Paris Saint-Germain has reached their first-ever Champions League final. They will be playing against an in-form Bayern Munich side on Sunday.
The French club Paris Saint-Germain has crossed 50 years of legacy this week. The club was founded 12th of August 1970 after the merger of Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germain.
Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) purchased PSG in 2011 and has heavily invested in the club. They have now reached their first-ever Champions League. Is there any better way to celebrate their 50 years of existence than to win their first-ever Champions League trophy?
PSG will be hoping that their front three Neymar-Mbappe-Di Maria run havoc against the Bayern defence and win the Champions League.
The Champions League is being played at Lisbon behind closed doors due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But things in France are better and their domestic league is also commencing on 22nd August.
So PSG has arranged a watch party at the Parc des Princes. They will be hosting 5,000 fans inside the stadium to celebrate the historic night of the club.
The ticket for the final watch party will cost €15. The fans will be able to attend the broadcast of the final on the stadium screens and will also be provided with a meal.
PSG will ensure that all measures are taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They will install hydroalcoholic gel terminals and will make the wearing masks compulsory. There will be a seat between each person present at the Parc des Princes to maintain social distancing.
PSG are all ready to challenge for their first-ever Champions League title. Do you think Neymar and Mbappe can steer their team to win the title?
FC Bayern Munich is on the verge of winning their second continental treble. They will face Paris Saint-Germain, this Sunday in the UEFA Champions League final.
Bayern has been already crowned champion of German domestic league and cup. They are now just one match away to make history. They won a treble last time in the 2012-13 season. That was their last UCL win too.
Bayern beat Lyon by 3-0, courtesy of Serge Gnabry’s outstanding display. Lyon started the match very well. But couldn’t hold the momentum to beat the German champions. Serge Gnabry scored two goals in the first half.
The third goal was scored by Robert Lewandowski, who has scored 15 goals already in this season’s UCL, equalling the third-best record of all time made by Cristiano Ronaldo. He is just two goals away to be the top scorer in a season to equal the all-time record of 17 goals in a season held also by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although in the final Bayern will surely be tested more. PSG’s front three of Neymar-Mbappe-Di Maria will ask many more questions from the Bayern defence. They showed vulnerability at the back against Lyon so PSG would surely like to exploit that area.
This is the first-ever UEFA Champions League final for Paris Saint-Germain. This will also be the last match for PSG captain Thiago Silva at the club. The whole team is ready to bid the Brazilian defender a fitting farewell with the Champions League crown. They want to end the season with the most coveted trophy.
All the big names like Lewandowski and Neymar are ready to fight with their full potential to clinch the title. Who do you think will get their hands on the trophy?
The gaming brand from Kingston is a renowned company for making great gaming accessories. Recently on Amazon Prime Day, HyperX launched two of their entry-level gaming headsets in India and I got an opportunity to test one of them.
I got the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core + 7.1 gaming headset for the review which is currently on Amazon for Rs. 4,490. For a proper gaming headset that price is damn cheap, until today we couldn’t think of having one that too from HyperX.
The Indian gaming community is increasing day by day and so do their requirements. Obviously, people look for a great gaming headset at a budget, however, every budget headset has it’s one caveat. However, the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core + 7.1 gaming headset has changed my expectations totally.
Specifications
40mm drivers and enhanced bass keep you immersed in your game
I had good expectations from HyperX and so they did deliver a great gaming headset both in terms of looks and build quality. Yes, it’s made of plastic, but it’s sturdy enough though it has some flex still its lightweight, just 240 grams, considering its dimensions.
The headset has adjustable steel sliders that are quite sturdy and helps to adjust for any shape of the head. The earcups are very comfortable because of the soft breathable cushioning which is of good quality. There’s cushioning on the headband as well for the total comfort.
If you ask me anything about the comfort of wearing the gaming headset, I would say it’s damn comfortable. You easily put it on your head and play for hours without any strain at all, the mic can be bent as well if you do not want to use it.
The USB dongle connects the headset with the PC to improve latency, and as the wire is very long, you won’t have any issues even if you plug it to the back of your PC.
Overall, even if it’s made out of plastic this a very sturdy and comfortable headset to wear.
Audio Quality
The audio on this gaming headset is very promising and kind of satisfying in its budget range. The two huge 40mm drivers in the gaming headsets come with a frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz and they do give an immersive audio experience.
However, I would segregate my audio experience as per the use of this headset:
For Music – This is a great headset for casual music listening as it’s primarily mean for gaming and not hearing to the music. Even though there’s no distortion in sound and the vocals are very clear, you won’t be that much satisfied with the music experience.
