Kirin 970 SoC Said to be Announced Tomorrow at IFA Berlin 2017

Huawei is set to announce their new Kirin 970 SoC tomorrow at IFA Berlin 2017, according to a report from the German news website WinFuture.de.

The new SoC is said to be based on 10nm manufacturing process, in-line with the competition from Exynos, MediaTek and of course Snapdragon. The Kirin 970 is said to have 8 CPU cores, 12 GPU cores and a dual ISP.

With 5.5 billion transistors, it has reportedly exceeded the Snapdragon 835 by 2.5 billion. Transistor count isn’t all that matters, however, especially once you consider that the Kirin 960 had 4 billion transistors and is a generation behind the Snapdragon 835. That isn’t to say Kirin isn’t capable of putting up a fight, as the Kirin 960 actually outclassed the Snapdragon 820 in single core performance. The Snapdragon 820 won out thanks to its graphics capabilities and multi-core performance, as expected given Qualcomm’s steadfast dominance in graphics thanks to the Adreno GPU line. The Kirin has always been a serious contender, however.

What’s more, this chip is reportedly armed with advanced artificial intelligence computing capabilities, advertised to be 25 times faster than a normal CPU core and 50 times more efficient. It seems that with the Kirin 970, Huawei wants to integrate better and more powerful artificial intelligence into its devices — once more in line with what’s being increasingly offered by competitors. This can only be a good thing, as artificial intelligence can learn a user’s tendencies, as we’ve seen in some Huawei devices. This can be used for preloading applications, helpful notifications and more, though we have yet to see truly noticeable improvements through these kinds of implementations.

We’ll be keeping an eye out on the Kirin 970 to see when it launches. We expect to see it debut in the Huawei Mate 10 which should be launching in the next few months. It’s always nice to see more chipsets and competition, so we can’t wait to see what HiSilicon will be offering.

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Source: WinFuture

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Kirin 970 SoC Said to be Announced Tomorrow at IFA Berlin 2017

Huawei is set to announce their new Kirin 970 SoC tomorrow at IFA Berlin 2017, according to a report from the German news website WinFuture.de.

The new SoC is said to be based on 10nm manufacturing process, in-line with the competition from Exynos, MediaTek and of course Snapdragon. The Kirin 970 is said to have 8 CPU cores, 12 GPU cores and a dual ISP.

With 5.5 billion transistors, it has reportedly exceeded the Snapdragon 835 by 2.5 billion. Transistor count isn't all that matters, however, especially once you consider that the Kirin 960 had 4 billion transistors and is a generation behind the Snapdragon 835. That isn't to say Kirin isn't capable of putting up a fight, as the Kirin 960 actually outclassed the Snapdragon 820 in single core performance. The Snapdragon 820 won out thanks to its graphics capabilities and multi-core performance, as expected given Qualcomm's steadfast dominance in graphics thanks to the Adreno GPU line. The Kirin has always been a serious contender, however.

What's more, this chip is reportedly armed with advanced artificial intelligence computing capabilities, advertised to be 25 times faster than a normal CPU core and 50 times more efficient. It seems that with the Kirin 970, Huawei wants to integrate better and more powerful artificial intelligence into its devices — once more in line with what's being increasingly offered by competitors. This can only be a good thing, as artificial intelligence can learn a user's tendencies, as we've seen in some Huawei devices. This can be used for preloading applications, helpful notifications and more, though we have yet to see truly noticeable improvements through these kinds of implementations.

We'll be keeping an eye out on the Kirin 970 to see when it launches. We expect to see it debut in the Huawei Mate 10 which should be launching in the next few months. It's always nice to see more chipsets and competition, so we can't wait to see what HiSilicon will be offering.

---

Source: WinFuture

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There’s an Easy Fix for the Essential Phone’s Camera Quality – Google’s Camera App

The company behind the Essential Phone, while selling a nice looking phone with some pretty high end specifications, have made some pretty questionable decisions. We wrote an article detailing our problems with the device and the company behind it. What’s more, not even a day after we published that article Essential seemingly messed up again, leaving a small number of customers in a potentially dangerous position. In an attempt to regain goodwill from users, those who received the disturbing email will receive a free phone and a year of LifeLock service.

And those are only problems relating to the company.

The phone itself seems pretty decent, especially software wise thanks to its nearly stock Android. Not fantastic, not “essential”, just good. But one of the biggest issues with the device has been the camera experience. Nearly universally, reviewers and early users of the phone have stated that the camera experience just isn’t on par with other flagship phones in its category. The phone provides a slow, laggy picture taking experience with poor quality photos and a lot left to desire.

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The Essential Phone’s Camera Potential is Held Back by Software

Thankfully, a review over on TheNextWeb.com points out that the Google Camera HDR+ port we covered works very well on the device. The difference is absolutely night and day, and shows that the Essential Phone’s camera can be saved. The sensor certainly has potential as showcased by the images below, taken on an Essential PH-1 by reviewer Napier Lopez.

Before I show the other images, I just need to point out how amazing the Google Camera HDR+ is against the stock camera. There is substantially less noise and an impressive amount of detail in comparison. These photo comparisons were enough to sway me – the Essential Phone actually has a good camera, but it is held back by the stock camera software.

Left is stock, right is Google Camera HDR+ Port. Credits: Napier Lopez \\ TheNextWeb

Left is stock, right is Google Camera HDR+ Port. Credits: Napier Lopez \\ TheNextWeb

If you still aren’t convinced, TheNextWeb tells us they will have a more detailed comparison between HDR+ on the Google Camera app versus the stock camera app, so be sure to check that out.

As for the pictures we’ve seen so far, they are of a much better quality with nicer colors and greater detail when taken on the Google Camera app. This shows the phone’s camera woes actually come from the camera processing software, and not the camera sensor itself. If the device has potential for photos like those shown above and can consistently do as good of a job as these, keep an eye out on future software updates from Essential – the camera quality still has room to grow.

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There’s an Easy Fix for the Essential Phone’s Camera Quality – Google’s Camera App

The company behind the Essential Phone, while selling a nice looking phone with some pretty high end specifications, have made some pretty questionable decisions. We wrote an article detailing our problems with the device and the company behind it. What's more, not even a day after we published that article Essential seemingly messed up again, leaving a small number of customers in a potentially dangerous position. In an attempt to regain goodwill from users, those who received the disturbing email will receive a free phone and a year of LifeLock service.

And those are only problems relating to the company.

The phone itself seems pretty decent, especially software wise thanks to its nearly stock Android. Not fantastic, not "essential", just good. But one of the biggest issues with the device has been the camera experience. Nearly universally, reviewers and early users of the phone have stated that the camera experience just isn't on par with other flagship phones in its category. The phone provides a slow, laggy picture taking experience with poor quality photos and a lot left to desire.

---

The Essential Phone's Camera Potential is Held Back by Software

Thankfully, a review over on TheNextWeb.com points out that the Google Camera HDR+ port we covered works very well on the device. The difference is absolutely night and day, and shows that the Essential Phone's camera can be saved. The sensor certainly has potential as showcased by the images below, taken on an Essential PH-1 by reviewer Napier Lopez.

Before I show the other images, I just need to point out how amazing the Google Camera HDR+ is against the stock camera. There is substantially less noise and an impressive amount of detail in comparison. These photo comparisons were enough to sway me – the Essential Phone actually has a good camera, but it is held back by the stock camera software.

Left is stock, right is Google Camera HDR+ Port. Credits: Napier Lopez \\ TheNextWeb

Left is stock, right is Google Camera HDR+ Port. Credits: Napier Lopez \\ TheNextWeb

If you still aren't convinced, TheNextWeb tells us they will have a more detailed comparison between HDR+ on the Google Camera app versus the stock camera app, so be sure to check that out.

