All Hopes On Raviteja!
Director Srinu Vaitla, who has been written off by audiences as well as critics after he had churned out three back to back disasters, has reportedly gone back to his lucky hero, Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja in his bid to revive his career. The duo has earlier teamed up for three successful films.
It may be recalled that Vaitla made his directorial debut with Ravi Teja starrer ‘Nee Kosam (1999)’. The film went on to win accolades and numerous awards. Later, the duo teamed up for two commercial hits – Venky (2004) and Dubai Seenu (2007). Both went on to become stars and ruled box office for a few years. Now, both are struggling, Vaitla’s situation is far worse.
As per latest reports, Vaitla has got the nod of Ravi Teja for a new film and that he is currently busy giving finishing touches to the script. The project is likely to go on floors in October, after Ravi Teja completes ‘Raja The Great’ and ‘Touch Chesi Chudu’.
It is puzzling that Ravi Teja, who himself is not in his best form, has decided to work with Vaitla, who has been passing through the worst phase of his career. The ‘Kick’ actor probably still has faith in the director who gave him a classic comedy like ‘Venky’.
Ravi Teja – Srinu Vaitla would have looked like a lethal combination a few years ago. Hope the duo strikes back with a big hit and reinforce their respective stardom.
Yoga is Cheap Health Insurance: Modi
Kickstarting the third edition of International Yoga Day today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that besides physical fitness, Yoga blesses people with good health too. He termed Yoga as an inexpensive health insurance practice.
After taking part in the Yoga session this morning along with around 50,000 yoga enthusiasts in Lucknow, Modi addressed the huge gathering. He said that several countries which are unfamiliar with our tradition and culture, have now started connecting to India through Yoga.
“Yoga connects body, mind and soul, and has played a big role in binding the world too, cutting across linguistic and cultural barriers. Earlier, it used to be a traditional practice, performed only by saints and seers, but Yoga has now become a part of every person’s life,” he said.
Modi expressed his happiness over more and more people adopting Yoga in their daily routine and the recognition this age-old practice has brought for India.
Mahesh Enters In To Assembly Today
At last, Superstar Mahesh Babu joined the sets of Koratala Siva’s ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ today. It is heard that Koratala has issued a diktat that no one should carry cell phones on the film’s sets. This precaution is being taken in order to protect Mahesh’s look as CM.
Mahesh, who has been sporting almost similar look in all of his films, will reportedly be seen in a different look in Bharat Ane Nenu. His CM avatar is expected to surprise movie goers. In order not to let the look leak, Koratala has instructed his team not to carry mobile phones on film’s sets. A huge Assembly set is erected in the outskirts of Hyderabad to film important scenes featuring Mahesh as CM.
As Mahesh has already suggested Koratala to wrap up the movie by November end or December first half so that it can be released for Sankranthi next year, the hat-trick director planned shoot schedules accordingly.
Coming back to ‘SPYder’, Mahesh has completed the film’s talkie part but he is yet to shoot for two songs. He will be back on SPYder sets in July or August to finish those two pending songs and later divert his full attention to Bharat Ane Nenu.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Review: Truly, the best Xperia ever!
OnePlus claimed its OnePlus 5 will be the first Snapdragon 835-powered smartphone in India, but Sony took that away with the launch of its Xperia XZ Premium. The company’s 2017 flagship went on sale in India last week with a price tag of Rs. 59,990, challenging giants like Samsung and Apple, and not just with the price tag.
For almost a month, we had the opportunity to test and review the Xperia XZ Premium, which directly competes with the likes of Galaxy S8 series, iPhone 7 series and LG G6. The biggest question Sony’s premium flagship faces is whether it is worth buying.
We try to answer that very question through this review, which entails the performance of the phone, its battery life and of course, the camera. Before we get started, let’s point out that the Xperia XZ Premium is a massive departure from all of its predecessors. Even though it has an uncanny resemblance to them, there are some really great features that will leave you stunned and some praise-worthy upgrades to keep you content.
The wow factor
Every smartphone has a USP, which is basically its ‘wow factor’. Sony Xperia XZ Premium, being one of the top flagships, has more than one. If we have to pick out one significant element as the phone’s highlight, it would be the camera.
Sony has the advantage of using top-notch sensors as it is the largest provider of smartphone camera sensors. But the company hasn’t really been able to crack into the best camera smartphone companies like its rivals Samsung and Apple have.
Things may be changing for this Japanese tech titan. We will be discussing the camera features in depth later, but we would like to point out the Xperia XZ Premium’s super slow motion video recording feature, which shoots at 960fps. Just to put that into perspective, iPhone 7 Plus shoots at 120fps.
