Leaked: Galaxy X1 and X1 Plus are Samsung's new Android flip phones

Samsung is known to be working on its foldable phones, as the company had patented this technology not too long ago. There is no news on how the phone would look like, but there have been several rumours that pointed to the phones being developed under the Project Valley codename. Now new reports suggest that Samsung might launch the phone under the Galaxy X series.

Two new smartphones named Galaxy X1 and Galaxy X1 Plus have allegedly leaked online, which indicate that these devices would be the new foldable smartphones, from Samsung.

Weibo, the Chinese social platform, known for its leaks, have posted the phones, which also reveal the model numbers of the devices, which are 'Sm-X9000' and 'SM-X9050'. Both handsets are tipped to run on Android operating system.

Another report from AndroidSoul have pointed that both the phones already are under test in China. Rumours also point that the Galaxy X1 would be running on Android v6.0.1 Marshmallow and the Galaxy X1 Plus would come with Android Nougat operating system.

The patent filed by Samsung, suggests that Galaxy X might feature a flexible or secondary display that would turn on when the smartphone is folded. Other hearsay suggest that Samsung might feature the new smartphones with a 4K display and host a lot many other features like iris scan, fingerprint scan, face scan, biometric authentication as well as palm pattern.

Other information suggests that Samsung might announce these new Galaxy X branded phones in Q3 and Q4 of 2017. Both will have dual screen with flat screen on each side and Samsung might also launch another foldable model with a single flexible OLED screen that is likely to come next year in 2018.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X rumoured to launch soon

Xiaomi always finds ways in getting the spotlight and this time it's in context to the new Redmi Note 4X. Although the company launched two new colours of its existing Redmi 4 smartphone in China recently, now the company has shifted its focus on the upcoming Note-series phones.

Rumoured reports suggest that Xiaomi is expected to launch the Redmi Note 4X soon, which would be a much powerful version of the Redmi Note 4. The Note 4X will most likely be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor, coupled with 4GB RAM and for storage might comes with 64GB internal storage.

The existing Xiaomi Note 4, which is likely to arrive in India soon comes with interesting specs too. The Note 4 features a 5.5 inch IPS LCD capacitive touch screen, with 1080 x 1920 resolution. The phone runs on Android v6.0 Marshmallow OS, skinned with MIUI 8.0 and powers on a 2.1 GHz Deca-core Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20 processor with Mali-T880 MP4 GPU. The phone gets two variants, the first being 2GB RAM with 16GB storage and the other a 3GB RAM version with 64GB storage. The phone comes with a microSD card slot that allows storage expansion of up to 256 GB and also features a Fingerprint senor, mounted at the back.

In terms of optics, the Note 4 at the back uses a 13 Megapixel camera with dual LED (dual tone) flash and on the front is a 5 Megapixel camera for video calls and clicking selfies.

Powering the phone is a Non removable Li-Po 4100mAh battery and comes with connectivity options like Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, microUSB v2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The Xiaomi Note 4 is available in five colour options of Silver, Gray, Gold, Blue and Black.

The Note series is a very popular phone line up in China and if the rumoured reports regarding the Redmi Note 4X are to be true, then we might have a much powerful phone with a much better performance.

Xiaomi Mi 6 likely to launch on Valentine’s Day

Xiaomi is tipped to make an entry at CES 2017 next year and reports suggest that the company, most likely will be launching its new flagship, the Mi 6 at the event. If rumours are to be true, then it's highly possible, since Xiaomi had launched the Mi 5, early in 2016 as well.

Weibo, the Chinese social media known for mobile leaks, initially pointed to a tipster, which said that Xiaomi would officially launch the Mi 6 in March, but now another conflicting report points that Xiaomi Mi 6 most likely will be announced on February 14, 2017.

If the leaks turn out to be accurate, then the Mi 6 would actually be the first smartphone to be announced with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU.

Other reports suggest that Xiaomi might launch the Mi 6 in three different variants, of which the international version would be called Xiaomi Mi 6S that will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, second being the Xiaomi Mi 6E that might run on MediaTek Helio processor and the third would be Xiaomi Mi 6P that might house the company's very own Pinecone processor.

In terms of specs, the phone is expected to come with a 5.2 inch display with 2.5D glass. Tipped to launch with three different processors, the handset might feature a 4GB and a 6GB RAM variant as well. It likely would back a dual 16 Megapixel camera at the back and would power on a 3000mAh battery with support for QuickCharge 4.0.

Point to be taken here is that, all information's tipped are sheer rumours and can't be confirmed till Xiaomi officially launches the phone.