As for the pictures we've seen so far, they are of a much better quality with nicer colors and greater detail when taken on the Google Camera app. This shows the phone's camera woes actually come from the camera processing software, and not the camera sensor itself. If the device has potential for photos like those shown above and can consistently do as good of a job as these, keep an eye out on future software updates from Essential – the camera quality still has room to grow.

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How to Tell if Your Android 8.0 Oreo Device Supports Project Treble

We’ve first learned about Project Treble right before this year’s Google I/O 2017. Treble is the most significant low-level change to the Android platform to date. To simplify heavily, it separates the vendor implementation from the Android framework in an effort to avoid lengthy waits for updates. Project Treble is currently supported by the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL running Android 8.0 Oreo. We’ve also learned from the initial announcement that, going forward, all devices shipping with Android 8.0 (like, for example, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and the just announced Sony Xperia XZ1 series) will come with Treble support. Google also recently announced that they are working with OEMs to bring Project Treble to some existing flagships.

If you have a flagship device that is expected to be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo, how will you know for sure if it supports Project Treble? Unless the release notes outright tell you, which they likely won’t given that it’s such a low-level change, you’ll have to find out another way. Luckily, there’s a really, really simple way to find out if an Android Oreo device supports Treble.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how you can tell if your device supports Project Treble. Obviously, for this, you’re going to need official, stock Android 8.0 Oreo, since Treble is not supported on 7.0 and lower. And as a reminder, if you have a Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, or any device that launches with Android 8.0, then that device will for sure support Treble.

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Know if Your Android 8.0+ Device Supports Project Treble (Terminal)

Unlike most adb/terminal tutorials we’ve done previously, this one does not require root, since we’re simply getting a build.prop value. You do need Termux (or any other terminal application) going forward, though.

Termux (Free, Google Play) →

The image on the right shows you how it should look. Once you’re set up inside the app, simply type the following command:

getprop ro.treble.enabled

It will return a boolean value, true if your device supports Treble and false if it doesn’t.

Know if Your Android 8.0+ Device Supports Project Treble (ADB)

Firstly, you’ll need to set up the Android Debug Bridge on your device in order to get going. Follow this tutorial, as it has everything you need to get going on Windows, Linux, and macOS! Then, you’ll need to connect your device, either with USB debugging or WiFi debugging (we recommend the latter, but either one will work just fine). Whatever one you choose, be sure to check if it’s connected using “adb devices”. The image on the right shows you how it should look.

Then, we’ll proceed to start the Android terminal inside ADB. For this, use:

adb shell

Afterwards, use the following command:

getprop ro.treble.enabled

The shell will return a boolean value. If it returns true, then congratulations: your device supports Project Treble!

 

---

Explanation

It’s actually pretty simple. Project Treble isn’t really a value that you can see or configure in Settings, device info or other places, however if your device does support it, a preference in build.prop lets any apps know of that fact. This is probably because the Google Play Store needs to read this flag in order to deliver updates for things like graphic drivers and other vendor-related stuff. This flag is required on all devices supporting Treble. The build.prop file is located in the system partition, but its values are readable without root, making this tutorial possible.

However, this does NOT mean you can enable Treble on your device by simply adding this flag to your build.prop since it will do absolutely nothing. As we said above, it requires OEM implementation since it’s pretty much a complete rework of a lower layer of Android, and Google is actually working with OEMs to bring Project Treble to existing devices.

As such, this is not something a custom ROM developer can simply bake into their ROM like a regular feature. And should an OEM refuse working with Google to bring it to their device, they can just roll out a simple Android 8.0 update without Treble. The list of OEMs working on Project Treble support for existing phones hasn’t been disclosed either. So, until phones start shipping with Android 8.0 (Project Treble is required for all new devices running Oreo), this will be the only way to actually know if your updated Android 8.0 device supports Treble or not.

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How to Tell if Your Android 8.0 Oreo Device Supports Project Treble

We've first learned about Project Treble right before this year's Google I/O 2017. Treble is the most significant low-level change to the Android platform to date. To simplify heavily, it separates the vendor implementation from the Android framework in an effort to avoid lengthy waits for updates. Project Treble is currently supported by the Google Pixel and the Google Pixel XL running Android 8.0 Oreo. We've also learned from the initial announcement that, going forward, all devices shipping with Android 8.0 (like, for example, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and the just announced Sony Xperia XZ1 series) will come with Treble support. Google also recently announced that they are working with OEMs to bring Project Treble to some existing flagships.

If you have a flagship device that is expected to be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo, how will you know for sure if it supports Project Treble? Unless the release notes outright tell you, which they likely won't given that it's such a low-level change, you'll have to find out another way. Luckily, there's a really, really simple way to find out if an Android Oreo device supports Treble.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can tell if your device supports Project Treble. Obviously, for this, you're going to need official, stock Android 8.0 Oreo, since Treble is not supported on 7.0 and lower. And as a reminder, if you have a Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, or any device that launches with Android 8.0, then that device will for sure support Treble.

---

Know if Your Android 8.0+ Device Supports Project Treble (Terminal)

Unlike most adb/terminal tutorials we've done previously, this one does not require root, since we're simply getting a build.prop value. You do need Termux (or any other terminal application) going forward, though.

Termux (Free, Google Play) →

The image on the right shows you how it should look. Once you're set up inside the app, simply type the following command:

  getprop ro.treble.enabled  

It will return a boolean value, true if your device supports Treble and false if it doesn't.

Know if Your Android 8.0+ Device Supports Project Treble (ADB)

Firstly, you'll need to set up the Android Debug Bridge on your device in order to get going. Follow this tutorial, as it has everything you need to get going on Windows, Linux, and macOS! Then, you'll need to connect your device, either with USB debugging or WiFi debugging (we recommend the latter, but either one will work just fine). Whatever one you choose, be sure to check if it's connected using "adb devices". The image on the right shows you how it should look.

Then, we'll proceed to start the Android terminal inside ADB. For this, use:

  adb shell  

Afterwards, use the following command:

  getprop ro.treble.enabled  

The shell will return a boolean value. If it returns true, then congratulations: your device supports Project Treble!

 

---

Explanation

It's actually pretty simple. Project Treble isn't really a value that you can see or configure in Settings, device info or other places, however if your device does support it, a preference in build.prop lets any apps know of that fact. This is probably because the Google Play Store needs to read this flag in order to deliver updates for things like graphic drivers and other vendor-related stuff. This flag is required on all devices supporting Treble. The build.prop file is located in the system partition, but its values are readable without root, making this tutorial possible.

However, this does NOT mean you can enable Treble on your device by simply adding this flag to your build.prop since it will do absolutely nothing. As we said above, it requires OEM implementation since it's pretty much a complete rework of a lower layer of Android, and Google is actually working with OEMs to bring Project Treble to existing devices.

As such, this is not something a custom ROM developer can simply bake into their ROM like a regular feature. And should an OEM refuse working with Google to bring it to their device, they can just roll out a simple Android 8.0 update without Treble. The list of OEMs working on Project Treble support for existing phones hasn't been disclosed either. So, until phones start shipping with Android 8.0 (Project Treble is required for all new devices running Oreo), this will be the only way to actually know if your updated Android 8.0 device supports Treble or not.

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Motorola Launches the Mid-Range Moto X4 for €399, Europe Release in September, US in the Fall

We’ve been hearing about a new Moto X since May of this year, which was surprising to many since the company didn’t release one last year. Initial renders that were leaked had most of the details right, but some were off (the camera module in specific). Then this month the device was approved for sale in Brazil and then shortly after that it passed the FCC certification process. Today, Motorola has officially launched the Moto X4 and we now know the full details of the new smartphone.

The Moto X line holds a special place in a lot of enthusiast’s hearts because it was the first flagship series that Motorola released for the short time they were under Google’s umbrella. Now, the Moto Z line is the company’s premiere flagship series and the Moto X series has been relegated to the mid-range market. This isn’t as bad as it could be when you consider the company’s original Moto Z Play was mid-range and it received a ton of praise thanks to its stellar battery life.

