Oppo is one brand that always brings something new to the customers with its special editions. We have seen a lot of limited edition models from the brand that offer a unique design language coupled with some interesting features. And now, the brand has come with a new Special Edition of its popular Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G just ahead of the upcoming festive season, known as Manish Malhotra Edition. The latest smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs 36,999 and is available for purchase from company’s official website and major retail stores across the country.

The new edition brings a refreshed design language coupled with some different unboxing experiences. I got the chance to use the device, and here’s what all special Oppo is delivering with its new Reno 12 Pro 5G Manish Malhotra Edition.

Oppo Reno 12 Pro Manish Malhotra Edition: Unboxing Experience

Right off the bat, you will notice the freshness of the Special Edition as it comes with a black-coloured box with a gold-coloured floral pattern embroidered all over the box. This surely looks premium for the customers who want a special unboxing experience.

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro Manish Malhotra Edition offers a good unboxing experience.

Inside the box, you are greeted with a black-coloured pamphlet talking about the special edition. Moreover, there are the usuals: a plastic case, some paperwork, a USB Type-C cable, an 80W SuperVOOC charger, and a gold-coloured SIM ejector tool.

Oppo Reno 12 Pro Manish Malhotra Edition: Design and Aesthetics

Oppo has collaborated with famous designer Manish Malhotra for this special edition. The handset comes with a special Diwali Gold colour option that offers a unique look and feel. The rear panel of the device comes with a glitter finish and a gold-coloured floral pattern engraved on it. You can see Manish Malhotra and Oppo branding prominently on the back panel.

The choice of colours used in making the rear panel gives out contemporary fashion-oriented vibes with a touch of traditional embroideries. It is a visual treat to see the Gold and glitter play when the light falls on it, making it shimmer when seen from an angle. The rear panel also has a soft touch to it, which feels buttery smooth. You also get a gold-coloured floral wallpaper once you glance at the display.

Oppo Reno 12 Pro Manish Malhotra Edition: Other Features and Specifications

That said, there is nothing special about other specifications and features. There are no special themes or icons that could have added more uniqueness to this edition. The rest of the features and specifications are similar to the standard Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G, which we have already reviewed. So, if you want to know more about the display, camera, performance, battery life, and more, you can click on this link.

To conclude, the Oppo Reno 12 Pro Manish Malhotra Edition sure seems to stand out from the crowd with its unique design language and luxurious design that celebrates the Indian culture. Moreover, with an additional price of Rs 1,000, you are getting a uniquely designed handset that can surely be a head-turner and a topic of discussion when you go to a festive party. Apart from this, you don’t get any more value addition compared to the standard Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G. So, will you buy this special edition Reno 12 Pro 5G? Do let us know in the comments.

Apple has paused work on development of new features for upcoming versions of its iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems that are expected to be released next year, according to a Bloomberg report. The firm has reportedly asked employees to tackle bugs that have shown up in early versions of the code — the pause is expected to end at the end of the week — instead of adding new features that could make their way to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 in 2024.

The report cites unnamed sources familiar with the company’s decision and states that Apple’s software engineering team discovered several bugs that were not spotted during internal testing, leading to the decision to pause development of new features in order to tackle and resolve the existing bugs in the code over a one-week period.

Apple’s next operating system versions are expected to arrive in the form of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11 — the updates for iPhone and iPad are codenamed Crystal, while the Mac and Apple Watch operating systems are internally referred to as Glow and Moonstone, as per the report.

The pause on development of these operating systems has come after these three operating system updates reached their first major milestone, also known as M1. Ahead of development leading to the second milestone, Apple’s software developers will have to root out existing issues with the code and fix them.

As per the report, the company’s upcoming software releases aren’t the only ones that are affected by the pause put in place by Apple. The iPhone maker has also reportedly halted development on visionOS as well as the already-released iOS 17.4 — a minor update to the smartphone operating system that is expected to arrive within the first quarter of 2024.

While Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to lift the pause on development this week, the efforts to remove bugs from the code aren’t likely to affect the expected rollout of the updates — Apple typically unveils its next operating systems at its annual Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) event and rolls them out in September.

Vivo Y300 5G will launch soon in India, the Chinese tech brand announced on Tuesday. Vivo has not revealed the launch date of the new Y series phone, but has shared an image on the social media platform showing its rear design. The Vivo Y300 appears to have a dual rear camera unit. It is expected to debut as a mid-range smartphone with upgrades over last year’s Vivo Y200. It is rumoured to come in three colour options with a Sony IMX882 camera.