Lenovo ZUK Edge to launch on December 20

Lenovo’s ZUK Edge has been the talk of the town since quite some time now, and Lenovo has finally lifted the veil over the release date for the smartphone. The device is set to be unveiled on the coming Tuesday, December 20.

The smartphone has been surrounded by leaks and rumours. Current leaks suggest that the smartphone sports a 5.5-inch full-HD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The display sports minimal bezels, hence the ‘Edge’ nomenclature. Moreover, these bezels also come with a slight curve around the edges.

Coming to the hardware on the smartphone, ZUK Edge is reportedly said to be rocking Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 chipset paired with Adreno 530GPU. The device is expected to be available in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants, and 64GB or 128GB storage variants.

Coming to the optics on the ZUK Edge, the device is expected to sport a 13-megapixel primary rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera at the front. There are no further details for the specs of the camera as of now.

The device is expected to run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZUK’s near stock Android skin on top, which has been the case with almost all ZUK smartphones in the past. For battery, the device is said to sport a 3000mAh battery. The device would charge using a USB Type-C connector.

There are no hints for the device to support quick-charging as of now, but considering it’s rocking the 821 chipset, which already comes with Quick Charge 3.0, we could expect the quick charging capabilities be present on the ZUK Edge.

Sony Xperia X Performance is now getting the Android 7.0 Nougat update

For a change, Android's latest version, 7.0 Nougat is popping up on phones earlier than the previous versions did when they launched. After the Moto phones received its fair share of updates, it's time for Sony's premium lineup to receive the update. Sony is now beginning to roll out the Android Nougat update to the Xperia X Performance.

For now, only model numbers F8131 and F8132, the Dual SIM variant of the phone are reportedly receiving the update. It has also not been confirmed which regions are getting the update.

The Xperia X Performance release back in February at MWC 2016 and Sony had been reportedly testing Android Nougat on the Xperia X lately through the Xperia Beta Program as of November 1st, according to Android Headlines. And only after a thorough round of test, the update is now rolling out officially to devices.

Android 7.0 Nougat is the new incremental update to Android, announced earlier this year in Google's I/O conference. While there are no significant design changes, Nougat brings support for multi-window and Direct Replies. 

Moreover, Android Nougat comes with a whole new notification panel and some nifty tweaks for battery improvements.

In addition, Nougat comes with the Google Assistant, the AI-powered Digital Assistant that is more contextually aware than any of its counterparts.

Nougat is also more secure than the previous versions in the sense that it now uses file-based encryption and direct boot which prevents the entire system to be compromised through one bad sector.

Google has also made it easier to install the monthly security patches that it releases to make it even more secure.

The update for the Sony Xperia X Performance is rolling out in phases. To update your phone, head to Settings, About Phone and hit on System Updates.

Meizu m5 Note to be officially revealed on 6 December

Meizu has sent out invitations for its upcoming smartphone called the Meizu m5 Note that will be launched in China at an event dated December 6. The phone will be an upgrade of Meizu m3 Note that sold 20 million units from the time of launch.

The specs of the Meizu m5 Note had been tipped online at a Chinese telecommunication site TENAA. According to the tipped reports, the phone features a 5.5 inch full HD display with a resolution of 1080x 1920 pixels and will very likely power on a MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755 Octa core chipset that comes paired with MALI t860 MP2 GPU and works on Andrid v6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system. The phone is likely to launch in three different variants, which include 2GB RAM for 16GB storage, 3GB RAM for 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage. More so, there will be an external memory slot for all the phones, but considering three different variants, the battery too of the 64GB model would be different and will host a large 4000mAh battery, on the other hand, the 16GB version as well as the 32GB variant might operate n a 3920mAh battery.

To click images and record videos, the smartphone at the back would use a 13 Megapixel rear camera where as at the front would be a 5 Megapixel camera that assists users in doing video chats and clicking selfies. The Mezu m5 will come in colour options of White and Black and in terms of design, the handset would be available in a metal unibody frame paired with rounded edges along with a presumable fingerprint scanner that most likely will be placed in the Home Button of the phone. The handset is likely to weigh 175 grams and come with 8.5mm thickness.

Well all the specs mentioned are alleged rumours, and shouldn’t be considered official. To get an official prospect about the specs of the phone, we would rather wait till the official launch takes place.

