jeudi 24 décembre 2015
HTC Launches the One X9 in China, Bears MediaTek Helio X10
It’s the season of giving, and HTC has given us another device to add to the list of releases in 2015. The HTC One X9 has gone official in China, aiming to occupy a space in the mid end Chinese market.
The HTC One X9 features a 5.5″ 1080p IPS display, and a metal body that we discussed earlier with a standard set of capacitive buttons below the display, and BoomSound speakers on the front. The device lines up perfectly with the leaked renders we have seen so far, so the design aspect of the device bears no surprise to anyone keeping abreast of the latest leaks.
On the inside, the One X9 features a MediaTek X10 octa-core processor with a clock speed of 2.2 GHz. There is PowerVR G6200 in the GPU department, and 3GB of RAM to keep things comfortably running. There is 32GB of internal storage available in the device, along with a microSD card slot. The X9 features dual SIM slots, along with the standard set of connectivity specs like WiFi b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.1. There is also a decently sized 3,000 mAh battery, with support for “fast” charging at 5V/1.5A.
On the camera front, the HTC One X9 features a 13MP rear camera, packing in OIS and dual tone LED flash, along with the capability to shoot images in RAW format and videos in 4K. The front camera follows along the “UltraPixel” format, with a 4MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture.
There has been no mention of the OS version this mid-ranger would sport, so both Android 6.0 and Android 5.1 are possibilities at this stage for the version which the device ships with. There is also no mention of global availability, with the price in China being quoted at 2,399 CNY ($370). This price pits the device below the One A9, which is priced at 2,799 CNY ($430), if you compare the device with their price in the Chinese market.
The HTC One X9 should be available in China soon (no dates specified). We’re hoping that the device does make its way outside of China, and not remain a Chinese market exclusive like some other HTC models have been.
What are your thoughts on the HTC One X9? If the device retailed at $370, would you consider it a decent buy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Read on for related content:
- HTC One X9 Renders Leak Online
- Rumor Reveals Codename and Software for Next HTC Flagship
- Leak Reveals HTC’s Software Updates Plan for the First Half of 2016
- HTC Announces One A9 OTA Update with Latest Security Patches
- HTC Launches The HTC One A9 — Specs & Details
Source: HTC China
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neutriNote Lets You Take Quick Notes in Markdown
We’re always on the lookout for apps made by active XDA community members! If you’ve made such an app, let us know by contacting any portal writer.
If you’ve never heard of Markdown before, it’s a simple way to write in plain text while still being able to generate a well formatted HTML document. Markdown’s goal is to be easy to read and write regardless of the tools you’re using, while still allowing you to convert your documents to other formats — it’s what yours truly uses to write these portal articles, for example. (If you’ve ever used reddit, text submissions and comments there use Markdown as well.)
neutriNote by XDA Senior Member bsaelim leverages Markdown’s power on Android, letting you write, manage, export and print notes in a quick manner. The syntax is easy to learn if you’ve never used it before, and lets you do anything from writing quick text notes with simple formatting to creating tables and inserting math formulas. The latter is done thanks to the built-in LaTeX support, something you wouldn’t normally find in most Markdown flavors. One button press then allows you to switch between the plain text view and the rendered Markdown preview.
A powerful search function and custom metadata let you search your notes not only by text, but also using custom tags as filters. Location aware notes also let you check notes you’ve taken from a specific location (it’s worth noting that this feature can be disabled if you want).
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mercredi 23 décembre 2015
2015 Christmas Play Store Sales Round-Up
Nothing screams ‘Holiday Spirit’ more than sitting in bed playing games and browsing the web on your phone, right? You’re probably not going to spend your Christmas holiday on your phone, but if you are, who are we to judge!
We all have spent inordinate amounts of time on our phones, and thanks to the holiday shopping extravaganza, you’ll have many new apps and games to sink your time into. Check out a list of holiday sales list below where we’ll bring you the best year-end deals on the Google Play Store. (Shout-outs to the many redditors on /r/GooglePlayDeals for scouring the Play Store to share these deals with everyone!)
