Feature
OPPO F7: Ideal for selfie lovers, relish more screen space
Chinese handset maker OPPO introduced its photo-focused “F” series in January 2016. The company has now refreshed the line-up with F7 at Rs 21,990 for the selfie-loving generation.
OPPO is among the few of those credited with starting the selfie-centric smartphone craze. The effort paid off well and OPPO has been refreshing its “F” and “A” series from time to time in the country.
The new F7 smartphone follows the new trend of having a screen with 19:9 aspect ratio — a notch above the display that we first saw on the Apple iPhone X.
Aggressively priced at Rs 21,990, OPPO F7 essentially competes with the newly-launched Vivo V9 that sports similar specifications.
How does the smartphone fare in daily usage? Here’s the verdict.
The design and build of the new F7 is a welcome change from what we saw in previous iterations of OPPO’s “F” series devices.
The company has done away with full metal-body design in favour of an all-plastic body that makes it very lightweight to hold and look flimsy at the same time.
At a first glance, it would look like a glass sandwich design but OPPO has accommodated a piece of polymer composite material on the rear.
Similar to other “notched” Android devices, the F7 also has a smaller notch compared to iPhone X which houses the sensors, the earpiece and a 25MP selfie camera with F/2.0 aperture.
The device has Artificial Intelligence (AI) beauty (for the front camera) feature and sensor HDR capabilities.
The self-portraits came out nice and we liked the option wherein we could manually choose the level of beautification for clicking selfies.
The 6.23-inch LCD IPS display with full HD+ resolution has been housed in normal-sized package thanks to the 19:9 aspect ratio that gives more screen space for viewing.
The display was sharp with on-screen navigation keys. However, the keys usually hide while using full-screen apps, to be brought back with an upward swipe from the bottom of the screen.
A Mediatek Helio P60 chip powers the device coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage which performed well.
The phone is fuelled by 3,400mAh battery and runs Color operating system (OS) 5.0 based on Android 8.1 Oreo OS.
Unlike its closest competitor, the Vivo V9, Oppo F7 uses a 16MP single sensor. However, it clicked decent images in adequate lighting conditions.
We particularly liked the alternative to ditch the on-screen navigation keys. The gestures, when activated, gave a better overall experience.
What does not work?
The rear camera’s performance was pretty weak in dim-light conditions. Lack of 4K-video recording is another put off.
Also, the device lacks dual rear cameras unlike Vivo V9.
OPPO has also skipped a USP-Type C charging port — which is the trend today — in favour of the dated Micro-USB port in the F7.
Conclusion: OPPO F7 is a decent smartphone that should appeal to most selfie-focused users who want more screen space in a traditional 5.5-inch device.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