Google quickly clarifies the security tech in Android Nougat after the Pixel hack

After the Pixel phones were hacked in less than 60 seconds by a team Chinese dudes, Google has rushed to clarify the kind of security the smartphones come with. In its official Keyword blog, Google has outlined the improvements in security in Android Nougat as well as in the Pixel phones, which includes File-based Encryption, Direct Boot and TrustZone security. Google had earlier said that Android is now as secure as iOS. The company now has explained what exactly is going on behind the scenes to secure the devices. 

Android Nougat comes with file-based encryption which basically encrypts different files with different keys which are unlocked independently. This allows the rest of the files to remain uncompromised even when one file has been hacked. Earlier, Android used Full Disk Encryption which didn't do much good to the security. File-based encryption separates the data into device encrypted data and credential encrypted data, keeping the important credentials in a separate container.

Direct boot in Android Nougat uses the file-based encryption to keep the user experience seamless after a device reboots. For instance, applications like alarm clocks, accessibility settings and phone calls are available immediately after boot.

What's more, Anroid Nougat comes with TrustZone security tech that executes system-level codes in a mode that is secure even when the main kernel is compromised. It also stores the disk encryption keys and when it detects the operating system has been modified, it won't decrypt the keys to keep the data inside secure.

To prevent brute force attacks, TrustZone comes with a waiting period that gets longer each time a wrong sequence of the pattern is made. With over 162 valid four-point patterns and the ever growing waiting period, brute force attackers will need four years to hack into an Android Nougat phone.

In addition, the Pixel phones come with an inbuilt hardware encryption engine that provides hardware level encryption all the while maintaining the I/O performance.

This Blog was first published on:- http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Google-quickly-clarifies-the-security-tech-in-Android-Nougat-after-the-Pixel-hack/articleshow/55494872.cms 

OnePlus 3T announced: New processor, larger battery, improved front-facing camera

With smartphones like the OnePlus 3 it's tough to justify paying more than $400 for a smartphone today. The company just announced the next model, the OnePlus 3T that brings improvements in the processor, battery, and camera with an option for more internal storage.

The OnePlus 3T will start at $439 for the 64GB model and is advertised as launching on 22 November.

The OnePlus 3 is an excellent Android smartphone available for $399. It was released in June and just five months later we are seeing an incremental bump in the internal specifications. Current OnePlus 3 owners likely won't have any need to upgrade, but others looking for an affordable Android phone with flagship specifications may definitely consider this powerhouse of a phone.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad core
• Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution Optic AMOLED, 401 ppi
• Operating system: Oxygen OS built upon Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
• RAM: 6GB
• Storage: 64GB or 128GB of internal storage
• Cameras: 16 megapixel rear camera with OIS and 16 megapixel front facing camera
• Wireless technology: NFC, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2
• Battery: 3,400 mAh battery with OnePlus Dash Charge technology
• Dimensions: 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm and 158 grams

OnePlus has publicly stated that a beta build of Oxygen OS built on Android 7 Nougat is coming soon so we can expect the OnePlus 3T to be upgraded to this version within the next couple of months as well.

Instead of gray, a new gunmetal color will be available with the OnePlus 3T. It looks to be a darker gray than the standard gray found in the OnePlus 3.

The only things lacking here compared to the iPhone 7, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy S7 are a Quad HD display and water resistance. The cameras on these newest Android and iPhone devices are fantastic while the OnePlus 3 and 3T are fine for most well-lit environments. Consumers will have to decide if paying twice the price for these features is worth it as they consider the OnePlus 3T.

One aspect that I like about the OnePlus 3 and 3T is the ability to customize the smartphone to your personal preferences, even more so than you can with most Android smartphones. The OnePlus smartphones have always catered to the smartphone enthusiast, but with more people considering SIM unlocked devices at half the price of a flagship major brand there is an opportunity for OnePlus to succeed with these devices.

This blog was first published on: http://www.zdnet.com/article/oneplus-3t-announced-new-processor-larger-battery-improved-front-facing-camera/

Asus Zenfone 3 Max Review: A rather boring phone with good battery life

Lately there has been an exponential growth in the budget smartphone market which has seen devices launching left, right and centre. Be it the likes of Xiaomi, Lenovo and Motorola, or domestic phone makers like Micromax, Lava and Xolo all have been focusing greatly on the budget smartphone segment. Taiwan based Asus has also been focussing on this market in India for the last few years. The new ZenFone 3 Max is yet another phone which is targeting this very market. It also comes with a big battery which is its main USP. After the using for the last few days, I can tell you that this is a polarizing device.

