Category: Android

Google Might Announce The Official Name For Android O On 21 August

The official name of Google’s latest version of Android OS may be unveiled on 21 August. Android O was announced during Google I/O 2017 and the developer’s preview started rolling out after that. According to a series of tweets by David Ruddock from Android Police, Android O will receive its official name on the day of the Solar Eclipse. Last year, Google officially announced Android 7.0 Nougat on August 22, so based on continuity alone, the August 21 date seems quite likely.

https://twitter.com/RDR0b11/status/895720628426166273

The tweets also suggest that Google will make a big deal out of the unveiling and is “planning a spectacle.” He also mentioned that the name won’t be random and publishing the name right now would be a spoiler.

https://twitter.com/RDR0b11/status/895720859070898176

Android 8.0 brings new features such as Notification Dots, Autofill, Smart text selection and Picture-In-Picture. Google has also said to improve the security and increased the booting speed in the new OS. Notification Dots show the notification of an app after a long press.

A small notification bar pops up at the top right corner of the app and shows the notification of the particular app. The Autofill feature helps in filling forms inside an app. Smart Selection feature is a machine learning based features that select only important text to be copied. Android O also comes with a multitude of back-end improvements such as better battery management algorithms, app optimisations, audio enhancements like improved Bluetooth audio and more.

Earlier rumours claimed that Android O will be named after the popular cookies, Oreo. A few weeks ago, developers found references to the term “oatmeal_cookie” in a sample code that was used in a presentation slide at Google I/O indicating that ‘Oatmeal Cookie’ could very well be Android O’s name.

With the soon-to-be-launched Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 tipped to be the first smartphones running the new Android O, it seems highly likely that these reports are true and that Google will indeed announce the official name of the new operating system. When Android O officially starts to roll out, it is likely that the Pixel and Nexus devices will be first in line to receive the update and other smartphones will follow suit.

August 14, 2017
OnePlus 5 Receives Update Fixing EIS In 4K Video

OnePlus burst onto the scene in 2014 by claiming that its device, the OnePlus One had flagship specifications on a budget price. OnePlus further delivered on the promise with its OnePlus 2, 3 and 3T. After the success of its first four devices, the OnePlus 5 was heavily anticipated.

Despite the controversies and design plagiarism claims, OnePlus 5 was well-received for its premium user experience and snappy performance. OnePlus has finally started rolling out an OxygenOS update that brings in EIS for 4K videos.

The company had removed optical image stabilisation (OIS) from the OnePlus 5 and capped EIS to only 1080P videos. The decision to discontinue OIS in OnePlus 5 which featured on the cheaper 3T raised a few eyebrows, but OnePlus promised that an update will fix that issue. Lack of OIS meant that the OnePlus 5 had shaky low-light performance and the 4K video quality was heavily panned.

The OxygenOS 4.5.7 update, which is now rolling out to users in a phased manner, brings along EIS feature for 4K recording, as per the changelog posted by the company. This feature brings image stabilisation to 4K videos for more stable footage from the OnePlus 5. Apart from the EIS, the update also brings along a new OnePlus Slate font, which will offer font customisation option to the users. The OxygenOS update, additionally comes with July security patch for the OnePlus 5, along with the latest GMS (Google Mobile Services). The company says that the update brings along optimisations for Wi-Fi connectivity, standby battery life, and automatic backlight adjustments.

OnePlus has also recently teased a new colour variant, widely rumoured to be Soft Gold for the 2017 flagship. The company finally looks set to leave the controversies in the past and move ahead with strengthening its current device with timely updates.

NOTE– OnePlus has aborted the OxygenOS update 4.5.7 due to complaints of gaming glitches and battery drain for Jio users. OnePlus has announced that it is rolling out 4.5.8 update fixing all the bugs as well as bringing EIS to 4K video recording and the new Slate font to all OnePlus 5 devices.

August 5, 2017
Lenovo To Ship The K8 Note With Stock Android

Lenovo is gearing up for the launch of the K8 Note on August 9. The successor to the K6 Note will now run on stock Android as per Lenovo’s announcement. In addition to that, Lenovo will drop their custom skin Vibe Pure UI entirely and all future devices will feature stock Android OS. Lenovo has struggled to hit the ground running with its Vibe Pure UI in the past because of the inhibitions of a custom skin.

