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mercredi 31 janvier 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Starts Receiving MIUI 9.2 Update Based on Android Marshmallow

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is one of Xiaomi’s most popular budget phones. It was released in 2016 with powerful specifications including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 system-on-chip, and it received a huge amount of support from developers in the form of custom ROMs. It shipped with MIUI 7 on top of Android 5.1 Lollipop, and received an update to MIUI 8 in August 2016 and Android 6.0 Marshmallow in December 2016.

In November 2017, Xiaomi launched the global version of MIUI 9, and said that the Redmi Note 3 would be among the third batch of devices to receive it. The phone was supposed to get the update in December alongside devices such as the Redmi 3S/Prime, Redmi 4A, but that didn’t happen. Xiaomi went on to release MIUI 9.2 and roll it out to several devices including the Redmi Note 4, but not the Redmi Note 3.

On Wednesday, though, Xiaomi India Product Manager Rohit Ghalsasi announced that MIUI 9 would finally come to the Redmi Note 3. According to users who’ve received the update, the phone’s settings menu identifies it as MIUI 9.2, which implies that Xioami skipped MIUI 9 in favor of the newer MIUI 9.2.

The update has the build number MIUI 9.2.4.0.MHOMIEK, and it’s 290MB in size. It’s worth noting that isn’t a Global Stable build — it’s a Nightly Stable build, the difference being that it’s rolling out to random pockets of users right now. If all goes well, the same update will hit all Redmi Note 3 devices as a Global Stable build in the coming days.

We have known for a while now that the MIUI 9 update for the Redmi Note 3 would be based on Android Marshmallow instead of Android Oreo. That’s disappointing — the device received only one major Android version upgrade in the course of its life cycle. But it’s not all bad. MIUI 9.2 brings Android’s January security patch to the device, plus fixes for the KRACK exploit, a new gallery app, the Mi Video app, a new Mi File Explorer, Mi Drop, and more. Here’s the full changelog:

Redmi Note 3 MIUI 9.2 Changelog

Highlights

  • New – Improve layout and readability for search results in Contacts (06-29)
  • New – Virus scans and payment scans were merged into Security scan (06-29)
  • New – Better blocklist rules with the possibility of separated rules for every SIM card (07-10)
  • New – Switch for turning Battery saver automatically when charged (07-19)
  • New – New display formats for update logs in Updater (07-25)
  • New – Search for apps in the Dual apps settings (08-03)
  • New – Quick ball goes back to the edge after 3 seconds of inactivity (08-30)
  • All-new Mi Drop (09-26)
  • New – Mi Mover, supports data migration restarting. During migrating data to the new phone,
  • device hotspot connection will be restored automatically in case of interruption to complete the data migration. (10-25)
  • New – Simplified the UI (10-31)
  • New – Reading mode can turn on and off at sunset and sunrise automatically (05-03)
  • New- Mi Picks gets a new name and a new icon! Meet Apps! (08-21)
  • Optimization – Cleaner removes empty folders better now (07-10)
  • Optimization – Protection from unintentional tapping for Dial pad (08-08)
  • Optimization – Redesigned home page (08-24)
  • Optimization – Devices with rare Bluetooth profiles are hidden in the device list (08-29)
  • Optimization – Simplified and improved the design of the virus scan result page (09-07)
  • Optimization – “Add to favorites” icon adjustments (10-24)

System

  • New – Distance sensor dynamic calibration function, to ensure that black screen appears correctly (10-26)
  • Fix – Individual user fingerprint failure problem (10-19)
  • Fix – Fingerprint module damage caused by fingerprint identification error (10-19)
  • Fix – KRACK WPA2 security vulnerabilities (10-19)
  • Fix – Compatibility issues for some third-party software on the full-screen devices (10-18)

Phone

  • Optimization – Vibration no longer affects the features which reduce ringer volume when the phone is lifted or flipped to silence (10-10)

App Lock

  • New – App lock supports hiding messages from selected apps (10-31)
  • New – Simplified the UI (10-31)
  • Lockscreen, Status Bar, Notification Bar
  • Optimization – Adjusted time for tapping the Lock screen notifications (10-24)

Home screen

  • Optimization – Display effect when the virtual navigation button is on a light-colored wallpaper (10-18)
  • Optimization – Multiple themes supported on the clock widget (10-19)
  • Optimization – Move app icons into a folder easier (10-19)
  • Optimization – Adding widgets to an empty spot with a single tap (10-31)

Themes

  • Optimization – Hide free and incompatible themes in the list of the purchased items (10-10)
  • Optimization – Themes prompt about connecting to the internet when it’s required (10-12)
  • Optimization – “Add to favorites” icon adjustments (10-24)

Gallery

  • New – Erase lines and objects while editing photos (10-12)
  • Fix – Image has been compressed multiple times (10-19)

Backup

  • New – Mi Mover, supports data migration restarting. During migrating data to the new phone, device hotspot connection will be restored automatically in case of interruption to complete the data migration. (10-25)
  • Fix – Mi Mover can’t continue to migrate data after the network connection is interrupted and restored (10-25)
  • Fix – Mi Mover can’t migrate all apps to the new phone (10-25)

Mi Account

  • Optimization – Reduced the number of push notifications when the user is signed out (10-30)

Security

  • New – Performance mode for game speed booster (10-26)
  • New – Set default dual app for faster WeChat, Weibo, and QQ actions (11-22)
  • MI Wallet
  • Fix – In some cases, the use of MiPay in the POS machine credit card transactions failed (10-19)

The MIUI 9.2 nightly ROM for the Redmi Note 3 can be downloaded here.


Via: FoneArena



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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Starts Receiving MIUI 9.2 Update Based on Android Marshmallow

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is one of Xiaomi's most popular budget phones. It was released in 2016 with powerful specifications including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 system-on-chip, and it received a huge amount of support from developers in the form of custom ROMs. It shipped with MIUI 7 on top of Android 5.1 Lollipop, and received an update to MIUI 8 in August 2016 and Android 6.0 Marshmallow in December 2016.

In November 2017, Xiaomi launched the global version of MIUI 9, and said that the Redmi Note 3 would be among the third batch of devices to receive it. The phone was supposed to get the update in December alongside devices such as the Redmi 3S/Prime, Redmi 4A, but that didn't happen. Xiaomi went on to release MIUI 9.2 and roll it out to several devices including the Redmi Note 4, but not the Redmi Note 3.

On Wednesday, though, Xiaomi India Product Manager Rohit Ghalsasi announced that MIUI 9 would finally come to the Redmi Note 3. According to users who've received the update, the phone's settings menu identifies it as MIUI 9.2, which implies that Xioami skipped MIUI 9 in favor of the newer MIUI 9.2.

The update has the build number MIUI 9.2.4.0.MHOMIEK, and it's 290MB in size. It's worth noting that isn't a Global Stable build — it's a Nightly Stable build, the difference being that it's rolling out to random pockets of users right now. If all goes well, the same update will hit all Redmi Note 3 devices as a Global Stable build in the coming days.