Sony’s 19MP Motion Eye camera with 960fps is a boon for photography enthusiasts, and lets you push the limits on what a smartphone camera can do. Forget shooting the videos of a flame or your pet pouncing on its favourite toy, you need to think about what’s faster than normal.
Things you thought are difficult to shoot on a smartphone are the kind of ideas you will need to test the Xperia XZ Premium’s 960fps slow-motion camera. To give you a few examples, it can be a fly taking off or even capturing a sneeze.
You will need some getting used to shooting in super slow motion in the Xperia XZ Premium. The handset won’t fully record a video in 960fps, in fact only a microsecond bit of a video is picked up to make it super slow. You will have to be prompt in capturing what you need and it’s just like clicking a photo while shooting a video on the phone.
The magical videos you can produce with the Xperia XZ Premium are quite mind-blowing. Given below are a few samples for you to check out how amazing Xperia XZ Premium’s camera truly is.
Applause
Yes! The super slow motion camera is worthy of applause, but we’d like to congratulate Sony for finally (finally) fixing the long-standing overheating problem in its Xperia phones. Constant overheating with minimal use of Xperia phones has been a black mark in the company’s reputation. That changes with Xperia XZ Premium, which can handle high-GPU games, continuous video shooting and more without getting uncomfortably hot.
By fixing the overheating in the Xperia XZ Premium, the company has ensured that the phone doesn’t shut down in the middle of shooting a video.
Design & Display
Sony Xperia XZ Premium looks a lot like its predecessors, but the infinite loop design with Gorilla Glass 5 wrapped around the phone adds a refreshing feel. As for the screen, Xperia XZ Premium is the world’s first phone with 4K HDR display and we can see the difference when compared to other 2K smartphones.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium displays well-balanced, natural colours, which are hard to achieve on an average display. It truly complements the photos and videos shot on the phone.
Camera
Other than the 960fps, the Xperia XZ Premium supports 4K video shooting, which is remarkable. The rear camera doesn’t have dual lenses, but it does quite a fair job when it comes to shooting photographs in challenging conditions. The superior auto mode for shooting stills does all the heavy lifting and all you need to do is frame and shoot.
But you can go pro with the manual mode, which lets you control focus, shutter speed, exposure and white balance. This mode comes in handy while shooting in low light conditions, as the auto mode failed to render the best results at night.
Performance
The Snapdragon 835 chipset had a lot to do here. Thanks to Xperia XZ Premium, we had the chance to experience Qualcomm’s best processor first hand. And there’s little room for disappointment.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium can handle all the heavy tasks with ease. Be it running a high-GPU game like Brothers in Arms, or multi-tasking with tens of apps in the background, Xperia XZ Premium has you covered. The sleek and snappy UI makes everything look like a breeze, while the Snapdragon 835 paired with 4 gigs of RAM does the magic under that fragile-looking, sturdy chassis.
Battery life
A 3,230mAh battery under that sealed unibody gives you a day’s worth of average use. With calls, messages, a little bit of music and navigation, and browsing, we were able to survive a full day and left with 20 percent charge – in time to activate the power saving mode. If you are watching a lot of videos, expect the phone to run out of juice sooner, but it is still impressive compared to other phones at achieving up to 10 hours.
There aren’t any complaints with the battery of the phone, which is excellent despite having a 4K display. There’s also Quick Charge 3.0 to power up your phone using a USB Type-C port from 0-60 percent in about 40 minutes.
Room for improvement
There’s a fingerprint scanner at the side of the phone, integrated within the power/lock button. While it’s snappy and accurate, the positioning could be better. If Sony is competing against giants like Samsung and Apple, it better scale up and bring on its A-game. The next logical move is to place the fingerprint scanner under the display, and Sony should really adopt the ever-changing trends of the industry. With the Xperia XZ Premium, we even had some inaccurate readings.
Speaking of adopting change, Sony must find a way to trim its bezels around the display. The overall design of the phone looks old because of its bezels. When brands like Xiaomi can find a way to do away with the bezels entirely, it shouldn’t be a major task for a company as big as Sony to do a bit of extra lab-work.
The shiny combination of metal and glass design is quite neat, but the large size of the phone makes it slippery. The back panel also has a glass covering, which makes it a fingerprint magnet and subject to scratches. We experienced the same problem with iPhone 7 Plus, and the only way to overcome that is by using a phone cover, which conceals the beautiful design.
Finally, the selfie camera could use some improvement. Probably the 13MP front snapper with f/2.0 aperture had our hopes high, but Sony could have done a better job. We found smudges on subjects while shooting in a well-lit room. The only time the selfies were up to the mark was under ideal lighting conditions, such as sunlight or a well-lit showroom.