Vivo Y300 5G India Launch Teased

Through an X post, Vivo India announced the arrival of the new Vivo Y300 5G in India. The teaser image shows the handset with a dual rear camera setup. The camera sensors and LED flash are placed vertically on the back panel. At first glance, the design of the smartphone appears to be similar to the Vivo V40 Lite.

Vivo didn’t disclose the exact launch date or the key specifications of the Vivo Y300 5G, but it is speculated to debut by the end of this month. It is tipped to feature a titanium-inspired design and could be available in emerald green, phantom purple and titanium silver shades. It is likely to pack a Sony IMX882 portrait camera and support 80W fast charging. It is expected to debut in the mid-range category priced under Rs. 25,000.

Vivo Y200 5G Price in India, Specifications

The Vivo Y300 5G is expected to succeed last year’s Vivo Y200 5G, which was unveiled with a price tag of Rs. 21,999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model. It runs on Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SoC and sports a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz.

For optics, the Vivo Y200 5G has a dual rear camera setup that includes a 64-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. At the front, it houses a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. It features a 4,800mAh battery with 44W fast charging support.

ChatGPT application for iOS users has been expanded to more countries. Initially, OpenAI, the company behind the artificial intelligence chatbot, launched the app only in the United States. The firm unveiled the app on May 18. They also confirmed that a similar Android app is in the works. On Thursday, OpenAI announced that the iOS app’s access was expanded to 11 additional countries. Friday the roster grew to accommodate iOS users across multiple nations, bringing the total up to 45 countries.

As per the company’s announcement till May 26, the ChatGPT app for iOS users is now available in the following 45 nations – the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Albania, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Korea, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Estonia, Ghana, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research company backed by tech giant Microsoft, released the ChatGPT chatbot to the public in November 2022. In February 2023, the company launched its first paid subscription plan, ChatGPT Plus, with premium services including a quicker response time and priority access to future upgrades and developments. The free version continues to exist, although with some lag and other limitations.

The ChatGPT app for iOS is free for all users and comes without the interruption of advertisements. It can be assumed that the services on the app will equate to the services offered by the free version of the ChatGPT supported on browsers. The layout of the app, however, resembles that of a messenger service, giving users the impression of having a ‘chat’ like any other messaging app with the AI chatbot.

iOS users can use Apple‘s built-in speech recognition feature to dictate text or make use of OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition system Whisper. During an interaction, once the user hits the send button with their queries or comments, the chatbot processes the request and delivers an AI-generated answer. More information or a different answer can also be requested on the app. It supports code blocks and allows users to copy and paste answers.

The app saves users’ chat history for model training by default and it also enables users to access previous conversations on the desktop. Data sharing with the app can be disabled but that would also result in unsaved chat history, essentially bringing up a clean slate each time users log in to the app.

For users with ChatGPT Plus subscriptions, the advanced GPT 4 features will be accessible through this ChatGPT app. The subscription costs $20 (roughly Rs. 1,600) per month. In India, OpenAI has partnered with Stripe to support e-mandates for recurring payments as per Reserve Bank of India guidelines.

A US judge on Monday ordered Alphabet’s Google to overhaul its mobile app business to give Android users more options to download apps and to pay for transactions within them, following a jury verdict last year for Fortnite maker Epic Games.

The injunction by US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco outlined the changes Google must undertake to open up its lucrative app store, Play, to greater competition, including making Android apps available from rival sources.

Donato’s order said that for three years Google cannot prohibit the use of in-app payment methods and must allow users to download competing third-party Android app platforms or stores.

The order restricts Google from making payments to device makers to preinstall its app store and from sharing revenue generated from the Play store with other app distributors.

Google in a statement said it will appeal the verdict that led to the injunction to the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, and will ask the US courts to pause Donato’s order pending appeal.

“Ultimately, while these changes presumably satisfy Epic, they will cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers and device makers,” Google said.

Epic Chief Executive Tim Sweeney posted to the social media platform X on Monday that Donato’s order was “big news” and said his Epic Games Store and other app stores will come to Google Play in 2025.

Sweeney said app developers, store makers and others have three years “to build a vibrant and competitive Android ecosystem with such critical mass that Google can’t stop it.”

Alphabet shares closed 2.5 percent lower at $164.39 (roughly Rs. 13,803) on Monday, following the ruling. Donato said Epic and Google must establish a three-person technical committee to implement and monitor the injunction. Epic and Google each get a pick, and those two members will select the third person.