We have known for a while now that the MIUI 9 update for the Redmi Note 3 would be based on Android Marshmallow instead of Android Oreo. That's disappointing — the device received only one major Android version upgrade in the course of its life cycle. But it's not all bad. MIUI 9.2 brings Android's January security patch to the device, plus fixes for the KRACK exploit, a new gallery app, the Mi Video app, a new Mi File Explorer, Mi Drop, and more. Here's the full changelog:

Redmi Note 3 MIUI 9.2 Changelog

Highlights

  • New – Improve layout and readability for search results in Contacts (06-29)
  • New – Virus scans and payment scans were merged into Security scan (06-29)
  • New – Better blocklist rules with the possibility of separated rules for every SIM card (07-10)
  • New – Switch for turning Battery saver automatically when charged (07-19)
  • New – New display formats for update logs in Updater (07-25)
  • New – Search for apps in the Dual apps settings (08-03)
  • New – Quick ball goes back to the edge after 3 seconds of inactivity (08-30)
  • All-new Mi Drop (09-26)
  • New – Mi Mover, supports data migration restarting. During migrating data to the new phone,
  • device hotspot connection will be restored automatically in case of interruption to complete the data migration. (10-25)
  • New – Simplified the UI (10-31)
  • New – Reading mode can turn on and off at sunset and sunrise automatically (05-03)
  • New- Mi Picks gets a new name and a new icon! Meet Apps! (08-21)
  • Optimization – Cleaner removes empty folders better now (07-10)
  • Optimization – Protection from unintentional tapping for Dial pad (08-08)
  • Optimization – Redesigned home page (08-24)
  • Optimization – Devices with rare Bluetooth profiles are hidden in the device list (08-29)
  • Optimization – Simplified and improved the design of the virus scan result page (09-07)
  • Optimization – "Add to favorites" icon adjustments (10-24)

System

  • New – Distance sensor dynamic calibration function, to ensure that black screen appears correctly (10-26)
  • Fix – Individual user fingerprint failure problem (10-19)
  • Fix – Fingerprint module damage caused by fingerprint identification error (10-19)
  • Fix – KRACK WPA2 security vulnerabilities (10-19)
  • Fix – Compatibility issues for some third-party software on the full-screen devices (10-18)

Phone

  • Optimization – Vibration no longer affects the features which reduce ringer volume when the phone is lifted or flipped to silence (10-10)

App Lock

  • New – App lock supports hiding messages from selected apps (10-31)
  • New – Simplified the UI (10-31)
  • Lockscreen, Status Bar, Notification Bar
  • Optimization – Adjusted time for tapping the Lock screen notifications (10-24)

Home screen

  • Optimization – Display effect when the virtual navigation button is on a light-colored wallpaper (10-18)
  • Optimization – Multiple themes supported on the clock widget (10-19)
  • Optimization – Move app icons into a folder easier (10-19)
  • Optimization – Adding widgets to an empty spot with a single tap (10-31)

Themes

  • Optimization – Hide free and incompatible themes in the list of the purchased items (10-10)
  • Optimization – Themes prompt about connecting to the internet when it's required (10-12)
  • Optimization – "Add to favorites" icon adjustments (10-24)

Gallery

  • New – Erase lines and objects while editing photos (10-12)
  • Fix – Image has been compressed multiple times (10-19)

Backup

  • New – Mi Mover, supports data migration restarting. During migrating data to the new phone, device hotspot connection will be restored automatically in case of interruption to complete the data migration. (10-25)
  • Fix – Mi Mover can't continue to migrate data after the network connection is interrupted and restored (10-25)
  • Fix – Mi Mover can't migrate all apps to the new phone (10-25)

Mi Account

  • Optimization – Reduced the number of push notifications when the user is signed out (10-30)

Security

  • New – Performance mode for game speed booster (10-26)
  • New – Set default dual app for faster WeChat, Weibo, and QQ actions (11-22)
  • MI Wallet
  • Fix – In some cases, the use of MiPay in the POS machine credit card transactions failed (10-19)

The MIUI 9.2 nightly ROM for the Redmi Note 3 can be downloaded here.


Via: FoneArena



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Stable OxygenOS 5.0.2 brings Face Unlock to the OnePlus 5

The OnePlus 5 may have been outshined by the OnePlus 5T, but it remains a capable 2017 flagship smartphone. It shares some hardware in common with its successor, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip, and software-wise, OnePlus has taken pains to keep it up to date. In fact, the OnePlus 5 received a stable Android 8.0 Oreo-based OxygenOS 5.0 update in December, while the OnePlus 5T only received a stable Android Oreo update today.

At launch, the OnePlus 5T had a key software feature that differentiated it from the OnePlus 5: Face Unlock. It relied on the phone's front-facing camera, so there weren't any technical challenges that would have prevented it from coming to the OnePlus 5. Sure enough, OnePlus listened to feedback and said that Face Unlock would make its way to the OnePlus 5. It finally came in the OxygenOS Open Beta 3, and on Wednesday, Face Unlock hit the stable channel.

OnePlus has started rolling out OxygenOS 5.0.2 for the OnePlus 5, the company announced on the official OnePlus forums. In addition to Face Unlock, the new firmware includes CPU security patch CVE-2018-13218 and updated system apps including the OnePlus Launcher, Gallery, Weather and File Manager. It also brings "enhanced EIS for video recording", which should theoretically improve video quality. Unfortunately, OnePlus didn't go into detail regarding the enhanced EIS.

Here's the changelog:

OnePlus 5 OxygenOS 5.0.2 Changelog

System

  • Added Face unlock function
  • Applied CPU security patch: CVE-2017-13218
  • General bug fixes and improvements

Applications

  • Updated Launcher to v2.2
  • Updated Gallery to v2.0
  • Updated Weather to v1.9
  • Updated File Manager to v1.7.6

Camera

  • Enhanced EIS for video recording

OnePlus says that the OxygenOS 5.0.2 update will be rolled out incrementally, at first. It will reach a small percentage of users today, and roll out more broadly in the coming days.


Source: OnePlus



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Stable OxygenOS 5.0.2 brings Face Unlock to the OnePlus 5

The OnePlus 5 may have been outshined by the OnePlus 5T, but it remains a capable 2017 flagship smartphone. It shares some hardware in common with its successor, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip, and software-wise, OnePlus has taken pains to keep it up to date. In fact, the OnePlus 5 received a stable Android 8.0 Oreo-based OxygenOS 5.0 update in December, while the OnePlus 5T only received a stable Android Oreo update today.

At launch, the OnePlus 5T had a key software feature that differentiated it from the OnePlus 5: Face Unlock. It relied on the phone’s front-facing camera, so there weren’t any technical challenges that would have prevented it from coming to the OnePlus 5. Sure enough, OnePlus listened to feedback and said that Face Unlock would make its way to the OnePlus 5. It finally came in the OxygenOS Open Beta 3, and on Wednesday, Face Unlock hit the stable channel.