Designed to Impress

The moment to see the handset, you would undoubtedly be pleased with how the phone looks. With a perky design, and use of copious amounts of metal the phone seems quite premium with its brushed finish on the back. The feel of the phone is also quite good with its curved sides enabling a great in-hand feel. From the back, the phone will also remind of a HTC phone or a newer device like the OnePlus 3 in terms of design and the way the camera has been laid-out on.

The back panel of the handset is also embedded with slight chrome like stripe on the top and bottom that fosters an elegant look, which is shared with same on the fingerprint sensor as well. All in all, Zenfone 3 Max is quite nice to look at and I have no doubts about that.
The camera that sits right at the center of the back panel accompanied with the LED flash and laser auto-focus module also has chrome like bezel finish that complements the over all aspects of the handset.

Aiding the fine build and design, the Zenfone 3 Max comes with a contoured 2.5D glass touch screen which seamlessly sinks into the metallic frame of the device. The button arrangement is also quite logical as on the right side of the panel there is the power button and volume rockers, where as the left side has a dedicated SIM tray that is removable with a pin. At the bottom is the USB port embedded precisely, just besides the speaker grill, at the same time the top has a 3.5mm jack port embedded in the panel.

The device gets a 5.5-inch full HD IPS display that expels good vibrant colours with 450nits brightness under all light conditions along with a noteworthy 73 percent screen to body ratio, for less bulk and more display. Compared to some of the other phones in the market, the screen does appear to be slightly washed out, but it isn’t a horrible screen.

Basic performer, not a dazzler

While there are no complains on how the phone looks or about the build quality, what really matters on any device is how good is the hardware and how well does it sync with the interface of the phone. Well, powering this device is the 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 CPU that is clocked at 1.4GHz and powering the graphics in the handset is the Adreno 505 paired with 3GB RAM. Now, this is the same hardware package which powers the Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime, so it is kind of overpriced for what you’re getting.

That being said, the phone does perform decent in basic day-to-day tasks as it is backed with good speed, but you do get a sense of the software not optimized to its fullest potential, as it took time for the phone to open the phone menu and on dialling a number, it almost took a pause of few seconds, before the calling menu popped up. Furthermore, while playing a game like Need for Speed: No Limits, the phone preformed reasonably, with not many major drops in frame, though it didn’t dazzle.

Multitasking on the phone was adequate and while running heavy duty apps in the background you got a feeling that the phone was behaving in a sluggish manner. Thankfully on the storage front, the phone gets 32GB of on-board storage and there’s a microSD card slot which can be used to expand the memory to all the way up to 128GB.

Decent camera



Cameras on handset’s these days can be the key selling point of the device and almost all companies try insuring a good sensor at the back and Asus too has tried doing the same. The back panel of the phone comes with a 16-megapixel camera that captures decent images in high resolution without a shutter lag – be it daylight or close up shots, however, in night time it stumbles.

The camera is paired with a Tri-Tech auto-focus technology which is a combination of laser auto-focus, phase detect auto focus and a contrast detection system. It instantly tracks and focuses the subject for better images and also has a three-axis electronic image stabilizer (EIS) that helps in capturing handheld videos as steady as possible. The HDR mode too clicks decent images and has up to 4 times the dynamic range that helps enhance the brightness by up to 400 percent. The Super Resolution on the other hand can combine simultaneous shots at a 64-megapixel resolution.

The front 8-megapixel front camera also has a few tricks built under its software that can help you get nice selfies and accompanies other modes like Beautification, Auto, Night, HDR Pro, Effect, Low Light and Time Lapse. The image quality overall was also quite good and usable for handsome selfies.

Clearly, this phone doesn’t have a camera that’s in the same league as the new iPhone or the Google Pixel, but it isn’t the worst thing on the planet at the same time.

Ugly and irritating software

All manufactures have their own UI in their handsets and so does Asus. Powered by the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the Zenfome 3 Max comes skinned with ZenUI 3.0, which according to Asus is intelligently incorporated that brings up all the apps you need and for that matter when you need it. It also gets some gesture controls that open the app, even when the screen is off. The fingerprint sensor too, integrates seamlessly with third party apps that aids in providing great security.

But the problem is that Asus overloads the phone with a plethora of duplicate apps which just doesn’t make for a very user friendly phone. If you’re a power user, then the good news is that it is possible to get rid of the many duplicate apps which aren’t even as good as the basic Android variants that Google provides.