Conclusion
Sony Xperia XZ Premium is for all those fans who have been sceptical to upgrade. This is the best Xperia smartphone ever, complete with a great camera, efficient performance and a reliable battery. The design isn’t as great as the Samsung Galaxy S8, but it feels premium. The phone is water- and dust-proof and makes complete sense for those who refuse to take extra care of their phones.
Bunny Comments On Hot Heroines’ Nadumu
Talking in a sexist way about a heroine’s nadumu or about girls on a whole in front of media cameras might make anyone an Ali and Chalapathi Rao. Other day it’s the turn of Allu Arjun however as he described that waist line of two hottest heroines we have seen.
Kickstarting the promotions of DJ Duvvada Jagannadham, Bunny started giving special interviews to top Telugu news channels already. During one such interview, when the anchor asked him to comment on the style factor of some heroines as he happens to be a stylish star, he gave some surprising and head-turning answers.
“Tamanna looks beautiful in sarees. For the kind of waistline she has, she could expose that well in sarees. I got my mind blown after watching her that way in Rachcha movie”, said Bunny, hinting that waistline through his hand gesture. Continuing further, he added, “Ileana looks good in western clothes and if her ‘nadumu’ is exposed, it will be awesome. During Julayi shooting in Dubai, I used to wonder to see her in western attire post the day’s shoot”.
Talking about other heroines, he said, “Kajal looks good in western wear. Samantha will carry both western and ethnic wear comfortably”. What about Pooja Hegde, his DJ heroine then? “She has beautiful long legs, so short dresses will suit her well. Many can’t carry short dress and high-waist skirts well, but Pooja looks super charming in them”, he added
No doubt, Allu Arjun, joined the club of those film celebs who talk about the glamour of heroines very openly. Of course, he maintained one particular line and spoke like a fashionista. But his words are close to reality that heroines serve the purpose of glamour most of the time on silver screen. Maybe he would have spoken about acting of heroines if the anchor asked him about acting too. Isn’t it?
OnePlus accused of manipulating OnePlus 5 benchmark scores
With OnePlus 5 global launch less than 24 hours away, reports of the OnePlus team manipulating the handset’s benchmark scores are making waves on the internet. Every smartphone maker strives hard to optimise the review unit’s configuration to get best results in synthetic benchmarks. However, shipped units wouldn’t have the added advantage.
Reliable reports suggest OnePlus 5 review units have been tampered at the operating system level with specially optimised code that enables the execution of all benchmarks to exceed the actual potential of the handset or deliver extraordinary performance.
It is now ascertained that the retail units may not be able to replicate this extreme level of performance. This claim is further strengthened as Mario Tomas Serrafero from XDA Developers has confirmed that the cheat code is indeed activated on the review units, enabling them to run at much higher speeds than the ones in the market.
“Unfortunately, it is almost certain that every single review of the OnePlus 5 that contains a benchmark is using misleading results, as OnePlus provided reviewers a device that cheats on benchmarks,” writes Serrafero.
“This is an inexcusable move, because it is ultimately an attempt to mislead not just customers, but taint the work of reviewers and journalists with misleading data that most are not able to vet or verify. As a result, every OnePlus 5 review citing benchmark scores as an accolade of the phone’s success is misleading both writers and readers, and performance analyses based on synthetic benchmarks are invalidated,” he adds.
Furthermore, the manipulated OnePlus 5 review units have reportedly exhibited extremely hot temperatures hovering around 50 degrees (122 degrees F) while running the GFXBench tests. This clearly suggests that such high performance is neither sustainable nor plausible in real world usage scenarios.
OnePlus cheat code has been allegedly designed to manipulate benchmark scores of the following tools by pushing the processor clock speed beyond its upper limit and hence resulting in higher operating temperatures:
- AnTuTu
- Androbench
- Geekbench 4
- GFXBench
- Quadrant
- Nenamark 2
- Vellamo
Meanwhile, here is what OnePlus had to say to justify the true performance potential of OnePlus 5
People use benchmark apps in order to ascertain the performance of their device, and we want users to see the true performance of the OnePlus 5. Therefore, we have allowed benchmark apps to run in a state similar to daily usage, including the running of resource intensive apps and games. Additionally, when launching apps the OnePlus 5 runs at a similar state in order to increase the speed in which apps open. We are not overclocking the device, rather we are displaying the performance potential of the OnePlus 5.