OnePlus has started rolling out OxygenOS 5.0.2 for the OnePlus 5, the company announced on the official OnePlus forums. In addition to Face Unlock, the new firmware includes CPU security patch CVE-2018-13218 and updated system apps including the OnePlus Launcher, Gallery, Weather and File Manager. It also brings “enhanced EIS for video recording”, which should theoretically improve video quality. Unfortunately, OnePlus didn’t go into detail regarding the enhanced EIS.

Here’s the changelog:

OnePlus 5 OxygenOS 5.0.2 Changelog

System

  • Added Face unlock function
  • Applied CPU security patch: CVE-2017-13218
  • General bug fixes and improvements

Applications

  • Updated Launcher to v2.2
  • Updated Gallery to v2.0
  • Updated Weather to v1.9
  • Updated File Manager to v1.7.6

Camera

  • Enhanced EIS for video recording

OnePlus says that the OxygenOS 5.0.2 update will be rolled out incrementally, at first. It will reach a small percentage of users today, and roll out more broadly in the coming days.


Source: OnePlus



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Leaked Alcatel 5 Press Renders Show Dual Front-Facing Camera

Leaked Alcatel 5 Press Renders Show Dual Front-Facing Camera

TCL previewed the Alcatel 5 alongside the Alcatel 1 and Alcatel 3 at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in January, revealing that the $300 smartphone would feature a "borderless" 18:9 screen, facial recognition technology, and a battery that'd supply up to "a day's worth" of power. The company promised to show more at Mobile World Congress 2018 in late February, but leaked press materials spilled the beans a little early.

WinFuture published a promotional video and product renders of the Alcatel 5 on Wednesday, and they show a brushed metal smartphone with a unique front camera. Above the 5.7-inch FullView HD+ (1440×720) 18:9 IPS display is a dual front-facing module consisting of a 12MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, and a 5MP sensor with a 1.4μm pixel size, "six-part" optics, and a 120-degree field of view. The "Selfie" mode in the Alcatel 5's camera app automatically switches to the wide-angle sensor when a group of people enters the frame, according to WinFuture, and TCL's software taps the cameras for speedy facial recognition.

alcatel 5 alcatel 5 alcatel 5

On Alcatel 5's rear is a 12MP camera with a f/2.0 aperture, but it's a single-module sensor. Next to it's an LED flash and a fingerprint sensor, and near the bottom is the phone's USB 2.0-capable Type-C port.

Under the hood, the Alcatel 5 packs a MediaTek MT6750 octa-core system-on-chip, with eight ARM Cortex-A53 clocked at 1.5GHz. It's got 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot for expandable storage, and a 3,000mAh battery.

alcatel 5 alcatel 5 alcatel 5

The Alcatel 5 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and LTE Cat. 4, which maxes out at 150 Mbps down and 50 Mbps up. It'll launch with Android 8.0 Oreo, according to WinFuture, and come in gold and black color configurations.

The phone's pricing is still a bit fluid, but WinFuture pegs it at €229.99 (~$284.34). That's roughly in line with TCL's past statements, but we'll likely have to wait until MWC 2018 for confirmation.


Source: WinFuture



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Huawei Partners with UnionPay International to Accelerate Huawei Pay’s Roll Out Worldwide

These days, it's tough to think of a major smartphone manufacturer that doesn't have its own mobile payments service. Apple has Apple Pay, Google has Google Pay, Samsung has Samsung Pay, and LG has LG Pay. Huawei is no exception — Huawei Pay launched in China in March 2016, and it gave Huawei the distinction of being one of the first Chinese mobile hardware vendors with a payments platform. But the company has grander ambitions. This week, Huawei announced that it's teaming up with UnionPay International to help roll out Huawei Pay worldwide.

Huawei Pay, which is currently compatible with 20 of Huawei's smartphones, is supported by 66 banks and was used to make 4 billion yuan (~$635 million) in payments last year. Its first new market will be Russia, which UnionPay dominates — the payments processor's cards are accepted at 85 percent of terminals and ATMs in the country, 400,000 of which support NFC tap-and-pay technology. And next in line is Eastern Europe.

Huawei declined to provide a timeline for either launch.

Huawei also announced that in the future, Huawei and Honor phone users outside of China will be able to make contactless payments by adding their UnionBank cards in the Huawei Pay app.

"Open sharing is an important direction for the future of the digital economy and intellectual interconnection, which is why Huawei's end-user cloud services built an open and globalized smart mobile ecosystem for the end-user experience" said Alex Zhang, president of Huawei's Consumer Cloud Service, in a statement. "Huawei hopes to work with partners such as UnionPay International to provide more secure and convenient mobile payment services for every user of Huawei smart devices around the world."

So why is Huawei pursuing Huawei Pay instead of adopting a cross-platform solution like Google Pay? While it might make sense for companies like Huawei to rely on Google services, there's a lot of incentive for them to create their own. Android as is today relies heavily on Google and its services, and not every OEM is comfortable with the status quo. Some of them, such as Samsung, have resisted by creating apps and services that duplicate the functionality of Google's own, and Huawei reportedly went so far as to develop its own mobile OS.

There's also a lot of money in mobile payments. According to one study, the contactless payment market will be worth $17.56 billion by 2021. With Huawei Pay, Huawei's hoping to get in on the ground floor.


Source: Huawei



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Huawei Partners with UnionPay International to Accelerate Huawei Pay’s Roll Out Worldwide

These days, it’s tough to think of a major smartphone manufacturer that doesn’t have its own mobile payments service. Apple has Apple Pay, Google has Google Pay, Samsung has Samsung Pay, and LG has LG Pay. Huawei is no exception — Huawei Pay launched in China in March 2016, and it gave Huawei the distinction of being one of the first Chinese mobile hardware vendors with a payments platform. But the company has grander ambitions. This week, Huawei announced that it’s teaming up with UnionPay International to help roll out Huawei Pay worldwide.

Huawei Pay, which is currently compatible with 20 of Huawei’s smartphones, is supported by 66 banks and was used to make 4 billion yuan (~$635 million) in payments last year. Its first new market will be Russia, which UnionPay dominates — the payments processor’s cards are accepted at 85 percent of terminals and ATMs in the country, 400,000 of which support NFC tap-and-pay technology. And next in line is Eastern Europe.

Huawei declined to provide a timeline for either launch.

Huawei also announced that in the future, Huawei and Honor phone users outside of China will be able to make contactless payments by adding their UnionBank cards in the Huawei Pay app.

“Open sharing is an important direction for the future of the digital economy and intellectual interconnection, which is why Huawei’s end-user cloud services built an open and globalized smart mobile ecosystem for the end-user experience” said Alex Zhang, president of Huawei’s Consumer Cloud Service, in a statement. “Huawei hopes to work with partners such as UnionPay International to provide more secure and convenient mobile payment services for every user of Huawei smart devices around the world.”