So the new Moto X4 has a 5.2″ 1080p display with the Snapdragon 630 SoC powering it from the inside. It has 3GBs of RAM and 32GBs of expandable storage with a 3,000mAh capacity battery. The phone comes with a 15 watt TurboPower charger and Motorola states you can get 6 hours of use after a 15-minute charge. The frame is metal and it has a glass back so the company was able to achieve IP68 water and dust resistance which is a huge selling point these days.

The biggest feature in this phone is the dual rear-camera setup. One of these rear camera sensors is 12MP while the other is an 8MP wide-angle shooter, and both of them are able to capture color images (so no monochrome feature here). The main 12MP sensor has dual-pixel autofocus, an f/2.0 lens, and 1.4nm pixels. The secondary camera is able to offer a 120-degree field of view with its f/2.2 lens and 1.12nm pixels. Motorola says they’re able to give you those depth effects that are so popular these days thanks to the dual camera setup. The front of the device houses a 16MP camera and includes an “adaptive low-light mode” that Motorola says allows for better low light performance while sacrificing some resolution.

Another big feature here is that Motorola has opted for Amazon Alexa as its virtual assistant of choice so it will be able to respond to “Alexa” voice commands, even when locked. The company says they’re launching the Moto X4 in Europe next month (September) for €399, and that it should be made available in the United States sometime this fall.

---

Source: Motorola

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Motorola Launches the Mid-Range Moto X4 for €399, Europe Release in September, US in the Fall

We've been hearing about a new Moto X since May of this year, which was surprising to many since the company didn't release one last year. Initial renders that were leaked had most of the details right, but some were off (the camera module in specific). Then this month the device was approved for sale in Brazil and then shortly after that it passed the FCC certification process. Today, Motorola has officially launched the Moto X4 and we now know the full details of the new smartphone.

The Moto X line holds a special place in a lot of enthusiast's hearts because it was the first flagship series that Motorola released for the short time they were under Google's umbrella. Now, the Moto Z line is the company's premiere flagship series and the Moto X series has been relegated to the mid-range market. This isn't as bad as it could be when you consider the company's original Moto Z Play was mid-range and it received a ton of praise thanks to its stellar battery life.

So the new Moto X4 has a 5.2″ 1080p display with the Snapdragon 630 SoC powering it from the inside. It has 3GBs of RAM and 32GBs of expandable storage with a 3,000mAh capacity battery. The phone comes with a 15 watt TurboPower charger and Motorola states you can get 6 hours of use after a 15-minute charge. The frame is metal and it has a glass back so the company was able to achieve IP68 water and dust resistance which is a huge selling point these days.

The biggest feature in this phone is the dual rear-camera setup. One of these rear camera sensors is 12MP while the other is an 8MP wide-angle shooter, and both of them are able to capture color images (so no monochrome feature here). The main 12MP sensor has dual-pixel autofocus, an f/2.0 lens, and 1.4nm pixels. The secondary camera is able to offer a 120-degree field of view with its f/2.2 lens and 1.12nm pixels. Motorola says they're able to give you those depth effects that are so popular these days thanks to the dual camera setup. The front of the device houses a 16MP camera and includes an "adaptive low-light mode" that Motorola says allows for better low light performance while sacrificing some resolution.

Another big feature here is that Motorola has opted for Amazon Alexa as its virtual assistant of choice so it will be able to respond to "Alexa" voice commands, even when locked. The company says they're launching the Moto X4 in Europe next month (September) for €399, and that it should be made available in the United States sometime this fall.

---

Source: Motorola

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Add a Quick Settings Display Mode Tile to the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

Samsung's OEM ROM software comes with hundreds of additional features on top of stock Android, and there are a ton of of quick settings tiles for some of them. However, those of you on the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ may have noticed that a display mode quick settings tile is missing, so there's no easy way to change between Adaptive Display/AMOLED Photo/AMOLED Cinema/Basic.

For that reason, XDA Assistant Forum Admin the_scotsman has put together a guide to create a quick settings tile to switch between these modes yourself. This method does require root as you will be writing to a kernel preference file to change the display mode. You will also need to have Tasker installed to create the custom quick setting tile, but the guide itself is quite easy to follow and walks you through the entire process of getting this working.

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Guide to Add Quick Setting Display Mode Tile

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Add a Quick Settings Display Mode Tile to the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

Samsung’s OEM ROM software comes with hundreds of additional features on top of stock Android, and there are a ton of of quick settings tiles for some of them. However, those of you on the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ may have noticed that a display mode quick settings tile is missing, so there’s no easy way to change between Adaptive Display/AMOLED Photo/AMOLED Cinema/Basic.

For that reason, XDA Assistant Forum Admin the_scotsman has put together a guide to create a quick settings tile to switch between these modes yourself. This method does require root as you will be writing to a kernel preference file to change the display mode. You will also need to have Tasker installed to create the custom quick setting tile, but the guide itself is quite easy to follow and walks you through the entire process of getting this working.

---

Guide to Add Quick Setting Display Mode Tile

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Sony Equips the Xperia XZ1 with 3D Scanning and Image Creation Software

Sony is in Berlin this week for the big IFA 2017 conference and they're announcing a number of new devices there. We reported on their two new flagship devices earlier this month that were leaked before the unveiling, and they have also launched a new connected speaker with support for Google Assistant. Now that these two flagship smartphones are official, we get a look at some of their software features and one in particular that stands out is what they're calling the Xperia XZ1 3D Creator.

Augmented reality is becoming more and more popular these days with companies such as Google working on them for years. Google's previous work required special hardware for AR to work the way they wanted it, but even their new ARCore platform eliminates this requirement. It looks like Sony is jumping into this market as well with a piece of software called 3D Creator for their new Xperia XZ1 flagship smartphone. They're even taking it a step further though and using this 3D capturing technology for more than just AR, though.

The process starts by launching the application and then using it to capture a full 360 degree scan of the object. If you want, you can do this with your head and then use it with one of their pre-built avatar figures. This can then be placed virtually in the room you're in, or you can use it with popular chat applications (they used WhatsApp as an example) as a 3D Sticker. You can capture other 3D objects as well, such as a conch shell, and then put then virtually place that captured object anywhere else.

The 3D Creator software for the Xperia XZ1 even lets you use these objects for 3D printing as well. Sony says it should only take between 15 to 60 seconds to scan an object, and the software comes with four different modes including face, head, freeform and food.

---

Source: Sony Mobile

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Sony Equips the Xperia XZ1 with 3D Scanning and Image Creation Software

Sony is in Berlin this week for the big IFA 2017 conference and they’re announcing a number of new devices there. We reported on their two new flagship devices earlier this month that were leaked before the unveiling, and they have also launched a new connected speaker with support for Google Assistant. Now that these two flagship smartphones are official, we get a look at some of their software features and one in particular that stands out is what they’re calling the Xperia XZ1 3D Creator.

Augmented reality is becoming more and more popular these days with companies such as Google working on them for years. Google’s previous work required special hardware for AR to work the way they wanted it, but even their new ARCore platform eliminates this requirement. It looks like Sony is jumping into this market as well with a piece of software called 3D Creator for their new Xperia XZ1 flagship smartphone. They’re even taking it a step further though and using this 3D capturing technology for more than just AR, though.

The process starts by launching the application and then using it to capture a full 360 degree scan of the object. If you want, you can do this with your head and then use it with one of their pre-built avatar figures. This can then be placed virtually in the room you’re in, or you can use it with popular chat applications (they used WhatsApp as an example) as a 3D Sticker. You can capture other 3D objects as well, such as a conch shell, and then put then virtually place that captured object anywhere else.

The 3D Creator software for the Xperia XZ1 even lets you use these objects for 3D printing as well. Sony says it should only take between 15 to 60 seconds to scan an object, and the software comes with four different modes including face, head, freeform and food.

