Vivo V9 with notch display appears on Amazon before its March 23 launch

China-based smartphone manufacturer Vivo is gearing up to launch the Vivo V9 in India on March 23. Amazon India, however, has published a dedicated page of the smartphone, confirming that the phone would be an Amazon-exclusive. The page also shows a picture of Aamir Khan, who has replaced Ranveer Singh as the brand’s official ambassador.
Based on Amazon India’s listing page, the Vivo V9 would sport a modern design with a ‘notch’ display. The smartphone would also sport a dual-camera set-up on the back, powered by artificial intelligence.
The specifications and features of the V9 are not official yet, but some leaks in the past have hinted the details mentioned below:
Vivo V9 specifications
The Vivo V9 is expected to sport a 6-inch fullHD+ (1080x2160 pixels) AMOLED, 19:9 aspect ratio screen with an iPhone X-inspired notch on top.

The phone is reported to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The dual rear cameras are expected to have 12-megapixel and 8 MP sensors, powered by a dedicated AI chip. On the front, the smartphone is reported to feature a 24MP wide-angle selfie camera, which also integrates AI for beauty mode and bokeh effect.

Vivo launches V7 with 24MP selfie camera in India at Rs 18,990

After a successful run of its selfie-focused flagship smartphone V7+ in India, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on Monday launched VIVO V7 with the 24MP selfie and 16MP rear camera for Rs 18,990.

Available in Champagne Gold and Matte Black colours, Vivo V7 will reach retail stores from November 25. The device was available for pre-booking orders on Flipkart from Monday.

"With the launch of V7, we are offering consumers another compelling proposition featuring an excellent camera and powerful performance at a competitive price point," said Kent Cheng, chief executive, Vivo India.

The device with 4GB RAM and 32GB ROM has 5.7 HD "FullView" display and houses 3000mAh battery. The device comes with "Moonlight Glow" and "Face Access" features.

Coming to India in late 2014, Vivo has established itself as one of the top smartphone brands in India.

According to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) latest "Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Q3 2017", Vivo is at the fourth position in the country after registering a healthy 153 per cent annual growth.

The company has a manufacturing unit in Greater Noida with a distribution network across the country, both online and offline.

Vivo V7 Plus with 24 MP selfie camera launched in India for Rs 21,990

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on Thursday launched VIVO V7+ -- its selfie-focused flagship smartphone with 24MP front shooter and edge-to-edge display -- a first for the smartphone industry -- in India at Rs 21,990.

The smartphone would retail in Champagne Gold and Matte Black colour at retail stores, starting September 15. Buyers can also pre-book the device on Amazon and Flipkart.

"Vivo has been riding on the success of its selfie-centric phones. We have 18 per cent smartphone market share in the country now," Nipun Marya, Director, Brand Strategy, told reporters here.

Vivo V7+ is the first phone from the company with an 18:9 aspect ratio with 'Full View' display.

"With the festive season around the corner, we are committed to furthering our brand promise and add a surprise element for our valued customers with innovative devices. Through V7+, we are confident that its premium design and superior camera feature with 'Full View' display will offer great value to customers," said Kent Cheng, CEO, Vivo India.

"The forthcoming quarter shows real promise and we are confident that our latest offering will gather positive response," he added.

A high point of the device is 24MP selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and flash. The phone sports a 5.99-inch IPS display (1440x720 pixels) in a unibody metal body.
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iPhone production: India offers a homemade road map to Apple

India has offered its own electronics manufacturing road map to global tech giant Apple to comply with as it kick-starts local production of its flagship product iPhone and carve up a larger chunk of the country’s fast-growing smartphone market.

“We have drawn a road map of indigenisation, in consultation with the industry over the past two years. We have shared it (with Apple) and asked them to align with it… we don’t need to give them any separate concessions. Apple said they will examine this and get back,” said Aruna Sundararajan, secretary to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Apple did not comment. It had requested the government to grant it 15 years of duty-free import of components to assemble its iPhones in the country, sharing a road map to slowly indigenise products.

The government has instead chalked out its own National Policy on Electronics to achieve its goal of a $400-billion market in the sector by 2020.

Earlier this month, the Cupertino-headquartered firm conducted a trial run for producing its low-cost iPhone SE at Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron’s facility in Bengaluru. Apple in a statement said its “Made in India” iPhones would hit store shelves in late May.

“They have big plans for India and they definitely intend, as they have told us, to make all their products in the next phase, for which they are evaluating various options. The first thing they had requested was 15 years of duty-free imports of their components,” said Sundararajan.

India has maintained that it would not offer any concessions specifically to Apple produce smartphones locally, but would instead come up with concessions that would benefit all smartphone makers looking to set up manufacturing operations in the country. It also rejected Apple’s request to set up local plants to refurbish used iPhones, which it intended to offer to local customers at lower prices.
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IPL 2017 gets bigger with sponsors, key players missing in the 10th edition

Amid much fan-frenzy, and competition among sponsors and players, the Indian Premiere League turns 10 this season. And organisers are preparing for a big celebration for the landmark edition, which kicks off on Wednesday. Unlike past editions, the 10th season will host eight different opening ceremonies, one before the first home game of each franchise, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla announced on Monday.

After Pepsi terminated its contract with IPL, Vivo Electronics bagged the title sponsorship for two years in 2015. Business Standard had earlier reported that Vivo will pay Rs 100 crore a year, against the Rs 80 crore Pepsi was paying annually.

Broadcaster Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has signed up 11 sponsors, including Amazon, and it is targeting over Rs 1,200 crore in advertisement revenue from the 10th season.

E-commerce major Amazon, mobile handset maker Vivo and telecom giant Vodafone will be the presenting sponsors, while Ceat, wire-maker Polycab, Yamaha Motorcycles, Vimal Pan Masala, MakeMytrip, Parle Agro's Frooti, Voltas and YES Bank are associate sponsors.

However, the only regret for some fans of the cricket extravaganza this year is going to be the absence of some blockbuster names in the game. Thanks to international cricketing calendar getting busier with every passing year, the players are getting more prone to injuries. Even before the start of the touranment, injuries have already started bothering the franchises as well. Many star players could give this year's IPL a complete or partial miss.

The biggest among missing names in IPL 2017 is Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli, who is out due to his shoulder injury. Kohli, however, is likely to return on the field by the second week of April.

K L Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mitchell Marsh, Murali Vijay will completely miss the tournament due to their respective injuries. While Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to regain fitness, they would be missing some of the initial matches. Lasith Malinga is on a national duty and might miss the first few matches, while J P Duminy pulled out of the tournamnet citing personal reasons. (READ MORE)