So why is Huawei pursuing Huawei Pay instead of adopting a cross-platform solution like Google Pay? While it might make sense for companies like Huawei to rely on Google services, there’s a lot of incentive for them to create their own. Android as is today relies heavily on Google and its services, and not every OEM is comfortable with the status quo. Some of them, such as Samsung, have resisted by creating apps and services that duplicate the functionality of Google’s own, and Huawei reportedly went so far as to develop its own mobile OS.

There’s also a lot of money in mobile payments. According to one study, the contactless payment market will be worth $17.56 billion by 2021. With Huawei Pay, Huawei’s hoping to get in on the ground floor.


Source: Huawei



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Spotify Experiments with a Free Playlist-Only App Called Stations

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming subscription services in the world. It's constantly expanding old features and introducing new ones, which is one of the reasons it's the platform of choice for more than 100 million users. But it's not resting on its laurels. This week, Spotify published an experimental Android application in the Play Store called Stations, and it's a radical departure from the company's flagship app.

"Stations is the easiest way to listen to the music you love. Totally free," according to the app's Play Store description. "Stations is an experiment by Spotify that makes it easy for anyone to listen to great music. When you have access to all the music in the world, finding the right thing to play can feel like a challenge. With Stations, you can listen immediately, and switching stations is simple and seamless — no searching or typing needed."

Stations, which is being piloted in Australia and was first spotted by app analytics firm Sensor Tower, doesn't require a subscription, but only lets you listen to playlists. The curated collection, which is displayed in large title text you switch between by scrolling, includes Spotify's top picks and personalized playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar. Spotify says Stations will learn your musical tastes over time, and create personalized stations based on the data it collects.

Spotify has both a paid and free music streaming tier, and recent stats show it's surpassed 70 million paying subscribers around the world. Naturally, free accounts are limited in a number of ways. Ads are injected every couple of songs in playlists and albums, and some songs aren't available. In addition, Spotify caps audio quality at 160kbps on desktop, while paid subscribers get access to 320kbps streams.

Stations, just like Spotify's free tier, seems like an attempt to get people to check out what the company has to offer — a gateway, if you will. It's not a bad strategy. If they like what they see, chances are they'll upgrade to a paid subscription.

Stations by Spotify (Free, Google Play) →



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Spotify Experiments with a Free Playlist-Only App Called Stations

Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming subscription services in the world. It’s constantly expanding old features and introducing new ones, which is one of the reasons it’s the platform of choice for more than 100 million users. But it’s not resting on its laurels. This week, Spotify published an experimental Android application in the Play Store called Stations, and it’s a radical departure from the company’s flagship app.

“Stations is the easiest way to listen to the music you love. Totally free,” according to the app’s Play Store description. “Stations is an experiment by Spotify that makes it easy for anyone to listen to great music. When you have access to all the music in the world, finding the right thing to play can feel like a challenge. With Stations, you can listen immediately, and switching stations is simple and seamless — no searching or typing needed.”

Stations, which is being piloted in Australia and was first spotted by app analytics firm Sensor Tower, doesn’t require a subscription, but only lets you listen to playlists. The curated collection, which is displayed in large title text you switch between by scrolling, includes Spotify’s top picks and personalized playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar. Spotify says Stations will learn your musical tastes over time, and create personalized stations based on the data it collects.

Spotify has both a paid and free music streaming tier, and recent stats show it’s surpassed 70 million paying subscribers around the world. Naturally, free accounts are limited in a number of ways. Ads are injected every couple of songs in playlists and albums, and some songs aren’t available. In addition, Spotify caps audio quality at 160kbps on desktop, while paid subscribers get access to 320kbps streams.

Stations, just like Spotify’s free tier, seems like an attempt to get people to check out what the company has to offer — a gateway, if you will. It’s not a bad strategy. If they like what they see, chances are they’ll upgrade to a paid subscription.

Stations by Spotify (Free, Google Play) →



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Reliance Jio and MediaTek Team Up to Build an Android Go Smartphone

In some regions, high-end and mid-range smartphones reign supreme, but in emerging markets, low-end phones tend to be much more popular. For a while now, Google has been talking about bringing the "next billion users" online, and central to its plan is Android Go, a configuration of Android Oreo optimized for low-end devices. A number of companies have expressed enthusiasm over Android Go since it was unveiled last year, and one of them, MediaTek, announced that it's partnering with India-based carrier Reliance Jio to launch an Android Oreo Go Edition smartphone.

Unless you live in or around India, you might not have heard of Reliance Jio. It's an LTE mobile network operator that made headlines in 2016 by offering free voice calls. It's one of the fastest-growing carriers in the country, and it sells a low-cost phone, the Jio Phone, that starts at just 1,500 Rs. ($~23).

MediaTek, meanwhile, creates system-on-chips for smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, and more. They've also shown an interest in the Android Go platform — the company's MT6739, MT6739, and MT6580 chips fully support it.

Reliance Jio and MediaTek declined to reveal the price, specifications, or availability of the new smartphone at MediaTek's Curtain-Raiser for 2018 event in New Delhi on Tuesday, where the two companies made the announcement. But MediaTek showcased the features of its MT6739 chip, which supports dual cameras, facial authentication, and dual 4G VoLTE even on Android Oreo Go Edition devices.

At any rate, MediaTek and Reliance Jio's phone won't be the first Android Oreo Go Edition device on the market. Micromax recently announced that the affordable Bharat Go.

"India is growth intensive, a market of immense opportunities with its own set of aspirations and needs," said T L Lee, general manager of MediaTek's Wireless Communication division, at the event. "We continue to intensify our technology collaboration in India, even beyond smartphones, and recognize its importance in the global marketplace."


Source: Gadgets 360



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Reliance Jio and MediaTek Team Up to Build an Android Go Smartphone

In some regions, high-end and mid-range smartphones reign supreme, but in emerging markets, low-end phones tend to be much more popular. For a while now, Google has been talking about bringing the “next billion users” online, and central to its plan is Android Go, a configuration of Android Oreo optimized for low-end devices. A number of companies have expressed enthusiasm over Android Go since it was unveiled last year, and one of them, MediaTek, announced that it’s partnering with India-based carrier Reliance Jio to launch an Android Oreo Go Edition smartphone.

Unless you live in or around India, you might not have heard of Reliance Jio. It’s an LTE mobile network operator that made headlines in 2016 by offering free voice calls. It’s one of the fastest-growing carriers in the country, and it sells a low-cost phone, the Jio Phone, that starts at just 1,500 Rs. ($~23).

MediaTek, meanwhile, creates system-on-chips for smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, and more. They’ve also shown an interest in the Android Go platform — the company’s MT6739, MT6739, and MT6580 chips fully support it.

Reliance Jio and MediaTek declined to reveal the price, specifications, or availability of the new smartphone at MediaTek’s Curtain-Raiser for 2018 event in New Delhi on Tuesday, where the two companies made the announcement. But MediaTek showcased the features of its MT6739 chip, which supports dual cameras, facial authentication, and dual 4G VoLTE even on Android Oreo Go Edition devices.

At any rate, MediaTek and Reliance Jio’s phone won’t be the first Android Oreo Go Edition device on the market. Micromax recently announced that the affordable Bharat Go.

