Surprise! OnePlus 3, 3T also had OnePlus 5T’s face-unlock feature all along

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has been promoting face unlocking as one of the OnePlus 5T, besides other upgrades that the phone brings. The feature is promised to roll out in the OnePlus 5 with the Android Oreo update. However, the yesteryear’s flagships are said to have been kept out from the list of phones that get the feature in the software update.

If you are using one of the earlier OnePlus flagships – OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T – and thinking of upgrading to the OnePlus 5T only for its face-unlock feature, we have a reason for you to stick around for a little more.

It turns out, the face unlock feature has all along been available in the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices as well — sitting within the settings options. And, it works flawlessly — almost as quickly as the one in the latest flagship.

Here’s how to enable the face-unlock feature in the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices running on the Android Oreo operating system:

Step 1: Go to settings and look for ‘security & fingerprint’ option and click on it

Step 2: In the security & fingerprint option, there is another option of ‘Smart Unlock’ under the device security tab

Step 3: The smart unlock option provides 5 different ways that can be used to unlock the device – On-body detection, Trusted places, Trusted devices, Trusted face and Trusted voice. Click on Trusted face option to set up the face-unlock feature

Step 4: Find a place, which is not too bright or too dim before setting up the face-unlock feature, and hold the phone at the eye level

Step 5: The phone recognises your face in the same manner as the OnePlus 5T does.

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Maggi noodle in crisis, again: After lead, now it’s ash taking away spice

Just when India’s favourite instant noodle brand Maggi was about to claim back its dominance over the market, the iconic brand is under pressure, again. Maggi noodle, which had earlier faced a lot of scrutiny and a subsequent market share loss over an alleged presence of lead, is now under a regulator’s scanner over alleged violation of another safety norm.

The district food and drug administration officials of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, have sent a legal notice to Nestle India – the makers of Maggi noodle – and its trade partners in the region, seeking Rs 71 lakh as damages and for violation of food safety norms. The notice was issued after the UP FDA found a high level of ash content in the samples of the noodle. According to a PTI report, the Maggi noodle samples were collected from the Shahjahanpur area in November 2016.

While Nestle India is yet to receive a copy of the notice, it told Business Standard that the lab report might have been formed on the basis of quality standards that are now obsolete. However, the question that haunts millions of consumers and its patrons is how the noodle failed a lab test after the matter was settled in 2016, when the country’s apex court had given it a clean chit following stringent tests at independent laboratories across India.

After lead, it’s ash:

From the facts that have emerged so far and from a research done by this publication, it prima facie appears that the issue of ash content in packaged food, specifically in case of Maggi noodle, is an ambiguous area. Last time, when Maggi noodle was found to be sub-standard for human consumption, the main issue pertained to the presence of lead in a quantity higher than permissible. This, eventually led to a ban on the products across the country on 5 June, 2015. What followed was a period of uncertainty for the Swiss major in India and elsewhere.

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Technofab Engineering surges 20% on order win of Rs 281 crore

Technofab Engineering is locked in upper circuit of 20% at Rs 289, also its 52-week high on the BSE, after the company received an order in the domestic water sector valued at Rs 281 crore. The project is funded by Asian Development Bank.

The company said with this the order backlog stands at approximately Rs 2,000 crore of which the water sector now contributes close to 45%.

“This order gives a further impetus to the Company’s standing in the water sector, coming as it does, soon after securing orders in Bhutan and Uganda, and recently completed projects in Tanzania and Zimbabwe,” Technofab Engineering said in a statement.

Till 09:26 AM; a combined around 27,000 shares changed hands on the BSE and NSE. There were pending buy orders for total 60,739 shares on both the exchanges.

Nifty Realty index zooms 97% in 2017; set to post biggest rally in 10-years

STOCK MARKET – The Nifty Realty and the S&P BSE Realty indices have gained more than 90% thus far in the calendar year 2017 (CY17), and is set to post their sharpest rally in the past one decade, on the back of

an improvement in affordability, and multiple developments on the policy initiatives front.

Putting behind demonetisation announced by the government in November 2016, the Nifty Realty index and the S&P BSE Realty zoomed 97% and 94%, respectively, so far in CY17. Both these indices hit their multi-year highs, and are set to record their biggest yearly gain since inspection.

By comparison, Nifty 50 and the S&P BSE Sensex are up 26% each thus far in CY17.The value of the realty indices is available from the calendar year 2007 with the stock exchanges.

Between November 8, and December 30, 2016, the BSE realty index was down 17% after the Government announced the demonetisation of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes. In entire previous CY16, it fell 6% against 2% rise in the benchmark index. Earlier in CY09, the realty indices had rallied 70% after falling 82% in CY08, post Lehman crises.