Powerful battery

The battery of is the most crucial aspect of a phone and on a handset with a 5.5-inch screen, expecting the phone to survive through the day would be a big deal, but here apparently with the high capacity 4100mAh battery, the ZenFone 3 Max just lets you keep going by offering up to 38 days of standby time. Everyone wants a device that lets you play games, watch videos and talk endlessly without having to worry about the phones battery. (For how much time could you use it on a single charge? How many hours? How much time did it take for the phone to get charges?) The best part I liked here is that it offers so much so that you could literally double up the phones potential and use it as a power bank to charge other devices. In fact, the battery prospects are so good that it comes with a Super Saving mode, which is pre-configured to maximize every last milliampere and turning on the mode you can extend the phone to last another 30 hours on standby time even on 10 percent battery.

Should you buy it?

In this flooded smartphone market, if you look at the ZenFone 3 Max, then you look at it with a view that it has a lot of potential, but basic hardware and poor software basically straddle its potential. The phone sure looks up-market and feels premium, which is a good think but its performance is also quiet rudimentary at the same time. Certainly, the hardware could’ve been tuned in a better way to the software, but not many companies have proven that ability and that also includes a luminary like Samsung. Overall, it is a boring phone which has rather decent battery life, nothing more, nothing less; there certainly are better phones in the market.

This blog was first published on: http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Asus-Zenfone-3-Max-Review-A-rather-boring-phone-with-goodbattery-life/articleshow/55309451.cms

Android is as secure as iPhone says Google

Google now contents that Android is as secure as Apple’s iOS which powers iPhones and iPads. Android’s head of security Adrian Ludwig touted Android’s secure nature at the O’Reilly security conference in New York City on where he spoke at great length about the security that the new Google Pixel smartphone provided.

“For almost all threat models…they are nearly identical in terms of their platform-level capabilities,” he said. “In the long term, the open ecosystem of Android is going to put it in a much better place,” claimed Ludwig.

Ludwig also touted Google’s Safety Net which scans through 400 million devices every day and 6 billion apps per day. According to Ludwig this means that less than 1 percent Android devices have malware on them.

“At this point we still don’t have any confirmed instances of exploitation in the wild,” he said talking about the StageFright malware issue, which he believed was blown out of proportion.

Ludwig believed there was room for improvement especially when it comes down to Android updates. He believes Google and its carrier and smartphone OEM partners can better collaborate to provide timely updates especially when they are related to security patches.

As in the US, updates are also vetted by the carriers and deployed by them, often phones don’t get updated for months after.

Ludwig also believed that Android is so secure as a platform that it doesn’t suffer any of the afflictions that have plagued dominant operating systems like Windows.

“Mass exploitation is something that I’m not expecting that we’re going to see at any point in the ecosystem.

Blackberry launches its last, most powerful Android phone

BlackBerry Ltd launched its third Android-based phone on Tuesday, the last device whose success will be the company's financial responsibility, opting to price its top-end device well below Apple Inc's iPhone 7.

The Canadian smartphone pioneer, which has lost most of the market to Apple and others, last month said it planned to completely outsource the development of its smartphones to focus on its more profitable business of making software and managing mobile devices.

That means the Android-based DTEK60 will be the last phone for which BlackBerry buys components itself, which carries a heavier risk if it does not sell well.

"This one is our phone," BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Marty Beard said in an interview. "This is fully our responsibility."

BlackBerry's Toronto-listed shares were down 1.2 percent in afternoon trade at C$9.70. They had touched C$11.18 - their highest since January - on Sept. 28 when the company announced its outsourcing plan.

"BlackBerry had to kill its hardware in order to save it," website TechCrunch wrote in a broadly positive review of the DTEK60 that nevertheless questioned how much interest it would elicit.

Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry does not have any deals with telecom companies to distribute the device.

Instead, it is pitching the phone directly to companies and governments, as well as selling it on its own websites in the United States, Canada, and several major European countries.

"It's not necessarily an anti-carrier strategy," Beard said. "It's more that we see this as the most efficient and most cost-effective way to get to that customer base."

The device, which has a 5.5 inch touchscreen, will be priced at $499. Apple's iPhone 7 with the same screen size starts at $769, while the equivalent version of Android-maker Alphabet Inc's Pixel starts at $649.

"Certainly it's not going to be the next superstar in the marketplace," said William Stofega, a mobile phone analyst at IDC Corp. "But it's a solid device that brings some really high-end security features and capabilities to it."

The DTEK60 is being manufactured by TCL Corp, a Chinese electronics company that makes phones as well as televisions, air conditioners and other household appliances.

BlackBerry launched its first Android device, the high-end Priv, in November last year and followed it with the much cheaper DTEK50 in July. The company last month wrote down $137 million of phone inventory and supply commitments.