“India is growth intensive, a market of immense opportunities with its own set of aspirations and needs,” said T L Lee, general manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communication division, at the event. “We continue to intensify our technology collaboration in India, even beyond smartphones, and recognize its importance in the global marketplace.”


Source: Gadgets 360



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Learn C from Front to Back with This Ten-Course Bundle

In the world of web and software development, few programming languages are as relied upon and revered as C. Yet, far too many programmers shy away from learning this go-to language due to its perceived complexity and steep learning curve.

The Complete C Programming Bonus Bundle breaks down the mystery and intimidation surrounding this powerful language, and it's available for $19.

With ten courses and 84 hours of content, this extensive bundle walks you through everything from the absolute basics to the most advanced programming techniques used with this general-purpose language. You'll cover pointers, header files, null-terminated strings, buffers, and more—all while using hands-on source code examples that let you learn at your own pace.

There's even a course module dedicated to teaching you how to craft advanced algorithms in C, by breaking down everything from the overarching command logic to the nuances of the code itself.

Add C to your programming toolkit with the Complete C Programming Bonus Bundle—on sale for $19.



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Learn C from Front to Back with This Ten-Course Bundle

In the world of web and software development, few programming languages are as relied upon and revered as C. Yet, far too many programmers shy away from learning this go-to language due to its perceived complexity and steep learning curve.

The Complete C Programming Bonus Bundle breaks down the mystery and intimidation surrounding this powerful language, and it’s available for $19.

With ten courses and 84 hours of content, this extensive bundle walks you through everything from the absolute basics to the most advanced programming techniques used with this general-purpose language. You’ll cover pointers, header files, null-terminated strings, buffers, and more—all while using hands-on source code examples that let you learn at your own pace.

There’s even a course module dedicated to teaching you how to craft advanced algorithms in C, by breaking down everything from the overarching command logic to the nuances of the code itself.

Add C to your programming toolkit with the Complete C Programming Bonus Bundle—on sale for $19.



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OnePlus 5T Android Oreo Update Now Officially Rolling Out With OxygenOS 5.0.2

This month, we’ve seen the OnePlus 5T receive two new beta builds. Open Beta 2 brought new clipboard features and performance optimizations, and Open Beta 3, which was announced just yesterday, introduced iPhone X-style navigation gestures. But the next Oreo-based update is expanding beyond the beta channel: This morning, OnePlus announced that OnePlus 5T customers who’ve stuck to stable firmware will soon get an upgrade to OxygenOS version 5.0.2.

OxygenOS 5.0.2 for the OnePlus 5T updates some of OnePlus’s in-house applications and contains a couple of system-level changes, including a new design for the Quick Settings menu. It’s also the first official Android 8.0 Oreo-based update for the OnePlus 5T’s stable firmware branch, and brings AOSP Oreo features like picture-in-picture mode, Notification Dots, Smart Text Selection, and more.

When it comes to the aforementioned application updates, you’ll notice that the launcher has been updated to version 2.2, the gallery has been updated to version 2.0, the weather application has been updated to version 1.9 and the file manager has been updated to version 1.7.6.

Finally, OxygenOS 5.0.2 has a CPU security patch (CVE-2017-13218) and “general bug fixes and improvements”.  Here’s the full changelog:

OnePlus 5T OxygenOS 5.0.2 Changelog

System

  • Upgraded Android version to Oreo(8.0)
    • New design for Quick Settings
    • General bug fixes and improvements
    • Applied CPU security patch: CVE-2017-13218

Applications

  • Updated Launcher to v2.2
  • Updated Gallery to v2.0
  • Updated Weather to v1.9
  • Updated File Manager to v1.7.6

OnePlus’s Open Beta program tends to see updates more frequently than the stable channel, which gives the team time to test new features and squash bugs. Beta updates tend to focus on flashy new features, but the stable updates are much more refined. Since most of the people who own a OnePlus smartphone are on a stable build of OxygenOS, the company tests them much more thoroughly.

OnePlus says OxygenOS 5.0.2 will roll out to a small percentage of users starting today, and begin to roll out more broadly in a few days.


Source: OnePlus



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OnePlus 5T Android Oreo Update Now Officially Rolling Out With OxygenOS 5.0.2

This month, we've seen the OnePlus 5T receive two new beta builds. Open Beta 2 brought new clipboard features and performance optimizations, and Open Beta 3, which was announced just yesterday, introduced iPhone X-style navigation gestures. But the next Oreo-based update is expanding beyond the beta channel: This morning, OnePlus announced that OnePlus 5T customers who've stuck to stable firmware will soon get an upgrade to OxygenOS version 5.0.2.

OxygenOS 5.0.2 for the OnePlus 5T updates some of OnePlus's in-house applications and contains a couple of system-level changes, including a new design for the Quick Settings menu. It's also the first official Android 8.0 Oreo-based update for the OnePlus 5T's stable firmware branch, and brings AOSP Oreo features like picture-in-picture mode, Notification Dots, Smart Text Selection, and more.

When it comes to the aforementioned application updates, you'll notice that the launcher has been updated to version 2.2, the gallery has been updated to version 2.0, the weather application has been updated to version 1.9 and the file manager has been updated to version 1.7.6.

Finally, OxygenOS 5.0.2 has a CPU security patch (CVE-2017-13218) and "general bug fixes and improvements".  Here's the full changelog:

OnePlus 5T OxygenOS 5.0.2 Changelog

System

  • Upgraded Android version to Oreo(8.0)
    • New design for Quick Settings
    • General bug fixes and improvements
    • Applied CPU security patch: CVE-2017-13218

Applications

  • Updated Launcher to v2.2
  • Updated Gallery to v2.0
  • Updated Weather to v1.9
  • Updated File Manager to v1.7.6

OnePlus's Open Beta program tends to see updates more frequently than the stable channel, which gives the team time to test new features and squash bugs. Beta updates tend to focus on flashy new features, but the stable updates are much more refined. Since most of the people who own a OnePlus smartphone are on a stable build of OxygenOS, the company tests them much more thoroughly.

OnePlus says OxygenOS 5.0.2 will roll out to a small percentage of users starting today, and begin to roll out more broadly in a few days.


Source: OnePlus



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Essential Phone Will Skip Android 8.0 and Go Straight to Android 8.1 Oreo

Andy Rubin-backed startup company Essential started talking about Oreo beta builds for the Essential Phone in October 2017, and a little over a month later, the phone received its first Oreo beta firmware. Since then, it's gotten not one, but two additional beta Oreo updates, but they've both been based on 8.0 Oreo — until now, there hasn't been much talk of 8.1 Oreo. However, the team announced this week on Twitter that it still has "stability issues" to work out with Oreo that 8.1 will address, and that it's made the decision to focus its energy on Oreo 8.1 instead of releasing 8.0.

In the meantime, Essential's working to make available a beta update based on Android 8.1 Oreo by the end of next week. Essential Phone owners who haven't sideloaded any of the Oreo beta builds will get an update to Android 8.1 Oreo when it's released in the next few weeks.