Lenovo’s decision to move from Vibe Pure UI to stock Android OS is an attempt to remove bloatware and also push software updates quicker. The removal of bloatware is a welcome news for customers as nobody likes to have the pre-installed applications with no use than just takes up useful space on your device. Much like the Motorola devices, Lenovo phones will feature a few customisations such as Dolby Atmos and the TheaterMax.

Lenovo has also stated that running stock Android will mean that the K8 Note users will receive the Android O update, although the timeline will vary as per chip manufacturer support, internal development and testing requirements. The introduction of pure Android OS means that the K8 Note and the subsequent Lenovo phones will also feature Google Assistant.

The Lenovo K8 Note is rumoured to run on the MediaTek Helio X20 chipset with 4GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage. Along with the confirmed stock Android 7.1.1, the phone will feature a 5.5-inch display. The new device will be K6 Note’s India-exclusive successor and the rumoured specs surely back that up. It is also reported that the K8 Note will be manufactured at Lenovo’s Chennai-based plant.

It’ll be interesting to see the bearing of stock Android OS on the K8 Note, which Lenovo claims will kill the ‘ordinary speed.’

August 4, 2017
Honor Note 9 Specifications Leaked
Honor, the sub-brand of Huawei has recently launched the Honor 9 in China and is expected to hit other markets like India soon. Amidst that, leaks of the Honor Note 9 has surfaced. The successor to the Honor Note 8 is expected to go on sale in September.

The Honor Note 9 will house a massive 4,600 mAh battery, which is an upgrade, albeit a small one over the Honor Note 8’s 4,500mAh battery. As far as the chipset is concerned, it is expected to run on HiSilicon Kirin 965 along with 6GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The device will sport a 12MP dual-camera setup at the back, just like many other flagships of 2017. Whether it will be a telephoto lens setup like the one on the iPhone 7 Plus or a monochrome lens setup like the Honor 8 Pro is still not clear.

Honor Note 9 Leaked Image

The image shows that the Honor Note 9 will be a massive device with an edge-to-edge display. The top and bottom of the front of the phone do possess a considerable bezel compared to other flagships of 2017 like the LG G6 and the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+.

The Honor Note series is a budget offering of large display phones with excellent battery life, something that even flagships of 2017 have lacked. The Honor Note 8 launched at a price of 2799 Yuan (approximately Rs 28,144) for its 128GB onboard storage variant. The Honor Note 9 is expected to follow suit in terms of budget pricing.

Rumoured Key Specifications of the Honor Note 9 are-
- cameExpected Launch- September 2017
- Battery- 4,600mAh
- Chipset- HiSilicon Kirin 965
- Edge-to-edge display
- 12MP dual camera setup
The Honor Note 8 launched with a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display and a 4,500mAh battery. It runs on the Kirin 955 chipset and a 2.5GHz octa-core processor. It also houses the Mali-T880GPU and 4GB of RAM along with 32GB/64GB/128GB onboard storage. The Honor Note 8 was a budget phablet and the Honor Note 9, expected to launch in September of this year will take Honor’s Note series forward with high-end specifications at a mid-range price tag.
August 3, 2017
Google Pixel 2 And Pixel 2 XL Image Revealed

Google’s first Android smartphone – Pixel was launched on 20 October, 2016. Confirming the rumors, Osterloh announced last year that Pixel will pave way for its successors, the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL. He said, “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it. You can (also) count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now”.

Google is expected to launch the two Pixel successors later this year – Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Though no release dates have been announced yet, the rumors offer a hint at what Google has in store for us.

Recent render leaks from one of the case makers show that the upcoming Pixel successors will be getting the best of both the worlds. The renders of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL show that the devices will reportedly employ polarizing curved edges of the Galaxy Note 8 and top bezel cut-out of the iPhone 8.

Furthermore, Olixar has made the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL cases available for pre-orders with prices starting from $5.99 for the basic FlexiShield range in UK and US.

Though the details about the Google’s upcoming smartphones have been hard to come by, here’s all we know about the next Pixel lineup.