How to install the Android 7.1 developer preview on your device

Android 7.1 marks the first time Nexus owners aren’t getting the full suite of upgrades from Google. The Pixel phones have some exclusive features, including built-in Google Assistant, the new Pixel Launcher, and fingerprint sensor gestures. However, not all of this is an arbitrary decision to add value to the Pixel. In the case of some features (e.g. fingerprint sensor gestures), there are hardware limitations in existing devices that prevent the feature from working. So, it’s not technically a Pixel-exclusive; there just aren’t any other phones that support it right now.

As for what you can expect in the developer preview, there will be a handful of noticeable changes. For one, touch display responsiveness had been boosted. There’s also a new storage manager that helps you clear old files from your device to get more space for new stuff. Android’s launcher shortcuts, which were previously demoed in the 7.0 preview, are coming back. Although, now they are called “app shortcuts,” which might be the least descriptive name ever. They’re long-press shortcuts that app icons can produce to specific functionality in an app. For example, the camera icon includes links to take a video and take a selfie.

To install the developer preview, you need to have a Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, or Pixel C. Other Nexus devices like the Nexus 9 and (maybe) Nexus 6 will be added next month. The easiest way to to go to the beta site and sign in with your Google account. There, you’ll be shown eligible devices. Once you choose to enroll one, an OTA update to the developer preview will be pushed down in a few minutes. Doing this will not erase your data, but it’s a preview. Things could go wrong, so back everything up to be safe.

If you want to handle the process manually, there are full system images available for download. This doesn’t require joining the beta, and you can install them even if you’re running a third-party ROM. You will need the Android SDK working on your computer, and your device’s bootloader needs to be unlocked. This will delete everything on your device, by the way.

While this is technically for developers, plenty of enthusiasts are installing the beta too. It’s a pretty smooth process, and you can get a look at Android 7.1 before almost everyone else. Google is planning to have a final version of Android 7.1 available on Nexus devices by late this year or early next.

This blog was first published on: http://www.extremetech.com/mobile/237995-how-to-install-the-android-7-1-developer-preview-on-your-device

Xiaomi Mi 5s And Mi 5s Unveiled Sporting Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner And Dual-Cameras

The much hyped Xiaomi Mi 5s smartphone finally launched yesterday in China, along with the Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus. Keeping up with rapidly changing tech trends, these are, on paper, an upgrade over the flagship Mi 5 with better hardware and innovative new features.

Both the Mi 5s and the Mi 5s Plus come in two variants- 64GB with 3GB RAM and 128GB with 4GB RAM. Earlier rumors of a 256GB variant remained elusive. Under the hood, both the phones run on the Snapdragon 821 processor and has USB-Type C port with Quick Charge 3.0.

But that’s where the similarities end.

The Mi 5s features a 5.15-inch full HD display with 2.5D glass and 600 nits of brightness. The 128GB variant of the Mi 5s comes with a pressure sensitive display with Synaptic’s tech underneath. The display can distinguish between a light and a hard tap, much like how Apple’s 3D display works in the new iPhones.

However, the highlight of the Mi 5s is the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor embedded underneath the display of the phone. The Qualcomm SenseID Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner is extremely fast and accurate. The tech makes use of ultrasonic waves to map the pores and ridges of an user’s finger and it can also recognize prints from an oily or sweaty finger. This is definitely the natural progression from sensor pads found in the back.

But here is also where Xiaomi did a double take. In the Mi 5s Plus, Xiaomi has put a more orthodox fingerprint scanning plate at the rear, beneath the camera.

Thankfully, it took away one feature and gave another- a dual camera setup. The Mi 5s Plus has two 13-megapixel cameras with Sony’s sensors. Among them, an RGB sensor captures color while the other one captures only in monochrome. Does it sound oddly familiar? (hint: Huawei P9)

As for the Mi 5s, there is a 12-megapixel camera at the back with a Sony CMOS sensor. It features 4-axis OIS and f/2.3 aperture. At the front, there is a 13-megapixel snapper for selfies.

The Mi 5s comes with a 3,200mAh battery while the Mi 5s Plus comes with a 3,800mAh battery.

The phones come in four colors- dark grey, silver, gold and rose gold.

The 64GB variant of the Mi 5s costs 1,999Yuan (roughly Rs 19,900) while the higher-end 128GB variant with ultrasonic fingerprint scanner costs 2,299 Yuan (roughly Rs 22,900). On the other hand, the dual-camera sporting Mi 5s Plus costs 2,299 (Rs 22,900 approximately) for the 64GB variant and 2,599 Yuan (roughly Rs 26,000) for the 128GB variant.