Trump: appreciate China but it’s efforts on N. Korea “have not worked out”
China’s efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear programme “have not worked” out, United States President Donald Trump has said but appreciated Beijing for its attempts.
“While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!,” Mr. Trump said in a tweet which came hours before the U.S. and China were set to meet in Washington to talk about North Korea.
In a report, The New York Times said that the tweet is “an extraordinary admission of failure in his strategy” for dealing with the rogue regime of Kim Jong-un.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the Defence Secretary James Mattis met in Washington for their diplomatic and security dialogue.
US has been very forceful: Spicer
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the United States has been very forceful in its political and economic pressure that has been applied in North Korea.
“I think we’ll continue to apply that. Obviously, China has played and can continue to play a greater role in helping to resolve this situation, and we will continue to hopefully build on the relationship and the dialogue that we’ve had with China,” Mr. Spicer said.
“I think there have been some positive steps that they’ve taken, both at the UN and economically, to help strengthen the case against North Korea. But I’m not going to get ahead of where we may or may not go. And obviously, we hope that those discussions with China are productive and continue to move us forward,” he said.
Mr. Trump had made clear earlier that his preference was to work with China on North Korea, but that he was willing to go after them alone.
“I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea. If they are unable to do so, the US, with its allies, will! U.S.A.,” he had tweeted in April.
Trump, Xi see thaw in ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mr. Trump at the President’s private Florida estate in April, a meeting that both leaders said warmed relations between the countries.
Tennis Queen Foraying Into Films
Sania Mirza belongs to the category of those rare sportswomen who are blessed with incredibly enchanting looks. Smitten this Hyderabadi lady’s beauty and of course to cash in on her craze, several Telugu filmmakers have in the past made futile attempts to launch her into films.
The once-reluctant lady may have finally decided to test her luck on silver screen. Noted Bollywood actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar has now announced a film starring Sania Mirza. He didn’t divulge any details about the film, keeping her fans and movie buffs nonplussed.
Farhan Akhtar confirmed that the 30-year-old tennis player will be seen in a film along with her father Imran Mirza. It could be a film with an underlying social message or an inspiring and emotion-filled drama revolving around a father and his daughter or even a short film.
For now, fans of Sania Mirza can rejoice as she is entering the glamorous world with the assistance of an influential Farhan Akhtar.
China set to block India again on JeM chief Masood Azhar’s terrorism listing at UN
China has indicated that it will block India again in its bid to getting the chief of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Masood Azhar, blacklisted by the United Nations. China, last year, had fought Delhi on blacklisting Azhar at the international forum.
Beijing has also made it clear that it will continue preventing India’s entry to a prestigious international bloc, the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which controls nuclear trade across the world. China, last year, was among the top counties which said that India cannot join the NSG.
Both these issues have contributed to increasing the tensions between the countries. China blocking India on these issues is seen by many as a bailout of its Pakistan, which is Beijing’s long-term ally.
India believes that JeM was behind many deadly attacks conducted on its military bases over the past few years.
The JeM chief currently lives in Pakistan and India has been trying to get him and his organisation banned by the United Nations Security Council, which would prevent Azhar from travelling internationally, and would also result in global freezing of his assets.
Ahead of an NSG session earlier this month, China had maintained that nothing had changed in its stand on India’s entry into the group. Beijing argues that India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, the global pact on arms control, which is a pre-requisite for the group’s members.
Beijing says that is such rules are moulded for the benefit of India, then China must benefit from this situation too, according to NDTV.
On Tuesday, China said that the UN is still divided over Masood Azhar’s blacklisting because there has not been enough evidence to implicate him. A UN committee will again take India’s request to ban Azar next month.
“At present, some members have a disagreement over the listing matter. And China stands ready to remain in coordination and communication with the relevant parties on this issue,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang said.
India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, however, said that the “burden of proof” is not on India to convince the UN officials of Azhar’s terrorism activities. The US, the UK and France have also pressed for action against the JeM chief.
“It is not that the burden of proof is on India to convince. The sponsors (the US and other countries) seem to be very well convinced, otherwise they would not have taken the initiative to move the proposal,” Jaishankar said.
French President Macron’s MPs include maths genius, tech entrepreneur and genocide survivor
French President Emmanuel Macron’s fairly new party La Republique En Marche (LREM) won a significant parliamentary majority by clinching 300 seats in the 577-member National Assembly in the second round of the elections. However, it is not just the number of seats which is making news but also the kind of lawmakers which have been elected under President Macron.
The LREM boasts of scores of first-time lawmakers, and the list includes mathematicians, immigrant entrepreneurs and even a genocide survivor. The selection of lawmakers also rings true to Macron’s election promise of cleaning up the country’s politics.
