bit of gloss for the touch-enabled zones. You have hints of copper accents around the microphone vents, and a Sony logo in the same colour. The pre-installed mid-sized silicone tips go into the ear canals, and you get six more pairs of ear tips in three different sizes in the bundle –