Donato said his injunction would go into effect on Nov. 1, which he said will give Google time to “bring its current agreements and practices into compliance.”

Epic’s lawsuit, filed in 2020, accused Google of monopolising how consumers access apps on Android devices and how they pay for in-app transactions.

The Cary, North Carolina-based company persuaded a jury in December 2023 that Google unlawfully stifled competition through its controls over app distribution and payments, paving the way for Donato’s injunction.   

Google had urged Donato to reject Epic’s proposed reforms, arguing they were costly, overly restrictive and could harm consumer privacy and security. The judge mostly dismissed those arguments during an August hearing. 

“You’re going to end up paying something to make the world right after having been found to be a monopolist,” he told Google’s lawyers.      

In a separate antitrust case in Washington, US District Judge Amit Mehta on August 5 ruled for the US Justice Department and said Google had illegally monopolised Web search, spending billions to become the internet’s default search engine.

Google also began a trial in September in Virginia federal court in a Justice Department lawsuit over its dominance in the market for advertising technology.

Google has denied the claims in all three cases.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

We are a week into November and the penultimate month of the year brings another healthy lineup of game releases. This month, we’re getting an eclectic lineup of games — from a throwback adaptation of an 80s cult cyberpunk film to a much-anticipated remake of a beloved Super Nintendo classic. Perhaps the biggest release of November is the next Call of Duty. On November 10, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes out, continuing the story of the reboot trilogy. The Activision shooter promises to bring new multiplayer modes and maps.

RoboCop: Rogue City, which was released November 2, inhabits the world of RoboCop films, but attempts to tell an original story. The first-person shooter from Teyon also brings back Peter Weller as RoboCop and makes sure to pay homage to the cult films that came before. Football fans can pick up Football Manager 2024 and build their club from the group up. FM games are for meticulous managers and offer a hyper-real simulation of a football manager’s job. As a manager, you will be tasked with recruitment, coaching, scouting, and every other small responsibility that goes into building a successful football club.

This week, we’re also getting Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. A spin-off of the popular Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series, RGG Studio’s next game puts us back in the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu, who has faked his death and gone into hiding. The action-adventure title arrives November 9 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. November also brings big names like Super Mario RPG Remake and Persona 5 Tactica, both releasing on the same day! No matter what genre of games you like, or what platform you prefer, this month has you covered. With that, here are our picks for the biggest games of November 2023.

RoboCop: Rogue City

When: November 2
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

The first RoboCop film, released in 1987, was a modest success when it came out, but the passage of time has cemented the cyberpunk science fiction film as an undeniable cult classic. The franchise, which includes films, TV shows and video games, remains widely recognisable. Teyon’s latest take on the iconic cyborg police officer Alex Murphy seems to have faithfully stuck to the source material. RoboCop: Rogue City, a first-person shooter, brings the familiar underbelly of a futuristic Detroit while spinning an original story.

As RoboCop, players can take on police cases, solve crimes, and violently execute criminals. The game also offers players the option to take the bombastic route or go the pacifist, with player choices affecting outcomes. Aside from unloading on the city’s gangs using his iconic Auto 9 machine pistol, RoboCop can also use the environment to inflict his own brand of violent justice. Over time, players can upgrade Murphy, adding more abilities to his arsenal.

The Talos Principle 2

When: November 2
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

Almost a decade since its thought-provoking prequel, we awaken in the city of New Jerusalem, a haven where biological humanity has gone extinct but the ideas live on. It’s not long before we are swept away on an expedition on an isolated megastructure, loaded with puzzles of varying difficulties by messing around with anti-gravity and mind transfer, in addition to some returning traits like portals that help you manipulate the direction of light beams through solid obstacles. But through it all, The Talos Principle 2 tackles philosophy, some of which is accessible through simple exploration — finding audio logs scattered around the world that pose questions like what it means to be human and the purpose of our existence.

Being a generational leap and all, the graphics get a massive upgrade and even if you aren’t interested in the narrative aspects, the puzzles are sure to keep you engaged for a while — with solutions that make you feel like the dumbest person in the world. The sequel is canonically set about a thousand years after the first game, so unlike the solitude you were used to, there are more open areas and countless robots trudging along, waiting for you to strike up a conversation. Yes, there’s a dialogue system now!