This Blog was first published on: http://thinkdebug.com/blog/xiaomi-mi-5s-and-mi-5s-unveiled-sporting-ultrasonic-fingerprint-scanner-and-dual-cameras/

Motorola’s Moto Z phones are slick modular smartphones

Slick is the word that comes to mind when you talk about Motorola’s new Moto Z phones launched in India. Both phones; the Moto Z and the cheaper and thicker Moto Z Play will be available later this month on October 17 on Flipkart and Amazon and these phones also represent the future of the smartphone.

Like LG’s G5 which launched earlier this year, the Moto twins are modular smartphones. The functionality of these phones can be augmented with mods which seamlessly can be strapped on to the device using magnetic connection points.

So while LG jumped the industry with a modular smartphone of its own, its implementation was horrendous and clearly wasn’t something that most users would’ve enjoyed. LG’s system entailed the user snapping open a section of the phone, detaching the battery and connecting the mod with it.

It was an ugly implementation to say the least. Motorola has a slick and functional solution. Mods magnetically connect on the back and the phone intelligently understands when the mod is enabled.

There are some useful mods too. There’s one from Hasselblad, which costs a bomb at Rs 14,999, but it adds a 10x optical zoom and full point and shoot camera system to the device. There’s a boombox mod from JBL which also doubles as a battery mod. This one comes for less at Rs 5,999.

Then there are other novel things like a battery mod essentially a battery attachment giving the phones monstrous battery life and a projector mod which can come in handy for watching movies or showcasing pictures.
There are some back plates too which come in various materials that include wood and a matte finish plastic.

The phones themselves too seemed to be very good in the short time I spent with them. The cheaper Moto Z Play is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chip and has a 5.5-inch full HD screen. It also rocks a large 3,500mAh battery. The phone looks gorgeous clad in metal and glass and frankly looks sexier than the iPhone 7, but it isn’t the most ergonomic thing to hold in the hand. It also is a massive fingerprint magnet on the back which is home to a glossy plastic finish.

The flagship Moto Z is drop dead gorgeous. Copious amounts of metal has been used in its construction and the phone feels like a really really expensive phone. It is also the slimmest 2016 flagship phone at 5.9mm. That’s drastically thinner than the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S7.

This also means that Motorola had to remove the 3.5mm jack something what Apple did with the iPhone 7. But Motorola’s reasons seem more genuine and understandable. There’s an adaptor for the same in the box which can be used with the USB Type C connector on the phone.

Processing chops wise, the phone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 four core processor, 4 gigs of RAM and 64GB of storage which can be further expanded. There’s also vibrant 5.5-inch quad HD OLED screen. The battery on this one is smaller 2,600mAh, so you may need the battery mod if you’re a heavy duty user.

Both phones come with decent camera hardware too. The high-end Z gets a 13-megapixel sensor on the back with an optically stabilised lens. The Z Play gets a 16-megapixel snapper which is electronically stabilised.

Both are also running a stockish version of Android Marshmallow and Lenovo executives have promised that the phones will be one of the first ones to get the Nougat update, but that’s something time will tell.

Overall, the pricing is attractive for what the Motorola brand represents and what its competition is doing. Moreover, in the short time I spent with the phone, I could say that the mods do work well and do represent some real innovation from the folks from Chicago. In the meanwhile keep an eye out at the Gizmodo India reviews page for the full review of both the phones.

This Blog was First published on: http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Motorolas-Moto-Z-phones-are-slick-modular-smartphones/articleshow/54674980.cms

Google Pixel: Leaked Again, more details now

There’s just a day more to go for the much-awaited Google phones to launch, but an UK retailer has played the spoilsport and leaked the design and specifications of the upcoming Pixel phones from Google.

Carphone warehouse, which is a UK based retailer has put up an ad on its website to start pre-orders for the phones, leaking a very clear idea of what the phones are going to look like.

Based on the leaks, it is now clear that the phones made by HTC come with rounded edges and a half cut glass panel at the back, which houses the fingerprint scanner.

Larger among the two, the Pixel XL is going to sport a 5.5-inch quad-HD AMOLED display with a 2560x1440 pixels resolution. The smaller Pixel will have a 5-inch Full HD display with 1920x1080 pixels resolution, all underneath a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection.

The AMOLED displays, apart from producing vibrant colors and deep blacks, can also power Google's Daydream VR platform.

Both the devices are expected to be powered by the new Snapdragon 821 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM. They are going to come in two storage variants- 32GB and 128GB solid state storage. This would mean that these become the first mass produced devices with Qualcomm’s new processor.