Several reports suggested that only the Pixel 2 XL will be launched with these features, but according to updated renders, Google seems to follow last year’s strategy of making both the phones almost identical with few exceptions. Given the previous rumors of LG manufacturing the smartphones, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL look similar to the LG G6.

Evident from the recent case images, both the Pixel 2 and 2 XL are expected to feature curved glass around the flat OLED display with small bezels. Speculations about the Pixel 2 XL sporting a slightly larger OLED display at 6 inches have also been doing the rounds, whereas the Pixel 2 is said to have a 5-inch, 1080p display in a chassis similar to the previous model.

Reports suggest that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will have an improved processor and a single-lens, dual-flash rear camera setup. Both the devices will most likely be water resistant and are expected to run on Snapdragon 835 chipset and with 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage.

A recently updated image suggested that Google may be planning to replace the good ol’ 3.5mm headphone jack with a single USB-C port. But it can’t be said for sure as the case images of the top or bottom of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are still unavailable.

Other than that, both the smartphones will have the back panel much like the original Pixel – a mix of metal and glass. However, this time the fingerprint sensor might not be covered with the glass.

The word on the street is that Google may launch the not so“affordable” Pixel successors by the end of this year. Osterloh hinted that the second edition of the highly-priced smartphones may not be ideal for a budget buyer. Therefore, we can expect the Google Pixel 2 to be in the same or slightly higher price bracket than its predecessor.

August 3, 2017
Moto G5S Plus Specs And Image Leaked

Motorola has been keeping up appearances in the smartphone world. With the recent launches of Moto Z2 Play, Moto E4 and Moto E4 Plus , Motorola has another event lined up. The rumored launch event on 25 July 2017 is reported to unveil the next lineup of Motorola smart phones.

While there have been many rumors about the yet to be launched Moto G5S Plus, a newly leaked case image reveals that the Moto G5S Plus is more likely to sport a dual rear camera setup. According to reports, the camera setup features two 13 MP sensors — one color and one monochromatic. Whereas the earlier model Moto G5 Plus had a single 12 MP rear camera. Reports suggest,the dual camera arrangement will offer the advantage of some new features like bokeh ( depth feature), background replacement and selective black-and-white filtering. Recent leaks show that the Moto G5S Plus will have an aluminum chassis, giving it a more premium look.

In comparison to its earlier variant the Moto G5 Plus, which has a 5.2 inch screen, the new Moto G5S Plus is likely to feature a slightly bigger 5.5 inch full HD display. The leaks also showcase an 8 MP front camera, an upgrade to the standard version’s 5 MP front shooter. As per the rumored details, the smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. The Moto G5S Plus is expected to launch with 4GB RAM and 64 GB of storage. The phone is set to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

The recent rumors suggest that the Moto G5S Plus will see the light of the day on July 25 in New York. The event is also expected to launch Moto Z2 Force and the Moto X4 alongside the Moto G5S Plus. The much anticipated Moto G5S Plus is expected to be available in India in early August. It is expected to be priced slightly higher than it’s predecessor by approximately INR 2000.

July 17, 2017
The OnePlus 2 Will Not Get The Android Nougat 7.0 Update

Oneplus has confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will not officially get the Android Nougat 7.0 update. This will leave a lot of bitter taste in the mouths of OnePlus 2 owners. The device which was supposed to get software updates for at least 24 months only received one incremental update before it was abandoned by the company.

OnePlus has reportedly confirmed that Android Nougat isn’t new, and the company is happy with what they are doing with software, so it won’t be pushing official Nougat update to the OnePlus 2.

“When we built the OnePlus 2 we didn’t have the software infrastructure team in place we do now.” said OnePlus in an interview.

This is becoming a usual standard for most manufacturers who are constantly promising updates but are unable to deliver. OnePlus has, however, claimed that the company will ensure that both the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T do not fall under the same umbrella, ensuring updates to Android O builds when they release later this year.

For those who were impenitent lots of third part methods of getting the latest builds of Android are easily available, including installation of custom ROMs. And while it may not be the best and the most popular way, looks like owners of the OnePlus 2 will only be left with few options; ignore the lack of updates, install bootleg software, or shift phones.