When: November 6
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS

It’s that time of the year when you pick up your writing pad and scribble down your top potential signings for the summer football season. Being an annual sports franchise title, much of the new additions are quality-of-life upgrades, albeit this time, you can transfer over your team and career from Football Manager 2023. Of course, there are roster changes and updates to player animation which bring the game to life, in addition to the new Set Piece Creator so you can train players to make the best of any opportunity. Set individual targets, craft ingenious tactics, dominate tournaments, and even give yourself a handicap by trying to build a lacklustre team from the bottom in Football Manager 2024.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

When: November 9
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a spin-off of the popular Yakuza series and follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a former yakuza who has been framed for murder and must clear his name. It is set in the same world as the Yakuza series, where players will control Kiryu, who uses the codename Joryu, and his party as they battle enemies across multiple locations. The game features the same great writing and characters that fans have come to love. The game adopts the iconic action-brawler style of the series. In combat, you’ll be able to swap between various fighting techniques, just like in earlier games in the series. There are two choices available – Agent and Yakuza.

Assuredly, the yakuza style, which promotes powerful, violent attacks, is the more traditional option. However, combat in the series appears to be taking a new turn with Agent style, which combines fast attacks with gadgets reminiscent of James Bond. In the teasers, Kiryu is seen grabbing and tossing opponents with electrified wires and dragging far-off things out of the surroundings to use as weapons.

The fictitious Tokyo neighbourhood of Kamurocho has historically served as the setting for Yakuza games; however, Like a Dragon Gaiden will alter this. This time, Kiryu is going through the Isezaki Ijincho area of Yokohama, the Sotenbori region of Osaka, and a hub area housed in a castle. Similar to Kamurocho, Sotenbori and Isezaki Ijincho are made-up places that are based on actual areas in the city in which they are located.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

When: November 10
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X

Activision’s much-awaited first-person shooter title is the publisher’s third entry in the popular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot series and will have players trying their best to stop World War 3 from taking place. In order to prevent Russian war criminal Vladimir Makarov from executing his plans, gamers will participate in Task Force 141 and Captain Price’s missions across various countries. While the game is coming to console and PC, there won’t be a macOS version, unlike the 2011 title with the same name.

When Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 arrives on November 10, gamers will have access to all the maps that were available in Activision’s 2009 Modern Warfare 2 title, along with new modes and gameplay features. Back in 2017, Call of Duty WW2 introduced a War Mode that is also coming to the game in an evolved form, along with new Ground War maps. There’s also an open-world ‘Zombies’ mode with a new Treyarch Zombies story and associated missions, according to Activision.

Persona 5 Tactica

When: November 17
Where: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Switch

Boasting a brand-new storyline, Persona 5 Tactica will bring popular characters from previous titles. The Phantom Thieves must team up with a revolutionary called Erina who rescues them from a military group called the Legionnaires after they find themselves in an oppressed kingdom. Gamers will be able to choose powerful Personas and weapons to take out their foes in the upcoming combat adventure title.

Should the Phantom Thieves accept the deal offered by Erina to help the revolutionary, in exchange for their rescue? The heroes will have to delve deeper to understand who their new ally is. And the truth behind her deal with the group. Gamers who pre-order the title will also get access to Izanagi Picaro and Orpheus Picaro as bonuses when Persona 5 Tactica is released, publisher Atlus has revealed on the Steam page for the upcoming game.

Super Mario RPG Remake

When: November 17
Where: Switch

Super Mario RPG Remake is a remake of the classic Super Mario RPG game that was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. The remake will feature updated graphics, gameplay, music, a few additional levels, and characters. Set in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario must team up with a group of friends to stop Bowser from taking over the world. Along the way, they will battle enemies, solve puzzles, and collect items. The game features a turn-based combat system, and players can use a variety of attacks and abilities to defeat their enemies.

The game will also see the return of Geno. Many ardent Nintendo fans have hoped for the character’s comeback at some point, even though he only played a significant part in one game. Geno is an effective opponent in battle because of his fascinating personality as well as his amazing powers and design. With both single- and multi-target attacks, he can do a lot of damage.

The 1996 game, which featured 16-bit graphics, enthralled players of all ages with its unique and whimsical setting. With enhanced details, the remake now seeks to enhance the magical world. Players will be presented with a visual feast of complex emotion that strengthens their bond with the narrative and characters, from Mario’s bravery to Geno’s seriousness. Through the use of 3D chibi-style graphics, the remake aims to honour the original by emulating its popular sprite work.

This reimagining of a classic game has a great chance of revitalising the narrative given the advancements in technology and the constraints imposed by the Nintendo Switch. The improved combat system also promises a more strategic, engaging battle experience with new skills to keep gamers on their toes.