It’s obviously not the best for listening to music but with its efficiency, it’s ok to hear music sometimes. However, the inclusion of the 7.1 Surround does help to enrich the music experience however it’s not perfectly tuned for every genre of music, so use accordingly.
For gaming – Yes, when it comes to gaming this is a true gift at it’s the price point, the sound made during games is clear and accurate. It doesn’t go that loud but is adequate for gaming purpose.
I tested out the latency of the headset and it’s just under 1ms which is truly great for a budget gaming headset. Using the Virtual 7.1 Surround sound mode for gaming is great as you can hear the explosions and other things with a surrounding effect in real-time, but this is your personal preference.
Playing eSports titles like Apex Legends, PUBG, Call of Duty: Warzone has been buttery smooth for me without any issue and I could hear the slightest of the footsteps of my enemies without any disturbance.
For watching movies or videos – I also watched a lot of movies and YouTube videos on PC, so using this headset for that purpose is an absolute joy especially if you use the Virtual 7.1 Surround sound, this mode totally takes the experience to some other level.
Microphone
Generally in this segment, many brands do not focus on if it’s a budget gaming headset, but actually, during gaming, the microphone is one of the most important things to keep in mind. As it’s not detachable you would find it irritating sometimes but while playing games you won’t be distracted.
You can either swivel the mic or just adjust it via it’s adjustable arm. Now, coming to the quality of the microphone, I did not have heavy expectations of even though it’s said to feature noise cancellation.
However, to my surprise, the mic is surprisingly good or say beyond what I truly expected. It works well during gaming without any trouble at all and the audio quality is great according to my friends while playing PUBG or Apex Legends.
I tried to record with the mic and it turns out to be surprisingly good, not the best, but at its budget, this is really a good microphone. Also, the noise-canceling feature does have an impact on the audio quality even if you speak in a low to medium noise environment.
Usage and Software
This gaming headset at just ₹ 4,490 has just got the most important things correct and I like that. Using it for prolonged gaming sessions is very satisfying and the performance up to the mark.
As the microphone is good enough, you can easily make calls using this and I enjoyed talking to my friends over Skype or Messenger for long conversations. So, anyone who needs a reliable headset both for gaming and streaming at a budget can use this headset with ease.
Talking about HyperX’s own HyperX’s NGENUITY software, you have to download this via Microsoft app store but it has only the option to toggle the 7.1 Surround Sound and increase or decrease the volume of the headset or the microphone and nothing else.
If you had to do that you could have easily down this through the Arrow and Function keys, what’s the use of opening software for that? Just to totally the 7.1 Surround Sound? This is totally lame.
I know it’s a budget headset but still, there could be some kind of equalizer or something useful to open the software because there’s a dedicated wheel to increase or decrease the volume directly.
Pros & Cons
It was really hard to find any negatives about the gaming headset but here are some positives and negatives about this headset:
Pros:
Sturdy & light
Comfortable for long usage
Crisp and clear sound
No latency during games
Virtual 7.1 Surround sound is a great addition
Cons:
Not for music lovers
Software experience could have been better
Verdict
If I had to wrap things up, I would say the HyperX Cloud Stinger Core + 7.1 Gaming Headset at ₹ 4,490 is clean and simple, meant for gaming only and even streaming as well. Not a great one to hear pure music but it’s quite good for most people and is also great for watching movies.
I like the fact that HyperX has stressed the main aspects of someone buying the gaming headset. The key genres of it have been given the most attention and I haven’t seen such a quality gaming headset at that pricing in India for a while now.
After the news of retirement from International cricket of MS Dhoni, every citizen of this nation showed gratitude to this living legend. Our beloved PM was not any different. PM Narendra Modi sent a two-page appreciation letter to MS Dhoni for everything he has done in the cricket field for the country.
So, after five days of retirement MS too thanked PM Narendra Modi for the token of appreciation and best wishes in twitter. Dhoni has also posted the picture of that two-page appreciation letter. But for obvious reasons that picture is taken down.
In that letter, our PM praised the former captain cum player of this Indian cricket team, not only for his contribution on the field of cricket but also for everything he has done till now for the sake of the country. Whether it is helping the poor or experiencing the tough life of the Indian army, MS Dhoni was always in the front seat. Many times he said that if he was not a cricketer he would have loved to join the Indian army and fight for his motherland.
“But, the name Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not be remembered merely for his career statistics or specific match-winning roles. Looking at you as just a sportsperson would be injustice. The correct way to assess your impact is as a phenomenon!”PM Modi wrote in his letter.
A whole book will be small if we try to consider what MS Dhoni has done for Indian cricket. Starting from the 2007 T20 World Cup to 2011 ICC World Cup and 2013 Champions trophy, he became the only captain to win all the ICC trophies. His calmness in tough situations, his mind games were just lit to watch.