---

Source: Sony Mobile

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Mod to Customize the UI of your Google Pixel running Android Oreo

With the Android Oreo OTA update rolling out to the Google Pixel phones, some are looking for ways to customize the user interface of their device. So XDA Senior Member Tulsadiver has put together a collection of mods that lets you pick and choose which mods you want to install through an Aroma installer.

Some of the included mods let you change things such as the navigation bar height, status bar icon colors, clock positions and more. The developer does note that not all of the mods have been tested, so you should create a backup ahead of time. To install this mod, your Google Pixel needs to have an unlocked bootloader and has to have a custom recovery such as TWRP installed.

---

Check out this UI mod in our Pixel forum

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Mod to Customize the UI of your Google Pixel running Android Oreo

With the Android Oreo OTA update rolling out to the Google Pixel phones, some are looking for ways to customize the user interface of their device. So XDA Senior Member Tulsadiver has put together a collection of mods that lets you pick and choose which mods you want to install through an Aroma installer.

Some of the included mods let you change things such as the navigation bar height, status bar icon colors, clock positions and more. The developer does note that not all of the mods have been tested, so you should create a backup ahead of time. To install this mod, your Google Pixel needs to have an unlocked bootloader and has to have a custom recovery such as TWRP installed.

---

Check out this UI mod in our Pixel forum

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One Click Tool to Change the Splash Screen on the HTC U11

The splash screen is one of the first things that every user sees after booting up a device. It generally shows the company logo before going into the device's boot animation. Developers on our HTC U11 forums have managed to create a tool to replace this splash screen for the device.

The Universal Splash Screen Flasher Tool was created by XDA Recognized Developer ivicask and XDA Senior Member JEANRIVERA. To use this tool, your HTC U11 needs to be S-OFF. The method works on Windows, but adapting it to other operating systems should not be difficult. Head over to the development thread to get more details and instructions.

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Get Universal Splash Screen Flasher Tool for HTC U11

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One Click Tool to Change the Splash Screen on the HTC U11

The splash screen is one of the first things that every user sees after booting up a device. It generally shows the company logo before going into the device’s boot animation. Developers on our HTC U11 forums have managed to create a tool to replace this splash screen for the device.

The Universal Splash Screen Flasher Tool was created by XDA Recognized Developer ivicask and XDA Senior Member JEANRIVERA. To use this tool, your HTC U11 needs to be S-OFF. The method works on Windows, but adapting it to other operating systems should not be difficult. Head over to the development thread to get more details and instructions.

---

Get Universal Splash Screen Flasher Tool for HTC U11

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Sony Announces Which Devices They’re Updating to Android Oreo

When Google releases a new version of Android, people start asking which devices will be updated to it. Since each individual OEM handles their software updates differently, it can be confusing to know which device will get the new update. Some OEMs are easy to predict though, since they generally stick to flagships released in the last two years, but Sony is different. Today, the company has revealed which of their smartphones they plan on updating to Android Oreo.

Similarly to how Xiaomi announced their OTA update roadmap for the new MIUI 9 release, Sony has given us an entire list of devices that we can expect to use Android Oreo. So far, the list includes the Sony Xperia X, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XZ, Xperia X Compact, Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZs, Xperia XA1, Xperia XA1 Ultra, Xperia Touch and Xperia XA1 Plus. The company notes that software updates for these devices are phased and that timing along with availability will vary depending on the market and/or the carrier.

This is how things generally work with Android updates for a number of reasons. Sometimes it takes carriers longer to push out an update to a smartphone. So while the unlocked version of a device in one market could get the update first, it could take time if you purchased yours from a local wireless carrier. Sony could even decide that they sold so few devices in a certain country that it just isn't financially viable to work on localizing the Android Oreo update for said country.

Hopefully there won't be too many instances like that, but it's definitely possible as we have seen it before from other OEMs. The company has just announced two new smartphones as well, the Xperia XZ1 and the Xperia XZ1 Compact, which Sony says will both launch with Android Oreo out of the box.

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Source: Sony Mobile

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Sony Launches the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact at IFA 2017

With most major OEMs pulling out their big guns for 2017, Sony is also refreshing its lineup to compete against the competition. After a few leaks, Sony has finally launched the new Sony Xperia XZ1 and Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact at IFA 2017.

Xperia XZ1

Most flagships this year saw changes, sometimes radical, on their design. But Sony has once again chosen to recycle the design on its flagship, choosing to remain with the big chin and forehead in a year where everyone is shaving off the bezels in some way. Both the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact are easily identified as Sony smartphones, but ones that cannot really stand apart from the rest of Sony's smartphone lineup in terms of design. The phones feature the side-mounted fingerprint scanner that is integrated into the power button — a feature that I would personally like other phones to experiment with as well. Sony does note however that this feature may not be available in all markets, a likely indication that the phones sold in the USA will once again skip on the fingerprint sensor. Both the phones also have a front-facing stereo speaker setup.

The Xperia XZ1 is the bigger of the two devices launched, and comes with a 5.2″ FHD HDR display housed in a 148 x 73 x 7.4mm metallic body for the phone. On the inside, the XZ1 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage with microSD support. The phone comes with a 2,700 mAh battery that supports Qnovo Adaptive Charging and Qualcomm's Quick Charging 3.0 through the USB 3.1 Type-C port. The Xperia XZ1 is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.

For the camera setup, the Xperia XZ1 borrows heavily from the previously released Xperia XZ Premium back from MWC 2017. The phone comes with what Sony is calling the Motion Eye camera. The rear camera is a 19MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, but instead of a 2-layer design, this features a memory layer in between the sensor and control circuitry layers. This allows the camera itself to store photos temporarily instead of waiting on the chipset to transfer them to RAM. This in turn allows the camera to capture 4K video, 720p HD video at 960fps slow-motion and autofocus burst. The front camera is a 13MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture and a 22mm wide angle lens.

The Xperia XZ1 will comes in four colors: Black, Warm Silver, Moonlit Blue and Venus Pink.

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Xperia XZ1 Compact

Perhaps the more interesting product in this launch is the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact.

The Xperia XZ1 Compact shares a lot in common with the Xperia XZ1, but comes in a smaller form factor. As a consequence of its smaller 129 x 65 x 9.3mm size, it has a small 4.6″ HD display. The metallic build is replaced with a plastic compound, and the USB connection is only limited to USB 2.0 on this one. The front camera is a super wide angle 18MP Exmor sensor with f/2.4 aperture and with a 120 degree field-of-view. Everything else is shared with the Xperia XZ1, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and 2,700 mAh battery. Color options on the XZ1 Compact include Black, Snow Silver, Horizon Blue, Twilight Pink.

As the proverbial cherry on top, both the Sony Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box underneath Sony's UX. Both the phones will be available globally in September 2017, though Sony chose to remain silent on the pricing and specific region availability.

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The XZ1 Compact does seem better placed than its larger sibling, as it comes as a powerful flagship grade device in a form-factor that is very largely ignored by top-tier OEMs. Most offerings in this screen size come with watered down specifications and can be considered mid-end phones at their very best. The XZ1 Compact on the other hand identifies strongly as a top-tier device on the inside, and is likely to come at a corresponding price.

What are your thoughts on Sony's Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact? Would you give Sony a pass for the design language adopted on the new flagships? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Sony Mobile

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Here is a Crazy Thought: Google Should Buy HTC’s Crumbling Mobile Division

Almost exactly six years ago Google did something quite unexpected: they announced they were purchasing Motorola Mobility. At the time Google was not really building its own hardware for its Android division, nor were they branding any Android hardware as their own. They had the Nexus lineup but Nexus was always about partial ownership between Google and the actual device manufacturer.