Throughout the Oreo 8.0 beta, a number of issues pushed back the company's update timeframe and necessitated subsequent patches. But the company took advantage of the prolonged development to add full support for Project Treble, improve the phone's battery life and speed up its boot sequence, and ship fixes for Spectre and Meltdown.

"We appreciate your continued patience and support," Essential said. "We're just as eager to release Oreo as you are to receive it, and we're confident these extra couple of weeks will help ensure that you're delighted with Oreo on your Essential Phone."

Of course, like most update schedules in the smartphone industry, the Oreo update's release window could be pushed back again if the team runs into issues. We'll likely learn more about the stable 8.1 Oreo build a week or two after the community's had a chance to test it.



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Essential Phone Will Skip Android 8.0 and Go Straight to Android 8.1 Oreo

Andy Rubin-backed startup company Essential started talking about Oreo beta builds for the Essential Phone in October 2017, and a little over a month later, the phone received its first Oreo beta firmware. Since then, it’s gotten not one, but two additional beta Oreo updates, but they’ve both been based on 8.0 Oreo — until now, there hasn’t been much talk of 8.1 Oreo. However, the team announced this week on Twitter that it still has “stability issues” to work out with Oreo that 8.1 will address, and that it’s made the decision to focus its energy on Oreo 8.1 instead of releasing 8.0.

In the meantime, Essential’s working to make available a beta update based on Android 8.1 Oreo by the end of next week. Essential Phone owners who haven’t sideloaded any of the Oreo beta builds will get an update to Android 8.1 Oreo when it’s released in the next few weeks.

Throughout the Oreo 8.0 beta, a number of issues pushed back the company’s update timeframe and necessitated subsequent patches. But the company took advantage of the prolonged development to add full support for Project Treble, improve the phone’s battery life and speed up its boot sequence, and ship fixes for Spectre and Meltdown.

“We appreciate your continued patience and support,” Essential said. “We’re just as eager to release Oreo as you are to receive it, and we’re confident these extra couple of weeks will help ensure that you’re delighted with Oreo on your Essential Phone.”

Of course, like most update schedules in the smartphone industry, the Oreo update’s release window could be pushed back again if the team runs into issues. We’ll likely learn more about the stable 8.1 Oreo build a week or two after the community’s had a chance to test it.



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Google Removed Over 700,000 Copycat, Malicious, and Inappropriate Apps from the Play Store in 2017

When people talk about the advantages of the Google Play Store compared to the iTunes App Store, they almost always bring up how quick and easy it is to get applications or games published. That's partly because Google, unlike Apple, doesn't rely on humans to individually test and approve every submission, but that doesn't mean there aren't various security checks that apps and games must pass through. In a 2017 retrospective on Tuesday, Google Play Product Manager Andrew Ahn revealed that the Play Store's protection features were responsible for taking down over 700,000 apps that violated Google's policies.

Mr. Ahn said that the Play Store team took down 70 percent more apps in 2017 than in 2016, and that 99 percent of those apps were "identified and rejected" before anyone could install them. The speedy review process owed to the fact that the Play Store uses machine learning models and automated scans to identify "abuse" such as impersonation, inappropriate content, and malware. Mr. Ahn said that thanks to "new detection models" and "techniques" that can "identify repeat offenders and abusive developer networks at scale", Google was able to ban 100,000 bad developers and make it more difficult for those developers to create new accounts.

Mr. Ahn shared a few of the most common reasons Google took down applications or games from the Play Store in 2017. One was impersonation — keyword-targeted copycat apps and games from developers attempting to leverage the popularity of legitimate apps. They typically use confusable unicode characters or hide app icons in a different locale, but Google was able to flag and take down over 250,000 of them.

Another big category of offender Google saw in 2017 was apps and games with inappropriate content. Whether the content was in the form of pornography, extreme violence, hate, or illegal activities, Mr. Ahn said that the Play Store improved its machine learning models to filter for policy violations.

Finally, Mr. Ahn highlighted the ways that Google's continued to improve detection of Potentially Harmful Applications (PHAs) — applications that perpetrate SMS fraud, act as trojans, and steal personal information. We've talked about these apps and detection methods in the past, and the search giant says it was able to reduce annual PHA installs rates on Google Play by 50 percent year over year.

"Despite the new and enhanced detection capabilities that led to a record-high takedowns of bad apps and malicious developers, we know a few still manage to evade and trick our layers of defense," said Mr. Ahn. "We take these extremely seriously, and will continue to innovate our capabilities to better detect and protect against abusive apps and the malicious actors behind them. We are committed to make Google Play the most trusted and safe app store in the world."


Source: Android Developers Blog



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Google Removed Over 700,000 Copycat, Malicious, and Inappropriate Apps from the Play Store in 2017

When people talk about the advantages of the Google Play Store compared to the iTunes App Store, they almost always bring up how quick and easy it is to get applications or games published. That’s partly because Google, unlike Apple, doesn’t rely on humans to individually test and approve every submission, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t various security checks that apps and games must pass through. In a 2017 retrospective on Tuesday, Google Play Product Manager Andrew Ahn revealed that the Play Store’s protection features were responsible for taking down over 700,000 apps that violated Google’s policies.

Mr. Ahn said that the Play Store team took down 70 percent more apps in 2017 than in 2016, and that 99 percent of those apps were “identified and rejected” before anyone could install them. The speedy review process owed to the fact that the Play Store uses machine learning models and automated scans to identify “abuse” such as impersonation, inappropriate content, and malware. Mr. Ahn said that thanks to “new detection models” and “techniques” that can “identify repeat offenders and abusive developer networks at scale”, Google was able to ban 100,000 bad developers and make it more difficult for those developers to create new accounts.

Mr. Ahn shared a few of the most common reasons Google took down applications or games from the Play Store in 2017. One was impersonation — keyword-targeted copycat apps and games from developers attempting to leverage the popularity of legitimate apps. They typically use confusable unicode characters or hide app icons in a different locale, but Google was able to flag and take down over 250,000 of them.

Another big category of offender Google saw in 2017 was apps and games with inappropriate content. Whether the content was in the form of pornography, extreme violence, hate, or illegal activities, Mr. Ahn said that the Play Store improved its machine learning models to filter for policy violations.

Finally, Mr. Ahn highlighted the ways that Google’s continued to improve detection of Potentially Harmful Applications (PHAs) — applications that perpetrate SMS fraud, act as trojans, and steal personal information. We’ve talked about these apps and detection methods in the past, and the search giant says it was able to reduce annual PHA installs rates on Google Play by 50 percent year over year.

“Despite the new and enhanced detection capabilities that led to a record-high takedowns of bad apps and malicious developers, we know a few still manage to evade and trick our layers of defense,” said Mr. Ahn. “We take these extremely seriously, and will continue to innovate our capabilities to better detect and protect against abusive apps and the malicious actors behind them. We are committed to make Google Play the most trusted and safe app store in the world.”