Do Check out:

June 13, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to Get Android 7.1.1 Nougat on Jan 17th

Samsung has ended its Beta program and skipped the Android 7.0 update to directly seed the Android 7.1.1 to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge starting January. Samsung has traditionally been the slowest to roll over to the latest version of Android, and usually the next S series launch makes the update available. However, this time it seems that the company will start pushing the update on Jan 17th in a phased manner. Meaning, not all devices will get the update at the same time.

Android Nougat 7.1.1 was made dev friendly in November and the Google Pixel devices were the first phones to run this build of Android. The new update will bring some new changes to the user interface and also enable the new multi gender emojis.

Samsung was the first company to ship multi window in their large size phones, now with the official update the S series phones will also get that ability. Samsung had recently announced that the company will skip 7.0 and seed 7.1.1 directly to keep up with the competition, thus confirming this rumour.

“We have to ensure that our final rollout of the update is free of any bugs and, and can be pushed OTA without causing damage to the devices of users Data. We have taken proper steps to ensure the rollout is smooth and the Samsung Galaxy users are happy” – Samsung India spokesperson.

Samsung is also prepping for the launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8 plus which is expected to launch in the end of February with S Pen support and a larger screen to body ratio than before. The next major Galaxy phone should be launched at MWC 2017.

January 12, 2017
CyanogenMod Shuts Down, Devs and Android Lovers Saddened This Christmas

In a post issued on 24th December the the CyanogenMod team announced in a blog post that they will be shutting down the 8 year old custom ROM community that CyanogenMod was known for. The name that made custom ROMs and modding of Android phones safe and mainstream now shuts down as Cyanogen Inc (Cyngn) and Kondik the name behind the CyanogenMod shuts down the infrastructure backing the community.

The post labelled “A Fork in the Road” explains how some recent changes made the whole team expect an outcome similar to this and that in no way will the development of Custom ROMs stop. The debs involved will move on to make ROMs under a new name, still possibly held together by their development past.

Embracing that spirit, we the community of developers, designers, device maintainers and translators have taken the steps necessary to produce a fork of the CM source code and pending patches. This is more than just a ‘rebrand’. This fork will return to the grassroots community effort that used to define CM while maintaining the professional quality and reliability you have come to expect more recently.

The future of this highly popular and community based ROM may simply shift to a new name. But, for now an 8 year old legend comes to a rest and a lot of users of the ROM are left with a bad taste in their mouth.

The CyanogenMod team will be moving on to form what they are calling the new LineageOS :

So, yes, this is us. LineageOS will be a continuation of what CyanogenMod was. To quote Andy Rubin, this is the definition of open. A company pulling their support out of an open source project does not mean it has to die.

Read the full post here.

December 25, 2016
Moto Z, Moto Z Play and Moto G4 Phones to Start Receiving Android 7.0 Soon

Moto has confirmed that its latest devices the Moto G4 plus, Moto Z and Moto Z Play will soon start receiving the Android 7 Nougat software update soon. The Moto Z will be the first handset apart from Google’s own pixel to get the ability to support Daydream VR capabilities. While the Moto Z play and G4 phones will skip this feature.

The Moto Z which was launched in October will be getting the update first followed by the Moto Z Play and Moto G 4th Gen, G4 Plus and G4 Play. Moto will also push Android Nougat update to Moto X Style and X Play. The new OS will be pushed via an OTA update and should begin rolling out sometime this week.

With the new update Moto will be able to bring new features of Android 7 to the Moto Z and Z Play including the Multitasking – Multi Window capabilities along with eventually the Google Assistant.

November 22, 2016
Android 7.0 Nougat For OnePlus One and Android 7.1 to OnePlus Two and OnePlus 3 Soon

The refresh cycles of OnePlus handsets have been poorly placed and the company has usually taken a long while to push Android updates to their devices. However, that may change with the Nougat release.

Benchmarking websites are recording data from the OnePlus One, OnePlus Two and OnePlus 3 with Android 7.0 and 7.1 Nougat installed.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, which is featured on the OnePlus One is considered to be not compatible with the Vulcan API required for Nougat. However, it could simply be a test install without the Vulcan Graphics API, or the company may be working on a final build for its users.