Some saw this takeover as early signs that Google would begin building their own hardware and were hopeful. However, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that some of Google's partners were worried that Google would begin showing favoritism to its own units instead of supporting the OEMs that were largely responsible for Android's exploding growth. Google did much to assure partners that they would be keeping Motorola separate from its core businesses, and that it would be treated as any other partner — for the most part, they followed through. Little change came from this partnership as Motorola was quickly spun off less than two years after the acquisition was completed, and then Lenovo took over the brand. Why Google bought Motorola is no mystery, though. Motorola had a vast patent portfolio that Google can use to help defend its partners and thereby prevented the patents from falling into the hands of those who would purchase these patents and bring frivolous litigation against them. Why Google sold them is more of a mystery though. Motorola was shaping up, they had just launched their Moto Maker system which was an industry first and showed exceptional promise with the Moto X and Moto G sub-brands with their phones gaining traction after years of falling into forgottenness.

Samsung, still the largest Android vendor and more unmatched in 2014 than today, is nearly always mentioned when revisiting this situation, and evidence supports these rumors. First comes a patent agreement between the two mega-companies on January 27th of 2014 followed by rumors on the 29th that Google was strong arming Samsung into toning back its UI — which it has — and its offerings in terms of music and video services — which it also has done. However, in any negotiation there has to be give from both sides, and late in the day on the 29th Google announced its sale of Motorola to Lenovo, minus the patents. There is no conclusive evidence that these situations are linked, but they are suspiciously coincidental. Fast forward 2 years and Google unveils the Pixel line of smartphones, Google-branded but not Google-built products that lead the charge as the face of Android. So if Samsung was indeed the cause of the Motorola sale, why is Google allowed to push its own branding and should Google be looking to take it further?

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That was years ago, and 2014 saw a vastly different market than what's there today. Samsung held onto nearly 31% of the global market share of smartphones with the nearest single vendor being Huawei at a measly 4.7%. Lenovo and LG followed closely at 4.4% and 4.3% bringing the three company total to a messily 13.4%. Samsung dominated the Android market by a share of many times over and largely steered the public perception of the OS. Google could not risk this partnership, especially with Samsung gearing up development in its then intimidating Tizen operating system (though now we know what came of that). However, in 2017 Samsung finds itself in a more troubling situation. Note7 disaster aside (though it still placed a large dent in their Q4 16′ performance) Samsung has dropped to 23.3% market share but more troubling than that is that Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo combine to 23% of the market with Huawei shipping over 21% more phones this year than last while Samsung remained flat. Samsung is still a large motivating force for Android, but Samsung is no longer the force moving Android forward and in terms of sheer growth — they have not had nearly enough growth in comparison to their competitors within this time window. Google knows this information and is seeing that Samsung is no longer the dominate force they once were and this could have led to Google coming out with its Pixel branded smartphones despite them obviously making waves with partner relations — especially in the United States. But is Google going far enough? I think it time for Google to get its hardware groove back on, and HTC is the perfect company to purchase to make this happen.

HTC Factory Image Credit – Digital Trends

This year, based on the leaks we know that Google will be sourcing its Pixel phones from two vendors, HTC and LG. While the similarity of the Pixel pair was once apparent,  it is not quite the small and large pairing that Google, Samsung, and Apple have all been doing so far. What happened? No one really knows, but unlike in 2016 there is more than just a size difference between the two devices, which is likely not what Google envisioned for its Pixel phones originally. Why HTC is no longer building the larger Pixel XL is anyone's guess, but the fact that HTC is one of the few vendors not looking to release a tall ratio smartphone in 2017 could have something to do with it. That does not change the fact that HTC can still make solid hardware just like they have done for years. What it does mean though is that due to HTC's fall from grace as a top smartphone vendor it has very little clout in the parts market leaving HTC unable to develop devices that are competitive on multiple fronts. After HTC's near historic downfall over the past number of years, they are left with only two valuable divisions — the handset division and Vive VR.

Rumors started to swirl late last week that HTC may looking at its options to part out its divisions. While HTC was quick to discount this with a "no comment" these rumors stemmed from Bloomberg — hardly a shady source of insider information. These rumors also make sense when you look at the bigger picture. HTC is essentially dying on the vine right now, with even the widely praised U11 failing to sustain an improvement over last year's already dismal results. HTC's days as a stand-alone smartphone vendor are numbered, as they have been for the past few years. If HTC is indeed looking at selling, they would look into parting out the company into two halves, the handset division and Vive.

Google seemingly has no immediate need for the Vive VR division having its own Daydream VR system along with Google Glass, Tango, and the newly announced ARCore projects innovating in AR. However, Google buying HTC's handset division could be highly profitable for the company. Despite having its own hardware manufacturing ties, though at a lesser scale, Google could leverage HTC's factories, 20 years of experience, industry ties, and personnel to quickly get a strong and modern Pixel hardware division underway. Many probably wouldn't be wrong to point out that HTC could not keep up with Pixel demand last year leading to out of stock issues persisting well into 2017. There could be many reasons this occurred but I doubt it was due to HTC's inability to produce the phones in a timely fashion. It more likely could be that HTC had an inability to front the costs to stock large amounts of components and produce millions of devices before launch due to their current market value and standing financially, despite Google's backing.

Samsung is no longer the force moving Android forward and in terms of sheer growth, leaving room for Google to enter the marketplace…

Google's parent company Alphabet has been involved in these rumors of HTC parting out its divisions, and while on the surface it can be seen as a potential stake in the Vive division, I feel that it could have more to do with the handsets — it just makes more sense. Rumors of Google developing their own hardware have been around for a while now but we haven't yet seen any concrete information pointing to them developing and manufacturing in-house. They do have their hardware division that does not appear to have the scale for a massive handset operation. Buying an already developed and mature system makes for an easier inroad and the Pixel branding has planted its seeds in the mainstream market. Still, there is the issue of the Android partners and how a firm and direct move like this could be seen. As I mentioned earlier though, the market is more diverse now than it was 3 years ago when Samsung had a much larger stake in how successful Android would go on to be. That doesn't directly scale back Samsung's grip on Android but their failure to produce anything marketable with Tizen and their decreasing market share puts Google into a far more favorable position.

---

Google's purchase of Motorola was the right move for the wrong company and at the wrong time for a handset division, but they did benefit from its vast patent portfolio though. However, Motorola was a far more established namesake and part of the cost of acquisition was that legacy increasing both the cost and the public perception of the situation. Google no doubt has been learning from Microsoft's mistakes would not want to have the same issues they had with the Nokia brand, so buying a company that has already fallen out of the limelight is preferential. Finally there is the cost. Google bought Motorola for over $12B in 2012 and sold the handset division for just under $3B. Right now HTC is only worth $1.9B, and likely far less if Vive gets parted out to another buyer.

I don't think there is going to be a much better time for Google to make a decisive move into the hardware manufacturing marketplace and HTC may be the company to get them in there.

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Sony Announces Which Devices They’re Updating to Android Oreo

When Google releases a new version of Android, people start asking which devices will be updated to it. Since each individual OEM handles their software updates differently, it can be confusing to know which device will get the new update. Some OEMs are easy to predict though, since they generally stick to flagships released in the last two years, but Sony is different. Today, the company has revealed which of their smartphones they plan on updating to Android Oreo.

Similarly to how Xiaomi announced their OTA update roadmap for the new MIUI 9 release, Sony has given us an entire list of devices that we can expect to use Android Oreo. So far, the list includes the Sony Xperia X, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XZ, Xperia X Compact, Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZs, Xperia XA1, Xperia XA1 Ultra, Xperia Touch and Xperia XA1 Plus. The company notes that software updates for these devices are phased and that timing along with availability will vary depending on the market and/or the carrier.

This is how things generally work with Android updates for a number of reasons. Sometimes it takes carriers longer to push out an update to a smartphone. So while the unlocked version of a device in one market could get the update first, it could take time if you purchased yours from a local wireless carrier. Sony could even decide that they sold so few devices in a certain country that it just isn’t financially viable to work on localizing the Android Oreo update for said country.