Source: Android Developers Blog



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mardi 30 janvier 2018

Honor announces the first developers to receive the Honor View 10

The Honor Open Source Program was announced earlier this month and kicked off with the Honor View 10. Honor promised timely kernel source releases and API access to the AI capabilities of the Kirin system-on-chip, and it reached out to the huge community of talented developers on XDA, selecting the first crop of users who'd receive an Honor View 10 for testing and development purposes.

On Tuesday, as promised, Honor announced the first developers who will be receiving Honor View 10 units. The kernel sources aren't available yet, but will be released in the next week or two (for the EU model) once Honor finishes working on them and provides proper translations. Keep in mind that this is only the first batch of developers, and that more will be announced over time.


Developers who'll be receiving an Honor View 10

luk1337 and luca020400

You might not have heard of XDA Recognized Developer luk1337 and XDA Recognized Developer luca020400, but they've been working on bringing LineageOS to lesser-known devices such as the Lenovo Moto G (2014), ASUS ZenFone 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 WiFi (2016), and others. Supporting such a huge number of devices shows dedication and a high level of workmanship, and their recognition from Honor is absolutely warranted.

topjohnwu

XDA Recognized Developer and Recognized Contributor topjohnwu needs no introduction. He's the father of Magisk, the systemless root solution that's been circumventing SafetyNet for years now. His work has enabled people to play games like Pokémon Go and use apps like Android Pay without having to sacrifice root access, and his award from Honor is well deserved.

franciscofranco

Recognized Developer franciscofranco, another name which doesn't need explaining, develops a kernel — Franco Kernel — that's available across a vast and growing list of devices. With an ever-expanding Android development résumé and passion for the community, it's no surprise that he'll be receiving an Honor View 10.

rovo89

The developer of Xposed, XDA Senior Recognized Developer rovo89, only recently announced a new version of Xposed for Android Oreo, and he's occasionally run into issues with third-party OEM skins such as Huawei's Emotion UI (EMUI). As a result, he'll be receiving an Honor View 10 to ensure that Xposed is fully compatible with Honor devices and EMUI going forward.

oldDroid

XDA Recognized Developer oldDroid is a member of Team OpenKirin, which has worked to port multiple ROMs such as AOSPA and LineageOS to Honor and Huawei devices like the Huawei P9 Lite, Honor 8, and Honor 9. He joins the list of talented developers who will be receiving an Honor View 10.

phhusson

It'd be a tragedy if XDA Senior Member phhusson, one the first developers to realize the promise of Project Treble, did not receive the Project Treble-compatible Honor View 10. He was the first to get a unified AOSP system image booting across multiple Project Treble-supported devices, and with a new View 10 in hand, he'll be able to squash the last few remaining bugs.

Myself5

CarbonROM developer and XDA Recognised Developer Myself5 has had a hand in bringing CarbonROM to many different devices. Now that he's receiving an Honor View 10, chances are good it'll join the list of supported phones.

Dees_troy

XDA Senior Recognised Developer Dees_troy, the lead developer of TWRP, will be receiving an Honor View 10 in order to help bring his much loved and ever-popular Team Win Recovery Project to the device. It's only fitting — without TWRP, much of the custom ROM development on XDA wouldn't be possible, or at the very least much more challenging.


Official Announcement on our Forums



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Honor announces the first developers to receive the Honor View 10

The Honor Open Source Program was announced earlier this month and kicked off with the Honor View 10. Honor promised timely kernel source releases and API access to the AI capabilities of the Kirin system-on-chip, and it reached out to the huge community of talented developers on XDA, selecting the first crop of users who’d receive an Honor View 10 for testing and development purposes.

On Tuesday, as promised, Honor announced the first developers who will be receiving Honor View 10 units. The kernel sources aren’t available yet, but will be released in the next week or two (for the EU model) once Honor finishes working on them and provides proper translations. Keep in mind that this is only the first batch of developers, and that more will be announced over time.


Developers who’ll be receiving an Honor View 10

luk1337 and luca020400

You might not have heard of XDA Recognized Developer luk1337 and XDA Recognized Developer luca020400, but they’ve been working on bringing LineageOS to lesser-known devices such as the Lenovo Moto G (2014), ASUS ZenFone 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 WiFi (2016), and others. Supporting such a huge number of devices shows dedication and a high level of workmanship, and their recognition from Honor is absolutely warranted.

topjohnwu

XDA Recognized Developer and Recognized Contributor topjohnwu needs no introduction. He’s the father of Magisk, the systemless root solution that’s been circumventing SafetyNet for years now. His work has enabled people to play games like Pokémon Go and use apps like Android Pay without having to sacrifice root access, and his award from Honor is well deserved.

franciscofranco

Recognized Developer franciscofranco, another name which doesn’t need explaining, develops a kernel — Franco Kernel — that’s available across a vast and growing list of devices. With an ever-expanding Android development résumé and passion for the community, it’s no surprise that he’ll be receiving an Honor View 10.

rovo89

The developer of Xposed, XDA Senior Recognized Developer rovo89, only recently announced a new version of Xposed for Android Oreo, and he’s occasionally run into issues with third-party OEM skins such as Huawei’s Emotion UI (EMUI). As a result, he’ll be receiving an Honor View 10 to ensure that Xposed is fully compatible with Honor devices and EMUI going forward.

oldDroid

XDA Recognized Developer oldDroid is a member of Team OpenKirin, which has worked to port multiple ROMs such as AOSPA and LineageOS to Honor and Huawei devices like the Huawei P9 Lite, Honor 8, and Honor 9. He joins the list of talented developers who will be receiving an Honor View 10.

phhusson

It’d be a tragedy if XDA Senior Member phhusson, one the first developers to realize the promise of Project Treble, did not receive the Project Treble-compatible Honor View 10. He was the first to get a unified AOSP system image booting across multiple Project Treble-supported devices, and with a new View 10 in hand, he’ll be able to squash the last few remaining bugs.

Myself5

CarbonROM developer and XDA Recognised Developer Myself5 has had a hand in bringing CarbonROM to many different devices. Now that he’s receiving an Honor View 10, chances are good it’ll join the list of supported phones.

Dees_troy

XDA Senior Recognised Developer Dees_troy, the lead developer of TWRP, will be receiving an Honor View 10 in order to help bring his much loved and ever-popular Team Win Recovery Project to the device. It’s only fitting — without TWRP, much of the custom ROM development on XDA wouldn’t be possible, or at the very least much more challenging.


Official Announcement on our Forums



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[Update: Pricing and availability] The Sony Xperia XA2, Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra and Sony Xperia L2 Will Carry Fingerprint Sensors in the US

Update 1/30/2018: Sony announced pricing and availability information for the Sony Xperia XA2, Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Sony Xperia L2 on Tuesday. The Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra will go on sale February 16 for $349.99 and $449.99, respectively, and the Xperia L2 will start shipping February 9 for $249.99. All three phones will be available from Amazon.com and BestBuy.com initially, and come to brick-and-mortar stores on March 4.

