Top tech news of the week: August 28 - September 1

Top tech news of the week: August 28 - September 1

NEW DELHI: A lot happened in the technology world last week. Here are the top tech stories from the past week.

LG V30 smartphone launched 

LG has finally unveiled its much-awaited phablet V30. The company showcased the big-screen smartphone at the pre-IFA trade show in Berlin this week. LG V30 runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat and is upgradable to Android 8.0 Oreo. The company has ditched the secondary screen this time and has instead introduced a floating bar and Always On Display (AOD) functionality. 

The smartphone comes with a 6-inch QHD+ display and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor along with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. It features a dual rear camera setup with one 16MP and other 13MP modules. There's also a 5MP wide angle lens front facing camera. It is backed by a 3,300 mAh battery and is water-and dust-resistant. 

 Moto G5S and G5S Plus smartphones launched in India

Lenovo-owned Motorola launched its budget smartphones Moto G5S and G5S Plus in India this week. The smartphones are said to be updates to its mid-range phones Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus. The Moto G5S is priced at Rs 13,999, while the Moto G5S Plus costs Rs 15,999. The smartphones run Android Nougat comes in Iron Grey and Blush Gold colour variants. 

The Moto G5S sports a 5.2-inch full-HD display and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. It comes with 4GB RAM and 32GB inbuilt storage expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card. It comes with 16MP rear and 5MP front camera and is backed by a 3000mAh battery with TurboPower fast charging feature.

The Moto G5S Plus has a larger 5.5-inch full-HD display and runs on an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It comes with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage. The camera is the highlight of the smartphone. The Moto G5S Plus comes with a dual-rear camera setup, including two 13MP sensors. There is also an 8MP front-facing camera with LED flash. It is backed by a 3000mAh battery.

The company also launched its Moto X4 smartphone at the ongoing trade show IFA 2017 in Berlin. The Moto X4 is the company's first smartphone to get Amazon Alexa voice app. Users can launch the smart assistant directly from the lock screen by simply giving the 'Alexa' voice-command. Running Android 7.1.1 Nougat the Moto X4 sports a 5.2-inch full-HD and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor clubbed with 3GB RAM. The handset comes with 32GB inbuilt storage with support for up to 2TB space using microSD card.

Apple iPhone 8 to launch on September 12

It's official. Apple is unveiling its next iPhone on September 12. The Cupertino-based giant has sent out media invites for the event scheduled for September 12 at 10:00 a.m EDT (10.30PM in India). The event will take place at Steve Jobs Theatre located in Apple's new spaceship campus in California. The invite reads, "Let's meet at our place. Please join us for the first-ever event at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino". The is expected to launch iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and the anniversary edition iPhone 8 at the event.

Uber gets new CEO

Uber Technologies finally annnounced the name of its new CEO this week. Dara Khosrowshahi, who has led online travel business Expedia Inc for 12 years has been appointed as the new CEO of Uber. Khosrowshahi's appointment comes at a time when the cab-hailing app is trying to recover from a series of crises that culminated in the ouster of its former CEO Travis Kalanick in June. Kalanick, however, continues to be on the company's board.

Fitbit launches rival to Apple Watch

Wearables brand Fitbit unveiled its first-ever full-fledged smartwatch this week. Dubbed Ionic, the wearable device is already up for pre-orders in the US. The Fitbit Ionic comes with three band options - Sport, Leather and Classic. Users can swap the bands as and when they want. The smartwatch has an LCD touch screen which is coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device is water resistant by up to 50 metres and is made using 6000 series aerospace-grade aluminum. The Fitbit Ionic is compatible with Android, iOS and Windows platforms and syncs with them using Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. Users can view call and text notifications on the screen, control music and more. For desktops, the smartwatch is compatible with Windows Vista, Mac OS X and later versions.

Samsung Gear Sport, Fit2 Pro and IconX launched

South Korean tech giant Samsung also launched its latest wearables this week. The list includes the Gear Fit2 Pro, Gear Sport and the Gear IconX. While the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro and the Gear Sport are both fitness-focussed bands, the Gear IconX are cord-free earphones.

With Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, users will be able to track their activity, sleep, and workout stats on one dashboard. They can also plan and track their running routes. The wearable device is compatible with MyFitnessPal and other popular health apps.

On the other hand with, Gear Sport has 'military-level durability' and supports swappable bands. With the fitness band, users can control Samsung IoT-enabled devices through Samsung Connect app, make it work like a remote control for a PowerPoint presentation or Samsung Gear VR headset and even make payments using Samsung Pay.

Lastly, the Samsung Gear IconX comes as a successor to the last year IconX wireless earphones. The device has a similar design but the innards have been improved this time. This is also the first time Samsung has made its wireless earphones work with Bixby, company's own digital assistant.