Buy Indiabulls Housing Finance, HDFC, says Prabhudas Lilladher

STOCK MARKET – Nifty outlook and key trading ideas by Vaishali Parekh, Research Analyst – Technical Research at Prabhudas Lilladher:

 

NIFTY VIEW:

Market is finding it difficult to comfortably move past 10400 levels in Nifty and at regular intervals is subjected to profit booking. Bank nifty too moved towards 26000 levels and eventually witnessed profit booking. The support for the day is seen at 10320 while resistance is seen at 10415.

 

BUY INDIABULLS HOUSING FINANCE

CMP: Rs 1,200.05

TARGET: Rs 1,335

STOP LOSS: Rs 1,150

The stock has corrected well from the peak of 1373 to bottom out at around 1145 levels and currently has shown a decent reversal and we anticipate a further rise in the price with strength and potential to scale up to the previous peak. The indicators like RSI have shown trend reversal and signaled a buy. With decent volume participation witnessed, we recommend a buy in this stock for an upside target of 1335 keeping a stop loss of 1150

 

BUY HDFC

CMP: Rs 1,725.50

TARGET: Rs 1,850

STOP LOSS: Rs 1,670

The stock has more or less made a double bottom formation pattern in the daily chart at around 1645 levels and has bounced back with potential to show a positive bias. The RSI has been on the rise and we anticipate a further rally in the stock up to 1800 levels with strength in the coming days. With good volume activity seen, we recommend a buy in this stock for an upside target of 1850 keeping a stop loss of 1670.

Google Pixel 2 review: A compact smartphone challenging bigger flagships

The Pixel 2, global technology major Google’s latest smartphone offering, is no masterpiece when it comes to design. But the smaller sibling of the duo in Pixel’s next-generation series exceeds expectations in terms of performance and imaging capabilities.

A powerful device with a compact body form, the Pixel 2 feels solid in hand and premium in aesthetics. The smartphone also boasts some clever algorithms from Google that learn the user’s usage pattern and improve the camera performance to match the results, or even exceed in some cases, of smartphones with dual cameras.

When compared with the Pixel 2 XL, this smartphone looks small and lets go of the 18:9 aspect ratio screen for a tradition 16:9 screen with fullHD resolution of 1920 x 1080. There are huge bezels on top and bottom – something reminiscent of HTC smartphones – that house powerful front-facing stereo speakers.

Just like the Pixel 2 XL, the back side of the Pixel 2 is also bland, with a higher top covered with glossy plastic and housing a 12-megapixel primary camera and LED flash. The rest of the area is covered with matte aluminium sheet which gives a premium feel.

The camera in the Pixel 2 is a delight to use. It is one the smartest cameras we have seen in a smartphone. Though a single unit, the camera takes clear pictures irrespective of lighting conditions. The phone camera also features a portrait mode, something that so far was restricted only to dual-camera smartphones. This mode uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to create blurring effects (Bokeh) while keeping the subject in focus crisp and sharp. The addition of a live photo feature adds more substance to compete with the likes of the iPhone camera features.

The Pixel 2 is a flagship smartphone with powerful innards mated with software optimisation. The device’s form factor might look dull in comparison to futuristic smartphones with bezel-less screens or smartphones with 18:9 aspect ratio screens. But, in terms of use and overall utility, the Pixel 2 is a smart device, inside out.

Priced at Rs 61,000 for the base model with 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM, the phone competes with the iPhone 8, iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S8 and HTC U11.

OnePlus 5T review: 18:9 screen adds 1+ to capable mid-range flagship device

China-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus, after coming up with a few affordable flagship devices, has now set a new benchmark by launching two flagships in a year. The company recently launched the OnePlus 5T, a flagship smartphone that breaks away from OnePlus’ 5.5-inch display culture in favour of an ultra-wide 6-inch 18:9 aspect ratio screen.

In a way, OnePlus has indeed repeated itself in its upgrade experiement – the company had last year launched the upgraded flagship OnePlus 3T soon after coming up with the OnePlus 3. This time, the OnePlus 5T has come within five months of the OnePlus 5 launch.

But how worthy was the OnePlus 5 for an upgrade? And is the OnePlus 5T even a worthy upgrade of the predecessor? Business Standard reviewed the OnePlus 5T and compared its features with the OnePlus 5 to assess the upgrade quotient. Here are our observations:

Display

OnePlus’ choice of the future-ready ultra-wide 18:9 aspect ratio screen in the OnePlus 5T is a welcome move. However, continuing with a fullHD resolution seems to limit the otherwise perfect display. Competitors have long been offering quadHD screens in their flagships. With the new ultra-wide format screen in the OnePlus 5T, the quadHD screen resolution might have been a real upgrade.

The OnePlus 5T display offers good sunlight legibility, contrast ratio and saturation. It covers almost the entire front with minimal top and bottom bezels. Also, the screen is no more prone to ‘Jelly effect’, which had been seen in some OnePlus 5 units.