According to Geekbench, the OnePlus One gets a Single core score of 976 and a Multicore score of 2521 while on Android Nougat 7.0

The OnePlus Two on the other hand was found running both Android 7.0 and Android 7.1 scoring 1168 on Single core on Android 7.0 and a score of 715 on Single Core on Android 7.1, while multicore ranges from 2922 on 7.0 to 2694 on 7.1. Meaning that the Android 7.1 build is not very stable and possibly is still being worked on.

OnePlus 3 is showing an impressive score while on Android 7.1 for Single-core reaches 1747 and a score of 4007 for Multi-core.

The push update for the OnePlus Two with Nougat could be bundled with the OTA update said to enable VoLTE on the handset. The company may also enable the support for OnePlus X and OnePlus One, but no official word for that has been given out.

The OnePlus 3 may be phased out for an intermittent handset called the OnePlus 3T which will be designed around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset and will launch in December.

November 1, 2016
Android 7.0 Nougat Will be Releasing On Aug 5 With New Camera App

According to several leaks Aug 5 is the day Google will officially roll out Android 7.0 Nougat to the public, which means it should be hitting all compatible Nexus devices, and a whole lot of other brand devices including HTC and Motorola soon after.

Nexus 5 will remain out of the update loop as Google will proceed to launch the next generation of Nexus handsets later this month.

The new OS update will bring several new apps including a new Camera App which will bring several new features and more manual control of the camera.

Android 7.0 releases next month, with the 8/5 security patch. Sorry Nexus 5 owners, no Nougat for you ?
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 30, 2016

Google may also launch several other apps showcased during Google I/O including Allo

August 1, 2016
Android N : Big Focus on Security : I/O 2016

Android N is the next big update to Android, and while Google already showed off Android N earlier this year. The official announcement focuses on important Security issues and productivity while ensuring better performance.

With the new Vulcan framework, Google will give developers direct access to the GPU and reduce CPU overload.

We have already seen the preview of Android N, and a lot of the features, including multi-window. And new notification customizations.

Those with eligible devices can enroll for the beta updates. Also, if you haven’t already you can submit your name options for the next version of Android.

#NameyMcNameface is the best name for Android N #io16

— iGyaan (@igyaan) May 18, 2016

This year, you can submit a name at https://t.co/BgZf9vwnLB #google #io16 #googleio

— iGyaan (@igyaan) May 18, 2016

May 19, 2016
3D Touch Delayed, Android N Launch to Continue Without It

Google has put off implementing an Android variant of Apple’s 3D touch at the launch of their next big OS, Android N. A lot of people were excited about this feature, said to be implemented in Android N, providing support to hardware manufacturers to use 3d touch type functionality throughout Android OS.

Google’s next Nexus phones which are supposedly being manufactured by HTC will come with the hardware capabilities of 3D Touch, however, may not use this feature from the get-go.

According to a report in Recode, insiders in Google said

the feature will not be part of the initial Android N release and will have to wait for a later release of the operating system, most likely as part of a maintenance update to the software.

While this may be a let down to excited patrons, this also confirms that Google is indeed working on a 3D touch Android variant which has been loved by iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users alike.

There are already a few manufacturers that have used pressure-sensitive screens and have a more nimble version of 3D touch support on their phones. Googe has already seeded a pre-release dev beta version of Android N and is currently holding a poll to decide the name of this variant of Android.

May 13, 2016
Android Marshmallow is on Only 7.5 Percent Devices

With the launch of the next big Android revision just around the corner, it is disheartening to see that the upgrade cycle of Android is lower than ever. According to Google, Android 6.0 updates have only reached 7.5% devices running the Android OS, and this includes non-Nexus handsets.

In comparison, Android Kitkat and Lolipop have been the most successful for the company with a reach of 32.5% and 35.6% respectively. However, penetration has hugely improved from the 1.2% penetration that Marshmallow had back in February. The large boost is assumed to be from upgrade cycles of companies like Samsung and HTC who recently started to push Android Marshmallow updates.

In comparison 84% iOS devices including iPhones, iPads and iPods are running iOS 9 which almost immediately crossed the 50% penetration.

Android has a far larger fragmentation and the update cycle is controlled by several different manufacturers for their respective cycles. Google is attempting to simplify the upgrades and push for a cleaner and more efficient upgrade capability with Android N which is expected to be released at Google IO.

Source

May 5, 2016