“In your trademark unassuming style you shared a video that was enough to become a passionate discussion point for entire nation. 130 Cr Indians were disappointed but also eternally grateful for all that you have done for Indian cricket,” PM Modi wrote to Dhoni.
From the greatest finisher of all time to the lighting stumping behind the wickets, the nation will surely remember his legacy throughout those years of Indian cricket. PM Modi also sent good wishes to Sakshi (Dhonis’s wife) and Ziva (Dhoni’s daughter) in that letter.
Royal Challengers Bangalore reached the IPL finals three times in 2009, 2011 and 2016. But unfortunately, every time ended on the losing side. In spite of having such quality players and with a fearless captain it is very hard to see the fate of the Royals in the past couple of IPL seasons. Batting is not the problem in this team. Top class batsmen Virat Kohli (captain), AB De Villers are the two main pillars of this side. Apart from those there were a lot of world-class batsmen were in this side, but they still failed to win their first IPL title.
Lets get into the topic, WHY?
There is a recent statement by a promising young leg spinner of this team, Yuzvendra Chahal. He says, “Our problem has always been death over bowling”. According to the leggy, 30% of games RCB has lost in the last 3 to 4 overs after having kept the opposition in check for the first 16-17 overs of the innings.
“Because we keep a tight leash till the 16th or 17th over, but I feel we have lost at least 30% of the matches due to the last 3 overs.”
This team has a pretty decent batting line up with world-class batsmen so putting up a huge score into the board is not a big issue for this team. The issue is to defend that total. Though with some quality bowlers RCB somehow manage to restrict the opposition for 12 to 13 overs. But the last 5 overs which is the crunch overs for a T-20 match, they lose their cool and constantly leak runs for the opposition.
I think no one needs to do high research for the examples. We are very much known what was happened in the last year IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR was losing wickets and the game was almost 90% in the grip of RCB. But unfortunately, the destruction began in the last 5 overs by Andre Russell and KKR managed to score freaking 53+ runs in the last 3 and a half overs. So, this is obviously not expected from a team led by Kohli and loaded with super guns.
Chahal also threw some light to take this matter seriously by the franchise and necessary steps should be taken during an interaction with Aakash Chopra shared on the latter’s Facebook page. Because it is quite a regular problem for the men in red in every IPL season. That’s why they are literally called ‘Chokers’ which is not expected from this quality team.
The leg spinner addressed Mitchell Starc as the only ray of hope in death bowing for that only one season. Other than that death bowling kills RCB every time.
“It always comes to our mind what we should do next. I have played for RCB for 6 years, the problem has always been, other than the one year when we had Starc, our death-over bowling.”
“If you restrict a team to 130-odd after 16 overs, you feel that you can keep them to 160 or at the most 170, but at times due to those 3 overs, the score goes to 190 or 200. So that changes everything suddenly.”
According to the leg spinner if you can not stay focused in those crunch moments and concede runs in death overs, the opposition always gets momentum to stage a massive comeback and most of the times this is the only margin between a winning and a losing side.
Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG), the organization which sets Bluetooth Standards of all the devices across the world, is now working to develop a new specification that enables the Exposure Notification System (ENS) to wearables.
In case you don’t know about ENS, it’s a smartphone-centric Bluetooth technology that the whole world is using currently to inform the smartphone user whether s/he has been in close contact with someone who earlier tested positive of coronavirus. For example – the Aarogya Setu application of India is using the same technology.
After deployment, wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers will also able to do the same tracking job, using Bluetooth, same as the smartphones. This will be helpful for those who don’t have a smartphone with advanced capabilities – like kids and senior people.
Bluetooth SIG wrote, “By extending an ENS to include wearables, such as wristbands, it can better address population groups where smartphone usage remains low, including children in primary school and older adults living in care facilities,”
The organization said it will publish an initial draft of the specifications, which will be available to review by the next few months. Besides, over 130 Bluetooth member companies already joined the Bluetooth SIG Exposure Notification Working Group (ENWG) for this project.
Though it’s still not clear how and when this technology will be deployed to the wearables, it is going to become very much helpful for sure.
Oppo India tweeted the upcoming launch of the Oppo F17 Pro. In the month of January Oppo had launched the Oppo F15 in India and almost after seven month the company is back with its successor. A few days ago we reported that a new oppo smartphone will launch in India pretty soon, and as we expected the company is already talking about Oppo F17 Pro smartphone.
From the short video shared in the tweet, the company has portrayed it as “The Sleekest Phone Of 2020”, while the phone is 7.48mm thick and only 164g light being one of the lightest and slimmest smartphone launched this year. The company has not revealed the exact launch date of the smartphone but it is expected to launch by the end of this month or earlier next month.