Hopefully there won’t be too many instances like that, but it’s definitely possible as we have seen it before from other OEMs. The company has just announced two new smartphones as well, the Xperia XZ1 and the Xperia XZ1 Compact, which Sony says will both launch with Android Oreo out of the box.

---

Source: Sony Mobile

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Sony Launches the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact at IFA 2017

With most major OEMs pulling out their big guns for 2017, Sony is also refreshing its lineup to compete against the competition. After a few leaks, Sony has finally launched the new Sony Xperia XZ1 and Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact at IFA 2017.

Xperia XZ1

Most flagships this year saw changes, sometimes radical, on their design. But Sony has once again chosen to recycle the design on its flagship, choosing to remain with the big chin and forehead in a year where everyone is shaving off the bezels in some way. Both the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact are easily identified as Sony smartphones, but ones that cannot really stand apart from the rest of Sony’s smartphone lineup in terms of design. The phones feature the side-mounted fingerprint scanner that is integrated into the power button — a feature that I would personally like other phones to experiment with as well. Sony does note however that this feature may not be available in all markets, a likely indication that the phones sold in the USA will once again skip on the fingerprint sensor. Both the phones also have a front-facing stereo speaker setup.

The Xperia XZ1 is the bigger of the two devices launched, and comes with a 5.2″ FHD HDR display housed in a 148 x 73 x 7.4mm metallic body for the phone. On the inside, the XZ1 comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage with microSD support. The phone comes with a 2,700 mAh battery that supports Qnovo Adaptive Charging and Qualcomm’s Quick Charging 3.0 through the USB 3.1 Type-C port. The Xperia XZ1 is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.

For the camera setup, the Xperia XZ1 borrows heavily from the previously released Xperia XZ Premium back from MWC 2017. The phone comes with what Sony is calling the Motion Eye camera. The rear camera is a 19MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, but instead of a 2-layer design, this features a memory layer in between the sensor and control circuitry layers. This allows the camera itself to store photos temporarily instead of waiting on the chipset to transfer them to RAM. This in turn allows the camera to capture 4K video, 720p HD video at 960fps slow-motion and autofocus burst. The front camera is a 13MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture and a 22mm wide angle lens.

The Xperia XZ1 will comes in four colors: Black, Warm Silver, Moonlit Blue and Venus Pink.

---

Xperia XZ1 Compact

Perhaps the more interesting product in this launch is the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact.

The Xperia XZ1 Compact shares a lot in common with the Xperia XZ1, but comes in a smaller form factor. As a consequence of its smaller 129 x 65 x 9.3mm size, it has a small 4.6″ HD display. The metallic build is replaced with a plastic compound, and the USB connection is only limited to USB 2.0 on this one. The front camera is a super wide angle 18MP Exmor sensor with f/2.4 aperture and with a 120 degree field-of-view. Everything else is shared with the Xperia XZ1, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and 2,700 mAh battery. Color options on the XZ1 Compact include Black, Snow Silver, Horizon Blue, Twilight Pink.

As the proverbial cherry on top, both the Sony Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box underneath Sony’s UX. Both the phones will be available globally in September 2017, though Sony chose to remain silent on the pricing and specific region availability.

---

The XZ1 Compact does seem better placed than its larger sibling, as it comes as a powerful flagship grade device in a form-factor that is very largely ignored by top-tier OEMs. Most offerings in this screen size come with watered down specifications and can be considered mid-end phones at their very best. The XZ1 Compact on the other hand identifies strongly as a top-tier device on the inside, and is likely to come at a corresponding price.

What are your thoughts on Sony’s Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact? Would you give Sony a pass for the design language adopted on the new flagships? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Sony Mobile

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Here is a Crazy Thought: Google Should Buy HTC’s Crumbling Mobile Division

Almost exactly six years ago Google did something quite unexpected: they announced they were purchasing Motorola Mobility. At the time Google was not really building its own hardware for its Android division, nor were they branding any Android hardware as their own. They had the Nexus lineup but Nexus was always about partial ownership between Google and the actual device manufacturer.

Some saw this takeover as early signs that Google would begin building their own hardware and were hopeful. However, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that some of Google’s partners were worried that Google would begin showing favoritism to its own units instead of supporting the OEMs that were largely responsible for Android’s exploding growth. Google did much to assure partners that they would be keeping Motorola separate from its core businesses, and that it would be treated as any other partner — for the most part, they followed through. Little change came from this partnership as Motorola was quickly spun off less than two years after the acquisition was completed, and then Lenovo took over the brand. Why Google bought Motorola is no mystery, though. Motorola had a vast patent portfolio that Google can use to help defend its partners and thereby prevented the patents from falling into the hands of those who would purchase these patents and bring frivolous litigation against them. Why Google sold them is more of a mystery though. Motorola was shaping up, they had just launched their Moto Maker system which was an industry first and showed exceptional promise with the Moto X and Moto G sub-brands with their phones gaining traction after years of falling into forgottenness.

Samsung, still the largest Android vendor and more unmatched in 2014 than today, is nearly always mentioned when revisiting this situation, and evidence supports these rumors. First comes a patent agreement between the two mega-companies on January 27th of 2014 followed by rumors on the 29th that Google was strong arming Samsung into toning back its UI — which it has — and its offerings in terms of music and video services — which it also has done. However, in any negotiation there has to be give from both sides, and late in the day on the 29th Google announced its sale of Motorola to Lenovo, minus the patents. There is no conclusive evidence that these situations are linked, but they are suspiciously coincidental. Fast forward 2 years and Google unveils the Pixel line of smartphones, Google-branded but not Google-built products that lead the charge as the face of Android. So if Samsung was indeed the cause of the Motorola sale, why is Google allowed to push its own branding and should Google be looking to take it further?

---

That was years ago, and 2014 saw a vastly different market than what’s there today. Samsung held onto nearly 31% of the global market share of smartphones with the nearest single vendor being Huawei at a measly 4.7%. Lenovo and LG followed closely at 4.4% and 4.3% bringing the three company total to a messily 13.4%. Samsung dominated the Android market by a share of many times over and largely steered the public perception of the OS. Google could not risk this partnership, especially with Samsung gearing up development in its then intimidating Tizen operating system (though now we know what came of that). However, in 2017 Samsung finds itself in a more troubling situation. Note7 disaster aside (though it still placed a large dent in their Q4 16′ performance) Samsung has dropped to 23.3% market share but more troubling than that is that Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo combine to 23% of the market with Huawei shipping over 21% more phones this year than last while Samsung remained flat. Samsung is still a large motivating force for Android, but Samsung is no longer the force moving Android forward and in terms of sheer growth — they have not had nearly enough growth in comparison to their competitors within this time window. Google knows this information and is seeing that Samsung is no longer the dominate force they once were and this could have led to Google coming out with its Pixel branded smartphones despite them obviously making waves with partner relations — especially in the United States. But is Google going far enough? I think it time for Google to get its hardware groove back on, and HTC is the perfect company to purchase to make this happen.

HTC Factory Image Credit – Digital Trends

This year, based on the leaks we know that Google will be sourcing its Pixel phones from two vendors, HTC and LG. While the similarity of the Pixel pair was once apparent,  it is not quite the small and large pairing that Google, Samsung, and Apple have all been doing so far. What happened? No one really knows, but unlike in 2016 there is more than just a size difference between the two devices, which is likely not what Google envisioned for its Pixel phones originally. Why HTC is no longer building the larger Pixel XL is anyone’s guess, but the fact that HTC is one of the few vendors not looking to release a tall ratio smartphone in 2017 could have something to do with it. That does not change the fact that HTC can still make solid hardware just like they have done for years. What it does mean though is that due to HTC’s fall from grace as a top smartphone vendor it has very little clout in the parts market leaving HTC unable to develop devices that are competitive on multiple fronts. After HTC’s near historic downfall over the past number of years, they are left with only two valuable divisions — the handset division and Vive VR.

