iWorld
Oppo sparks festive glow with Reno14 Diwali Edition and Prime Video show
MUMBAI: This Diwali, your screen time may just outshine the diyas. Oppo India has teamed up with Prime Video to light up the festive season with a double treat, a sparkling new Reno14 5G Diwali edition smartphone and the much-anticipated unscripted talk show Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle, streaming exclusively on Prime Video from today.
The show kicks off with a reunion fans never thought they’d see Aamir Khan and Salman Khan sharing the couch, swapping stories, laughs, and surprises. The line-up that follows reads like a Bollywood blockbuster: Akshay Kumar, Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan, Vicky Kaushal, Govinda, Chunky Panday, and Janhvi Kapoor are all set to appear, promising spontaneous conversations and plenty of star-studded chaos.
While Kajol and Twinkle keep the cameras rolling, Oppo brings the sparkle with its limited Reno14 5G Diwali Edition, a device that is as much art as it is tech. Priced at Rs 39,999 (special festive price Rs 36,999), the smartphone draws from Indian tradition, with a mandala base symbolising harmony, a peacock representing prosperity, and flame motifs echoing the light of countless diyas.
The black-and-gold palette captures Diwali’s essence black as the new moon, symbolising obstacles, and gold as the glow of lamps, signifying triumph and prosperity.
In a first for India, the device features heat-sensitive Glowshift technology, transforming from deep black to radiant gold at body temperature. The shift, achieved through nine layers of lamination and six intricate processes, can be triggered over 10,000 cycles meaning the magic won’t fade with the season.
The Reno14 Diwali Edition packs a 50MP Hypertone triple camera with a 3.5x telephoto lens, 4K HDR video at 60fps across all lenses, and even an Underwater Photography Mode. On the inside, it’s powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8350, paired with a 6000mAh battery backed by 80w Supervooc fast charging. At just 7.42mm thin and 187g, it’s built with an aerospace-grade aluminium frame, Gorilla Glass 7i, and IP66/68/69 protection.
Running ColorOS 15 with GenAI integration, it also doubles as your AI assistant, offering tools like Translate, Mind Space, AI Summary, Circle to Search, and AI Toolbox 2.0.
For Oppo, the festive edition isn’t just a smartphone, it’s a storytelling device. As Oppo India, head of PR and communications Goldee Patnaik put it: “This special edition smartphone is a festive keepsake inspired by India’s rich cultural heritage… Our collaboration with Prime Video for Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle echoes the same sentiment celebrating real, unscripted connections and the joy of being in the moment.”
With a smartphone that changes colour with your touch and a talk show that promises raw, unscripted conversations, Oppo has blended tech and tradition into a festive narrative. This Diwali, your upgrade might just come with both a new device and a binge-worthy watchlist.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