The phone shown in the short video clip has a left profile with the sim-tray and volume buttons. From this angle only two cameras are visible but we can not expect this phone to have only two cameras as the Oppo F15 had quad-rear camera setup at the back. So, this might be the case that this phone will come with a square shaped camera layout and thus only two cameras are visible from this angle.
Oppo F17 Pro targets the youth of India and might be priced around Rs.25,000 ($335/€280) segment in 2020. As per our source, the phone will launch in early September. A few days ago, OPPO PEAM00 was spotted on the TENAA website and some key specs of the device have been revealed. The listing has been spotted by Mukul Sharma, he has also shared two images of the device.
Transparent Solar panels are here in the market for quite a long time. These are generally used to the buildings that block sunlight to reach the ground. The obstructed light is used to produce energy. But, unfortunately, the efficiency of these panels was too low. So, further engineering and development work, on it, is running.
As a result, the researchers from the University of Michigan come up with a new design that provides 8.1% of efficiency and it’s a current record. The research details are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Along with the 8.1% efficiency, these new panel design is also 43.3% transparent as the design is based on carbon, a less toxic material than silicon that is generally used in this. The assistant research scientist Yongxi Li explained to Michigan News – “The new material we developed, and the structure of the device we built, had to balance multiple trade-offs to provide good sunlight absorption, high voltage, high current, low resistance and color-neutral transparency all at the same time,”
The organic molecules of this design are specially engineered to be transparent and absorb near-infrared light that is an invisible part of the spectrum and it accounts for much of the energy.
Flipkart just launched the Nokia Media Streamer on its platform that is based on Android. If you are wondering why Flipkart is launching Nokia’s product, well, it’s a part of the e-commerce platform’s branding partnership with Nokia and it includes Nokia TVs too. This launch at the time of Mi TV Stick’s market play makes it one of the competitors, no doubt. Here are the features of the new Media Streamer.
The Nokia Media Streamer is based on Google’s Android TV 9 and able to stream content with the resolution of up to Full HD. There is also built-in Chromecast support along with Dolby Audio. The dedicated remote comes with it, has some hotkeys like Netflix and Zee5. It enables Google Assistant Support too.
The performance part is maintained by an unidentified quad-core processor paired with Mali 450 GPU and 1GB of RAM. To install apps and store their data, 8GB of internal storage is allocated. You can connect it with your TV through HDMI port and to connect the device with internet Wi-Fi support is added.
Apart from the pre-installed, you can easily install various other applications of your choice through Google Play Store.
The Nokia Media Streamer is coming with the price tag Rs. 3,499 and will go on sale from 28th August via Flipkart only.
Mumbai – August 20th, 2020 – HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology, today expanded the award-winning Cloud AlphaTM S lineup with the addition of Cloud AlphaTM S Blackout. With a new brilliant yet subdued all-black design, the new Alpha S Blackout addition features custom-tuned HyperX virtual 7.1 surround sound with an advanced audio control mixer to easily activate surround sound and to adjust the mic between game and chat, Mechanical bass adjustment sliders allow for three levels of bass fine-tuning providing listeners with richer audio gaming experience. The Cloud Alpha S Blackout utilizes dual chamber technology to separate the bass from the mids and highs for accurate and smooth in-game audio.
“We are excited to introduce our second color variation to HyperX Cloud Alpha S lineup,” said HyperX. “we can now offer gamers more ways to customize their setup with a custom-tuned HyperX 7.1 virtual surround sound headset that has all the comfort and style of the original HyperX Cloud.”
The Cloud Alpha S features signature HyperX comfort with premium memory foam ear cushions, an extra breathable leatherette, and a durable aluminum frame. The headset also comes equipped with a detachable noise cancellation mic, braided cable, spare set of fabric ear cushions, and a travel bag.
HyperX provides a variety of PC, console, and wireless headsets including the Cloud II, Cloud Alpha, Cloud Flight, Cloud Revolver, Cloud MIX, and Cloud Orbit S, an audiophile-grade headset with planar drivers. This is a great gaming headset that looks premium and the virtual 7.1 surround sound is a nice addition by HyperX to enhance the sound and enrich the gaming experience.
Availability
The HyperX Cloud Alpha S Blackout gaming headset is available for MRP of INR 14,300 through HyperX’s network of retail and e-tail outlets. It is also exclusively available on Amazon for INR 11,000. For more information on the Cloud Alpha S lineup and global availability, please visit the Cloud Alpha S product page. Buy the headset from here: https://amzn.to/2CK535d