Camera

Camera is another area where the OnePlus 5T carries some tweaks from the previous version. The OnePlus 5T still sports a dual camera set-up – 16+20 megapixel. But, the 20-megapixel telephoto lens is now replaced by a new 20 MP camera of 27mm focal length and f/1.7 aperture – similar to the primary 16 MP camera.

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Glenmark Pharma falls 3% as Baddi unit gets 7 observations from USFDA

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals dipped 3% to Rs 574 on the BSE in intra-day trade after the company said its Baddi unit gets seven observations from US health regulator.

“The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) issued seven observations through the form 483,” Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing.

The Baddi unit of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals underwent an US FDA audit from November 6, 2017 to November 11, 2017. The Baddi unit contributes approximately 10% of the revenue of US sales.

“We are in the midst of providing a comprehensive response to the observations and would be replying to the FDA shortly on the observations,” the company said.

Since November 2, post September quarter (Q2FY18) results, the stock of Glenmark Pharma was under pressure, falling 13% and hit a 52-week low of Rs 565 on November 16, 2017 in intra-day trade.

The company  reported a 4.2% year-on-year (YoY) drop in Q2FY18 consolidated net profit to Rs 214 crore on weak US sales. Consolidated revenue grew 1.5% YoY to Rs 2,257 crore during the quarter. In US, the biggest market for the company, sales fell 5.7% on year to Rs 727 crore because of the persisting price erosion in older products.

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Bharat 22 ETF makes decent debut, lists 0.9% higher against issue price

Bharat 22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) listed at Rs 36.30 per unit on the BSE, a 0.92% premium over its issue price of Rs 35.97 per unit. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), it was opened 0.39% higher at Rs 36.11 per unit.

At 09:53 AM; it was trading at Rs 37.19, 3.4% higher against its issue price. It hit high of Rs 37.40 on the NSE and Rs 37.36 on the BSE so far. A combined 179.98 million shares have changed hands on both the exchanges so far.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), NTPC, SJVN, Power Grid Corporation and National Aluminium Company among the S&P BSE Bharat 22 index were down more than 1%, while Bharat Electronics, Axis Bank and Gail India were trading higher by up to 1% on the BSE.

The S&P BSE Bharat 22 index, the largest loser among broader indices, was down 0.7% as compared to 0.12% decline in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex.

The Bharat 22 ETF comprises 22 companies, or investments, from among central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) and public sector banks (PSBs). Apart from CPSEs and PSBs, Bharat 22 also includes the government’s strategic holding in Axis Bank, ITC and L&T held through the Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI).

The government has raised Rs 14,500 crore through the Bharat 22 ETF. The portion reserved for retail investors was subscribed 1.45 times; retirement funds — 1.50 times and NIIs and QIBs — 7 times.

ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund managed Bharat 22 ETF’s new fund offer (NFO) had an initial issue size of over Rs 8,000 crore. As much as 25% of total issue size, or Rs 2,000 crore, was reserved for anchor investors who put in bids worth about Rs 12,000 crore.

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RCom clarifies on reports of China bank filing insolvency case; stock tanks

STOCK MARKET – Reliance Communications tanked 6.37% to Rs 12.50 at 9:19 IST on BSE after the company issued a clarification on media reports that China development bank is filing insolvency case against the company.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 34.14 points or 0.1% at 33,690.30.

On the BSE, 9.73 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 43.18 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 13 and a low of Rs 12.20 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 41 on 6 April 2017 and a record low of Rs 9.60 on 15 November 2017.

Reliance Communications (RCom) issued a clarification to the stock exchanges after market hours yesterday, 27 November 2017, with regard to media news titled “China development bank files insolvency case against Reliance communications”. RCom said that the company has not been served any notice of the application filed by China Development Bank with NCLT, as reported in the media.

RCom is engaged through the joint lenders forum (JLF) with all its lenders for a successful resolution of the strategic debt restructuring (SDR) process. The China Development Bank has also been actively participating in the JLF. RCom said it is therefore, surprised by the untimely and premature action of the China Development Bank of filing an application at NCLT. RCom added that it continues to remain engaged with all lenders including the China Development Bank and is confident and committed to a full resolution with the support of all the lenders.

Separately, RCom said it has entered into a binding share purchase agreement with Pantel Technologies and Veecon Media & Television for sale of its subsidiary Reliance BIG TV (RBTV), engaged in the business of direct-to-home (DTH) services across India.

Pursuant to this transaction, the buyers will acquire the entire shareholding of RBTV with business on an “as-in, where is” basis, along with existing trade and contingent liabilities. The transaction will help to reduce the liability of unsecured creditors, benefitting all stakeholders, including lenders and shareholders of RCom. The transaction is in consonance with RCom’s stated objective to focus on B2B businesses of the new RCom, the company said in a statement.