Sony has just unveiled two new mid-range devices which promise to offer a lot for the price, dubbed the Sony Xperia XA2 and the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra. Sony has also unveiled a new, low-end device called the Xperia L2 which also features a rear-facing fingerprint sensor.

The Xperia XA2 and the Xperia XA2 Ultra are very similar devices, but the Ultra has a few more tricks up its sleeve. It features an extra gigabyte of RAM, another storage option (64GB), a slightly bigger display at 6 inches, a better selfie camera and a slightly bigger battery. They both have the same back cameras and the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC powering them. The Xperia L2 is launching with a MediaTek MT6735P, a less impressive camera module, and 3GBs of RAM.

sony xperia xa2

Sony Xperia XA2

What’s most significant about these devices is that all will be launching in the U.S. with fingerprint sensors, which marks the first time in a long time that a Sony device sold in the U.S. has a working fingerprint sensor. Previously, all Sony devices in the U.S. had them disabled at launch. It was unknown for a long time why this was the case until Android Central spoke with the head of marketing at Sony US, Don Mesa, who alluded to previous deals made by Sony causing them to have to be legally disabled.

xperia xa2

Sony Xperia L2

Of course, these fingerprint sensors aren’t in the usual place on Sony devices either, but it’s unclear if this is just a design change rather than a compromise to get around any legal restrictions. Prior Sony devices featured a fingerprint sensor integrated in the power button, but the new phones have now moved it to the back of the device like many other phones.

The devices will be launching soon enough in both single and dual SIM variants, with the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra launching with in February with Android Oreo. The Xperia L2 will be launching with Android Nougat 7.1.1 in late January.


Source: Sony



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[Update: Pricing and availability] The Sony Xperia XA2, Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra and Sony Xperia L2 Will Carry Fingerprint Sensors in the US

Update 1/30/2018: Sony announced pricing and availability information for the Sony Xperia XA2, Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Sony Xperia L2 on Tuesday. The Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra will go on sale February 16 for $349.99 and $449.99, respectively, and the Xperia L2 will start shipping February 9 for $249.99. All three phones will be available from Amazon.com and BestBuy.com initially, and come to brick-and-mortar stores on March 4.

Sony has just unveiled two new mid-range devices which promise to offer a lot for the price, dubbed the Sony Xperia XA2 and the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra. Sony has also unveiled a new, low-end device called the Xperia L2 which also features a rear-facing fingerprint sensor.

The Xperia XA2 and the Xperia XA2 Ultra are very similar devices, but the Ultra has a few more tricks up its sleeve. It features an extra gigabyte of RAM, another storage option (64GB), a slightly bigger display at 6 inches, a better selfie camera and a slightly bigger battery. They both have the same back cameras and the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC powering them. The Xperia L2 is launching with a MediaTek MT6735P, a less impressive camera module, and 3GBs of RAM.

sony xperia xa2

Sony Xperia XA2

What's most significant about these devices is that all will be launching in the U.S. with fingerprint sensors, which marks the first time in a long time that a Sony device sold in the U.S. has a working fingerprint sensor. Previously, all Sony devices in the U.S. had them disabled at launch. It was unknown for a long time why this was the case until Android Central spoke with the head of marketing at Sony US, Don Mesa, who alluded to previous deals made by Sony causing them to have to be legally disabled.

xperia xa2

Sony Xperia L2

Of course, these fingerprint sensors aren't in the usual place on Sony devices either, but it's unclear if this is just a design change rather than a compromise to get around any legal restrictions. Prior Sony devices featured a fingerprint sensor integrated in the power button, but the new phones have now moved it to the back of the device like many other phones.

The devices will be launching soon enough in both single and dual SIM variants, with the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra launching with in February with Android Oreo. The Xperia L2 will be launching with Android Nougat 7.1.1 in late January.


Source: Sony



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Amazon Alexa Can Now Send Text Messages to Any Number in the US

In recent months, competition in the virtual assistant space has picked up. At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, Google launched Smart Displays — new lineups of screen-equipped, Google Assistant-powered speakers by LG, Sony, and others designed to rival Amazon’s Echo Show and Echo Spot. Amazon, for its part, recently updated the Alexa app for Android with voice controls, and on Tuesday rolled out support for SMS messaging.

Alexa is now able to send SMS messages to contacts in your smartphone, according to VentureBeat. The feature is limited to the US for now, and only works on Android devices  the company doesn’t plan to add iOS support because of the restrictions Apple places on its messaging API for third parties. As of publication time, the company hasn’t provided details about when international users might be able to send SMS messages or if Alexa will be able to read incoming messages.

To enable SMS messaging on Alexa, open the Alexa app, go to the Conversations tab, select Contacts > My Profile, and enable the Send SMS toggle.

SMS Alexa messages SMS Alexa messages SMS Alexa messages

Alexa has been able to send messages since last year, VentureBeat notes, but not via SMS. Messages sent from the Alexa app could only be received by other Alexa app users. Now, when you say, “Alexa, send a message”, you’ll be prompted to choose between sending an SMS message or an Alexa app message.

Amazon’s Echo speakers have provided free phone calls to landlines and mobile phones in the US, Canada, and Mexico since September, and the Alexa app’s text and video messaging features were introduced in June ahead of the launch of the Echo Show. Google Home users, meanwhile, have been able to send SMS messages since landline phone calls became available in August.

Amazon Alexa (Free, Google Play) →


Source: VentureBeat



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Amazon Alexa Can Now Send Text Messages to Any Number in the US

In recent months, competition in the virtual assistant space has picked up. At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, Google launched Smart Displays — new lineups of screen-equipped, Google Assistant-powered speakers by LG, Sony, and others designed to rival Amazon's Echo Show and Echo Spot. Amazon, for its part, recently updated the Alexa app for Android with voice controls, and on Tuesday rolled out support for SMS messaging.

Alexa is now able to send SMS messages to contacts in your smartphone, according to VentureBeat. The feature is limited to the US for now, and only works on Android devices  the company doesn't plan to add iOS support because of the restrictions Apple places on its messaging API for third parties. As of publication time, the company hasn't provided details about when international users might be able to send SMS messages or if Alexa will be able to read incoming messages.

To enable SMS messaging on Alexa, open the Alexa app, go to the Conversations tab, select Contacts > My Profile, and enable the Send SMS toggle.

SMS Alexa messages SMS Alexa messages SMS Alexa messages

Alexa has been able to send messages since last year, VentureBeat notes, but not via SMS. Messages sent from the Alexa app could only be received by other Alexa app users. Now, when you say, "Alexa, send a message", you'll be prompted to choose between sending an SMS message or an Alexa app message.

Amazon's Echo speakers have provided free phone calls to landlines and mobile phones in the US, Canada, and Mexico since September, and the Alexa app's text and video messaging features were introduced in June ahead of the launch of the Echo Show. Google Home users, meanwhile, have been able to send SMS messages since landline phone calls became available in August.

Amazon Alexa (Free, Google Play) →


Source: VentureBeat



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