As for the camera, both phones are likely to feature a 12-megapixel shooter at the back with f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization (something that was missing from the previous Nexus devices) and an 8-megapixel front-facing selfie camera.


The Pixel will be powered by a 2,770mAh battery and the Pixel XL will have a 3,450mAh battery.

But the hardware apart, what will make Google's Pixel phones stand out will be the infusion of Google Assistant into every bit of the operating system. Google Assistant is a heavily integrated artificial intelligence-based digital assistant, much like Apple's Siri.

Google is also expected to release the 4K Chromecast dongle on October 4th, along with Google's Smart Home speaker that the company first teased in its I/O conference this year. Along with this, Google may also tease Andromeda- a lovechild of Chrome OS and Android operating system.

This Blog was first published on:- http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Google-Pixel-Leaked-Again-more-details-now/articleshow/54654966.cms

iOS 10.1 Public Beta brings much-anticipated ‘Portrait Mode’ to iPhone 7 Plus

Apple is making the most of its head start over Samsung due to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, and already consolidating its position in the smartphone market. After releasing iOS 10 publicly just ten days back, Apple is already adding even more features to its OS with the iOS 10.1 public beta.

And apart from squashing a lot of bugs and fixing a few errors, the iOS 10.1 public beta brings the much anticipated 'portrait mode' to the iPhone 7 Plus.

Users who have downloaded the beta release of the operating system will see the 'Portrait mode' option in their camera app.

The mode allows users to take photos with the background blurred, creating a depth-of-field effect that makes the viewer's eyes focus more on the subject of the photo. The effect will blur out out-of-focus background all the while keeping the subject of the photo in focus.

It is a feature exclusive only to the iPhone 7 Plus that comes with a dual camera setup containing one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens.

The Portrait mode was showcased at the iPhone launch event earlier this month and even though it wasn't there in iOS 10, the feature finds its way through in iOS 10.1.

However, it should be noted that the feature is still in its beta stage and that means its likely to have a few bugs.

Apple has also included a set of instructions to make the best use of the portrait mode. When the Portrait mode is turned on, the camera app will ask you to place the subject within 8 feet, for the depth-of-field effect to come into play. Also, Apple says the function needs to have adequate lighting to work properly. There is still no option to record videos in Portrait mode, however.

The depth-of-field effect is created because of the wide-aperture length of the iPhone 7 Plus camera lenses. With an aperture size of f/1.8, the iPhone camera can keep the shutter wide open allow you to create bokehs from out-of-focus backgrounds while simultaneously allowing you to focus on the main subject with greater clarity. As a result, the Portrait mode can also be used to click insane macro photographs.

As a result, photos of people's faces looks much more immersive and aesthetically pleasing.

Apple's Public Beta Program allows everyone to sign up for beta releases of iOS for free. Participating in the program will let you experience Apple's newly included features earlier than the general public, but with quite a few bugs and errors included along with it.

This blog was first published on: http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/iOS-10-1-Public-Beta-brings-much-anticipated-Portrait-Mode-to-iPhone-7-Plus/articleshow/54480653.cms

Moto E3 Is Rumored To Launch In India On September 19

The third generation Moto E is reaching the Indian shores this September 19, according to Android Headlines. Lenovo had quietly announced the Moto E3 in July and India is going to be the first country for the phone to launch. It is likely to priced at Rs 7,000.

The E series is Moto's lowest end smartphone which along with the Moto G have become one of the highest selling smartphones for Lenovo in India, mainly because of the sub Rs 20,000 pricing of the phones.

Despite their low prices, Moto E phones have always had respectable hardware specs. The Moto E3 too is no different. The phone will ship in two variants, one with 1GB RAM with 8GB storage and another with 2GB of RAM with 16GB of storage.

It sports a 5-inch 720p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by a MediaTek quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The storage is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. There is an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front.

All this is powered by a 2,800mAh battery for the 1GB RAM variant and 3500mAh battery for the 2GB variant. It runs pretty much stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with a few additional features from Moto.

The main attraction about the Moto E phones have always been the staggeringly low price. In India, budget and mid-range phones sell the most and Lenovo will look to continue domination of that market with the Moto E3.

Motorola will also start selling the Moto G4 Play on Amazon India before the September 19 launch of the Moto E3, according to Moto's website.

The Moto G4 Play comes powered by a Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, sporting an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front.

This Blog was forst published on:- http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Moto-E3-Is-Rumored-To-Launch-In-India-On-September-19/articleshow/54014852.cms