Macron’s opponents, however, had warned the French voters to not allow so much power concentrated in the hands of one party and had warned that if LREM candidates are elected they will be mere ‘yes men’ to the President. Macron, although, has stated that his lawmakers reflect the French society, according to Reuters.
Here are some of the intriguing lawmakers chosen under President Macron’s party:
Cedric Villani: Mathematician
The 43-year-old Mathematics genius, Cedric Villani, was among the most recognisable faces in the Parliamentary election campaign trail. Villani won the Fields Medal, maths equivalent to the Nobel prize, in 2010 for “proofs of nonlinear Landau damping and convergence to equilibrium of the Boltzmann equation”.
Villani’s eccentric persona — with his colourful ascot ties, spider brooches and shoulder-length hair — also makes him stand out among other lawmakers. He is also known for his TED talk ‘What’s so sexy about math’.
The Mathematician won a total of 47.46 percent of votes in the first round, and almost 70 percent of the votes in the run-off against his conservative opponent.
Herve Berville: Economist
The 27-year-old Rwandan-born economist, Herve Berville, survived Rwanda’s genocide in 1994, and was subsequently adopted by a French family in Brittany in western France.
Berville, a masters graduate from the London School of Economics, is set to usher in a transition in the national assembly long dominated by white men.
Berville secured 64 percent of the votes in the second round of the French parliamentary elections, defeating his conservative rival, Republican Didier Déru.
Berville had appealed in one of his Facebook posts before the second round of the elections: “The challenges that await us are immense. Our country needs a clear majority so that the government can act.”
Mounir Mahjoubi: Tech Entrepreneur
Mounir Mahjoub, son of Moroccan immigrants, is one of the youngest members of Macron government at 33 years of age. The computer whizz is the one who formulated the French President’s digital campaign and assisted in countering a massive hacking attack on Macron’s campaign just days before the country’s presidential elections.
Mahjoubi connects with the young people and has been given the position of a junior minister for digital affairs.
“We’re younger, we’re campaigning differently, we are what France looks like,” Mahjoubi told Reuters.
What Is That Crazy Object In Bunny’s Hand??
At the audio launch of “DJ Duvvada Jagannadham” movie, many noticed that hero Allu Arjun is holding a crazy object in his hand which he’s seen spinning all the time. People felt that it’s toy belonging to his son Ayaan who attended the event.
Much to anyone’s surprise, Allu Arjun is seen using the same toy on the sets of DJ as well. In the making video of some songs, he could be seen spinning that throughout the shot gap while chatting with the director and watching his shots in the monitor. And now, in the latest released video promo of “Seeti Maar” song from DJ movie, our hero is seen spinning the small crazy object for the film as well. What’s that anyway?
It is called a “Fidget Spinner” and sometimes a tri-spinner, which happens to be a stress relieving toy. While the playing device was invented in 1993, it rose to popularity now in 2017. Like some people hold a yellow coloured squeeze-foam ball in hands to get rid of anxiety and stress, this toy is also believed to be helpful in the same way.
We wonder why Allu Arjun is marketing this 150 rupees toy through his film. Some say, maybe he’s playing the role of an individual with huge anxiety or high BP in the movie, and hence he will use to control the stress. Anyway, this is a terrific promotion campaign for DJ Duvvada Jagannadam as well, as people are dying to find out what that is.
After Baahubali, Rajamouli Changes Lifestyle!
SS Rajamouli was quite known for his simplicity and humbleness. He had been down-to-earth. Especially, Rajamouli was quite particular about leading a simple life. In fact, even recently Rama Rajamouli disclosed that her husband is so ‘bad’ in finance matters and he doesn’t carry ‘money’ in his pocket even when he goes out alone. Even many in the industry corroborate the same about Rajamouli. His simple nature is what made him this big today in the industry apart from his prowess and passion.
But Rajamouli has finally seems to have broken that ‘simple’ tag. By owning a BMW 7 series car, Rajamouli has joined the legion of celebs who owns premium & posh cars and flaunts them.
While there’s nothing wrong in treating himself and his family with a luxury vehicle, but the point to be noted is that he could had owned it much before if he had wanted to. At least, he could had bought better vehicles. Ditching the modest vehicle and buying a swanky luxury vehicle isn’t all.
Rajamouli said to had even owned a land in the outskirts of Hyderabad where a huge mansion with farms would be built. This would be Rajamouli’s dream house which he had been wanting to own. Looks like, post the gigantic success of Baahubali films, Rajamouli has certainly changes his lifestyle and positioning himself as the one of the iconic and richest filmmakers in India.