Rumors started to swirl late last week that HTC may looking at its options to part out its divisions. While HTC was quick to discount this with a “no comment” these rumors stemmed from Bloomberg — hardly a shady source of insider information. These rumors also make sense when you look at the bigger picture. HTC is essentially dying on the vine right now, with even the widely praised U11 failing to sustain an improvement over last year’s already dismal results. HTC’s days as a stand-alone smartphone vendor are numbered, as they have been for the past few years. If HTC is indeed looking at selling, they would look into parting out the company into two halves, the handset division and Vive.

Google seemingly has no immediate need for the Vive VR division having its own Daydream VR system along with Google Glass, Tango, and the newly announced ARCore projects innovating in AR. However, Google buying HTC’s handset division could be highly profitable for the company. Despite having its own hardware manufacturing ties, though at a lesser scale, Google could leverage HTC’s factories, 20 years of experience, industry ties, and personnel to quickly get a strong and modern Pixel hardware division underway. Many probably wouldn’t be wrong to point out that HTC could not keep up with Pixel demand last year leading to out of stock issues persisting well into 2017. There could be many reasons this occurred but I doubt it was due to HTC’s inability to produce the phones in a timely fashion. It more likely could be that HTC had an inability to front the costs to stock large amounts of components and produce millions of devices before launch due to their current market value and standing financially, despite Google’s backing.

Samsung is no longer the force moving Android forward and in terms of sheer growth, leaving room for Google to enter the marketplace…

Google’s parent company Alphabet has been involved in these rumors of HTC parting out its divisions, and while on the surface it can be seen as a potential stake in the Vive division, I feel that it could have more to do with the handsets — it just makes more sense. Rumors of Google developing their own hardware have been around for a while now but we haven’t yet seen any concrete information pointing to them developing and manufacturing in-house. They do have their hardware division that does not appear to have the scale for a massive handset operation. Buying an already developed and mature system makes for an easier inroad and the Pixel branding has planted its seeds in the mainstream market. Still, there is the issue of the Android partners and how a firm and direct move like this could be seen. As I mentioned earlier though, the market is more diverse now than it was 3 years ago when Samsung had a much larger stake in how successful Android would go on to be. That doesn’t directly scale back Samsung’s grip on Android but their failure to produce anything marketable with Tizen and their decreasing market share puts Google into a far more favorable position.

---

Google’s purchase of Motorola was the right move for the wrong company and at the wrong time for a handset division, but they did benefit from its vast patent portfolio though. However, Motorola was a far more established namesake and part of the cost of acquisition was that legacy increasing both the cost and the public perception of the situation. Google no doubt has been learning from Microsoft’s mistakes would not want to have the same issues they had with the Nokia brand, so buying a company that has already fallen out of the limelight is preferential. Finally there is the cost. Google bought Motorola for over $12B in 2012 and sold the handset division for just under $3B. Right now HTC is only worth $1.9B, and likely far less if Vive gets parted out to another buyer.

I don’t think there is going to be a much better time for Google to make a decisive move into the hardware manufacturing marketplace and HTC may be the company to get them in there.

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What are Your Thoughts on Android Oreo so Far?

Now that everyone has had time to either check out multiple articles or hands-on impressions, or try out the update for themselves, most of us have began cementing our opinion on Android Oreo. Not all updates are created equal, so it’s common for hype and satisfaction levels to vary from year to year as Android gains new features or thorough refinements.

While many consider Android Oreo to not be as feature-packed as Android Nougat, it does come with a salvo of less user-facing improvements, many of which we’ve covered in depth on the XDA Portal. It brings more options to developers, enhances or removes some inconsistencies and expands potential for things like theming, while also adding new useful features like picture-in-picture video. With all of this in mind, we ask you,

What are your thoughts on Android Oreo so far? What features do you like the most, and which changes do you like least? Have you tried it on your device? Will you be flashing it to your device or updating as soon as you can?

Discuss in the comments!

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The Palm Brand is Making a Return Next Year, According to TCL

Back in the day, Palm pioneered the concept of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, largely considered the predecessor to smartphones. They've entered this market back in 1996 and achieved success with devices like the Palm TX and the Palm Pilot. With the Palm Pre, in 2009, they attempted to take on the rising Android and iOS platforms with their webOS alternative. And while webOS was a compelling platform (which even took rising designer Matias Duarte as their UX head), it failed to actually gain traction in the market. Fast-forward to 2010, and the company was bought by Hewlett-Packard for $1.2 billion, only to be sold again to TCL a mere 5 years later in 2015 (with webOS rights being sold to LG in 2013).

However, it's not all bad news for Palm fans. TCL, who also makes Alcatel and BlackBerry-brandeddevices, has announced that they are going to bring back the Palm brand starting in 2018. In a statement to Dutch website Android Planet, TCL's marketing manager Stefan Streit announced that new Palm-branded products are going to be announced in early 2018. Mr. Streit did not go into detail over what kind of products would be announced, but he said that smartphones were included in the possibilities. It's highly unlikely that those products will keep using webOS because of existing competition, and instead they will likely go for Android as their OS of choice.

According to Mr. Streit, Palm will be the fourth brand the company will maintain, right next to TCL, Alcatel and BlackBerry. Each brand is aimed at a target audience. While Alcatel focuses on millennials/young people and BlackBerry focuses on the business market, Palm will be aimed at an older audience looking for the latest in technology. He also said that they've been researching the products that best fit the brand during the past few years. While the brand has been almost completely forgotten by now, we're still excited to see a legend come back to life. We're looking forward to the first half of 2018 to see what Palm has to offer.

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Source: Android Planet

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The Palm Brand is Making a Return Next Year, According to TCL

Back in the day, Palm pioneered the concept of personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, largely considered the predecessor to smartphones. They’ve entered this market back in 1996 and achieved success with devices like the Palm TX and the Palm Pilot. With the Palm Pre, in 2009, they attempted to take on the rising Android and iOS platforms with their webOS alternative. And while webOS was a compelling platform (which even took rising designer Matias Duarte as their UX head), it failed to actually gain traction in the market. Fast-forward to 2010, and the company was bought by Hewlett-Packard for $1.2 billion, only to be sold again to TCL a mere 5 years later in 2015 (with webOS rights being sold to LG in 2013).

However, it’s not all bad news for Palm fans. TCL, who also makes Alcatel and BlackBerry-brandeddevices, has announced that they are going to bring back the Palm brand starting in 2018. In a statement to Dutch website Android Planet, TCL’s marketing manager Stefan Streit announced that new Palm-branded products are going to be announced in early 2018. Mr. Streit did not go into detail over what kind of products would be announced, but he said that smartphones were included in the possibilities. It’s highly unlikely that those products will keep using webOS because of existing competition, and instead they will likely go for Android as their OS of choice.

According to Mr. Streit, Palm will be the fourth brand the company will maintain, right next to TCL, Alcatel and BlackBerry. Each brand is aimed at a target audience. While Alcatel focuses on millennials/young people and BlackBerry focuses on the business market, Palm will be aimed at an older audience looking for the latest in technology. He also said that they’ve been researching the products that best fit the brand during the past few years. While the brand has been almost completely forgotten by now, we’re still excited to see a legend come back to life. We’re looking forward to the first half of 2018 to see what Palm has to offer.

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Source: Android Planet

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New Acer Chromebook 15 Announced at IFA 2017: Coming in October

Since 2011, Acer has been one of the world's leading Chromebook brands. The first Acer Chromebook announced at Google I/O 2011 went on to become one of the most popular products ever released by the company. At their IFA 2017 press event in Berlin, where they've unveiled a range of new products, Acer announced another offering in their Acer Chromebook 15 line with upgraded internals and new features. Their newest laptop is expected to release in October.

On the specifications, this laptop brings at least two different models. One will be powered by an unspecified dual-core Intel Celeron and the other one by a quad-core Intel Pentium processor. While these processors are somewhat underpowered for intensive tasks, they should serve well for general web browsing as well as using most apps. The laptop will also be available with 32GBs or 64GBs of eMMC storage as well as 4GB or 8GB RAM configurations, which should be enough to satisfy most users' needs. Acer has also promised battery life of up to 12 hours, and the fanless design should allow the laptop to run quietly.

One of the highlights of the Acer Chromebook 15 line is that it's the only Chromebook available with a 15.6-inch display (like most Windows laptops). As such, the 1920×1080 display is one of the biggest selling points of this laptop. It also has two upward-facing speakers for delivering media, and an HD webcam with an 88-degree field of view. On the software side, it includes Chrome OS with Google Play Store support, so you also have access to up to 2 million Android apps.

The laptop also includes two USB Type-C ports, which can also charge the unit. You also have two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a speaker jack. Bluetooth 4.2 support and an SD card slot (with support for up to 128GB SDXC) are also in tow.

Interested? This laptop, which should go on pre-order soon, will set you back $300 for the base model. You can read more about it in Acer's press release.

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New Acer Chromebook 15 Announced at IFA 2017: Coming in October

Since 2011, Acer has been one of the world’s leading Chromebook brands. The first Acer Chromebook announced at Google I/O 2011 went on to become one of the most popular products ever released by the company. At their IFA 2017 press event in Berlin, where they’ve unveiled a range of new products, Acer announced another offering in their Acer Chromebook 15 line with upgraded internals and new features. Their newest laptop is expected to release in October.

On the specifications, this laptop brings at least two different models. One will be powered by an unspecified dual-core Intel Celeron and the other one by a quad-core Intel Pentium processor. While these processors are somewhat underpowered for intensive tasks, they should serve well for general web browsing as well as using most apps. The laptop will also be available with 32GBs or 64GBs of eMMC storage as well as 4GB or 8GB RAM configurations, which should be enough to satisfy most users’ needs. Acer has also promised battery life of up to 12 hours, and the fanless design should allow the laptop to run quietly.

One of the highlights of the Acer Chromebook 15 line is that it’s the only Chromebook available with a 15.6-inch display (like most Windows laptops). As such, the 1920×1080 display is one of the biggest selling points of this laptop. It also has two upward-facing speakers for delivering media, and an HD webcam with an 88-degree field of view. On the software side, it includes Chrome OS with Google Play Store support, so you also have access to up to 2 million Android apps.

The laptop also includes two USB Type-C ports, which can also charge the unit. You also have two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a headphone jack, and a speaker jack. Bluetooth 4.2 support and an SD card slot (with support for up to 128GB SDXC) are also in tow.

Interested? This laptop, which should go on pre-order soon, will set you back $300 for the base model. You can read more about it in Acer’s press release.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Receives Unofficial Port of Android 8.0 Oreo

With the initial rush of developers trying to boot Android Oreo on anything that'll run it, the next big hitter to receive an unofficial port of the latest OS is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon edition. Android Oreo for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, ported by XDA Senior Member jhenrique09, is in an impressive position. The only broken features currently include Wi-Fi hotspot, USB tethering, and VoLTE, making this an impressive first port for the widely loved device. The Google App suite also comes pre-installed with this ROM. This Xiaomi device is not the only one to unofficially receive an Android Oreo port, with the Nexus 5 receiving one too, albeit in a much more unstable state at the moment.

What makes this port even more impressive are the circumstances the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is in. Running a Snapdragon 650, there have been no driver updates from Qualcomm to allow it to run on Android Marshmallow or higher. Developers have had to "shim" the blobs, in other words analyzing the blobs, how they interact with the new version of Android via logging and creating a shim to piece it all together and thus enabling the device to function correctly. This is a very intensive process and requires a lot of skill and patience. It can also lead to instability which can be hard for many developers implementing a shim to fix.

With LineageOS on its way (unofficially) to devices, we hope to see it built soon for the Redmi. The Redmi Note 3 is a much loved device by the Android community, and an update to Android Oreo would breathe new life into it and its community. We expect to see this device around for a long time, just like the Nexus 5. With its excellent battery, RAM, and processor, the device should be around for years to come, especially as it continues to receive unofficial updates.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Receives Unofficial Port of Android 8.0 Oreo

With the initial rush of developers trying to boot Android Oreo on anything that’ll run it, the next big hitter to receive an unofficial port of the latest OS is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon edition. Android Oreo for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, ported by XDA Senior Member jhenrique09, is in an impressive position. The only broken features currently include Wi-Fi hotspot, USB tethering, and VoLTE, making this an impressive first port for the widely loved device. The Google App suite also comes pre-installed with this ROM. This Xiaomi device is not the only one to unofficially receive an Android Oreo port, with the Nexus 5 receiving one too, albeit in a much more unstable state at the moment.

What makes this port even more impressive are the circumstances the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is in. Running a Snapdragon 650, there have been no driver updates from Qualcomm to allow it to run on Android Marshmallow or higher. Developers have had to “shim” the blobs, in other words analyzing the blobs, how they interact with the new version of Android via logging and creating a shim to piece it all together and thus enabling the device to function correctly. This is a very intensive process and requires a lot of skill and patience. It can also lead to instability which can be hard for many developers implementing a shim to fix.

With LineageOS on its way (unofficially) to devices, we hope to see it built soon for the Redmi. The Redmi Note 3 is a much loved device by the Android community, and an update to Android Oreo would breathe new life into it and its community. We expect to see this device around for a long time, just like the Nexus 5. With its excellent battery, RAM, and processor, the device should be around for years to come, especially as it continues to receive unofficial updates.

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Creating Your First Simple Android App [Video Guide]

Follow along with Rawad in this new series on XDA TV which takes you through the basics of creating an Android app. In this first video, we see how to setup Android studio and how to create a simple "Hello World" app.

 

 

Download Android Studio

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Creating Your First Simple Android App [Video Guide]

Follow along with Rawad in this new series on XDA TV which takes you through the basics of creating an Android app. In this first video, we see how to setup Android studio and how to create a simple “Hello World” app.

 

 

Download Android Studio

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 to be Officially Unveiled on September 11th

Many remember the radical design changes that Sharp introduced with their Aquos devices, but they weren't something that really made people pay attention to. This could have been from a lack of marketing, availability, the brand itself, or something else. However, Xiaomi was able to turn a lot of heads with their announcement the Mi Mix and its similar bezel design. We had heard rumblings of the company working on a successor and now they have confirmed when the Mi Mix 2 will be unveiled.

The Mi Mix really came out of left field as we just didn't hear that many rumors about it before the device launched. It hasn't even been a smartphone that has been widely available, since it was only manufactured in limited quantities. It's unclear if this will be the case with the upcoming Mi Mix 2 though, so we'll just have to wait and see how Xiaomi handles availability. Other than a teaser image and a launch date, Xiaomi hasn't really said much about the device either.

There have been a few rumors surrounding the successor to the Mi Mix but the sources of them have been known to get things wrong from time to time (which is why we hadn't written about them). Current rumors about the Mi Mix 2 say it will come equipped with a dual rear-camera setup and that Xiaomi has been working to reduce bezels even further. There's even been some talk about Xiaomi working on a 3D facial recognition support for the device.

Reported hardware specs from alleged benchmark database entries say it will be powered by the Snapdragon 835 SoC, have 6GB of RAM, and ship with Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The company seems to be wanting to keep the same 6.4″ size display (if current reports are correct), but have its resolution bumped up to 2540 x 1440 pixels. Rumors say it will be made available in 128GB and 256GB internal storage options and it will have a 4,500mAh capacity battery.

Again, these are all rumored details of the device and we'll have to wait until September 11th to  see if they are correct.

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Source: Xiaomi

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