Apps
- AlarmPad Pro ($2.18, previously $4.49)
- ArtRage ($2.99, previously $4.99)
- Business Calendar 2 (50% off Pro Features)
- Day by Day Organizer ($2.45, previously $3.50)
- DragonBox Algebra ($0.99, previously $5.31)
- Enpass Password Manager ($4.99, previously $9.99)
- FiiNote ($6.84, previously $13.67)
- franco.Kernel Updater ($2.17, previously $4.23)
- Jota+ Pro ($2.98, previously $5.98)
- Lightning Launcher ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Locus Map Pro ($3.41, previously $6.82)
- Moon+ Reader Pro ($2.49, previously $4.99)
- Password Manager SafeInCloud ($2.99, previously $4.99)
- PDF Max Pro ($3.99, previously $8.99)
- RepetiTouch Pro ($0.99, previously $5.99)
- Solid Explorer ($0.99, previously $1.99)
- SMS Backup & Restore Pro ($3.60, previously $4.99)
- Star Walk – Astronomy Guide ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- tinyCam Monitor PRO ($1.99, previously $3.99)
- Touch Calendar ($1.86, previously $3.85)
- uPod Podcast Player ($1.62, previously $3.89)
Games
- Aerofly 2 Flight Simulator ($0.99, previously $3.25)
- Anomaly 2 ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Anomaly Defenders ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- Anomaly Korea ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Anomaly Warzone Earth HD ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition ($3.58, previously $9.99)
- Baldur’s Gate II ($3.58, previously $9.99)
- Battlestation: Harbinger ($1.99, previously $3.99)
- Card Dungeon ($1.99, previously $3.99)
- Castle of Illusion ($0.99, previously $9.99)
- Chainsaw Warrior ($1.99, previously $4.99)
- Civilization Revolution 2 ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Crayola DJ ($0.99, previously $1.99)
- Dark Echo ($0.49, previously $1.99)
- Deep Under the Sky ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2 ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- SQUARE ENIX
- Dragon Quest V ($9.99, previously $14.99)
- Final Fantasy III ($7.99, previously $15.99)
- Final Fantasy IV ($7.99, previously $15.99)
- Final Fantasy VI ($7.99, previously $15.99)
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions ($6.99, previously $13.99)
- Flockers ($0.99, previously $1.99)
- FRAMED ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- Goat Simulator ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Goat Simulator GoatZ ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Goat Simulator MMO Simulator ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Hitman GO ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Hitman: Sniper ($0.50, previously $2.99)
- Hyperlight ($0.99, previously $1.99)
- Hyperwave ($0.99, previously $1.99)
- Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition ($2.14, previously $9.99)
- Joe Danger ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- KEMCO Games
- RPG Bonds of the Skies ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Blood of Calamity ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Eclipse of Illusion ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Fanatic Earth ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Illusion of L’Phalcia ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Revenant Saga ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Soul Historica ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Tears Revolude ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- RPG Valkyria Soul ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- SRPG Legend of Ixtona ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- Kingdom Rush Origins ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- Lara Croft GO ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- LEGO Batman: Beyond Gotham ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga ($2.99, previously $6.99)
- Leo’s Fortune ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Minecraft: Story Mode ($0.10, previously $4.99)
- Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour ($0.99, previously $6.99)
- Monument Valley ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- NBA JAM ($0.10, previously $4.99)
- OTTTD ($1.07, previously $2.18)
- PAC-MAN CE DX ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Pure Pool ($2.46, previously $5.23)
- Ravensburger Puzzle ($0.10, previously $2.99)
- Ravensword: Shadowlands ($2.99, previously $6.99)
- Rayman Fiesta Run ($0.25, previously $2.99)
- Riptide GP2 ($0.49, previously $1.99)
- Sleeping Prince: Royal Edition ($0.99, previously $1.99)
- Small World 2 ($0.99, previously $6.99)
- SPACECOM ($0.99, previously $3.99)
- Splendor ($0.99, previously $6.99)
- Star Wars Pinball 3 ($0.10, previously $1.99)
- Surgeon Simulator ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- SwiftKey “Everything MegaPack” ($8.99, previously $29.99)
- Templar Battleforce RPG ($6.99, previously $9.99)
- The Shadow Sun ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- This War of Mine ($4.49, previously $14.99)
- Thomas Was Alone ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Ticket to Ride ($2.99, previously $6.99)
- Trivia Crack ($0.99, previously $2.99)
- UniWar ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Whispering Willows ($1.99, previously $4.99)
- Worms 2: Armageddon ($0.99, previously $4.99)
- Xenowerk ($1.19, previously $1.99)
If you’re the proud owner of a NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV, then you’ll be happy to know that you can have some additional savings thanks to NVIDIA. The following games are 50% off:
- Chariot
- Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
- Heckabomb
- Killing Floor: Calamity
- Never Alone
- Oceanhorn: Monster of the Uncharted Seas (via GeForce NOW)
- Pix the Cat
- Pure Pool
- Q.U.B.E.: Director’s Cut
- Sublevel Zero (via GeForce NOW, but only 25$ off)
- The Battle of Sol
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (via GeForce NOW)
- Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power (via GeForce NOW)
- Whispering Willows
Did you find a Play Store deal not mentioned in this list? Let us know in the comments below!
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Balancing A Security Policy, Root and Custom ROMs
We love our mobile devices – and for many of us here on XDA, we often face a struggle when we want to take that love for our devices and start applying that at the office.
For those of us that run our own business and understand those risks, we may have an easier case than the rest of us who must follow corporate policy. The challenge is that, for better or worse, things are getting more secure out of necessity. Larger corporations are chasing certifications such as ISO 27001 to help assure customers that their data is secure. The small-to-medium business (SMB) segment is reaching a point where modernizing means embracing mobile technology; this means they will have to address the risks of that as well. So how can we find a happy balance between that need for a company to control the information that is shared with mobile devices with one flexible enough for us to take advantage of some of the great things we do here at XDA?
It’s important to note at the onset of this discussion that sometimes it’s just not possible to marry the two, and that some folks will have no choice but to carry a second, truly personal, device if they want do go beyond the restrictions of a corporate device. For example, those that follow the United States standards for device security – which many large corporations and governments may also be required to follow – will need to understand that they are there to protect far more than the data going out to your device but also what can get sent back in. The risk of losing sensitive information in cases such as health care is so serious that the U.S. government offers advice on how to approach this and may be further restricted by state or local laws. But that doesn’t mean that even some of the largest corporations in the world will force you into a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
While attending an Intel conference in 2014, one of the speakers there covered Intel’s approach to device management and the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) trend. What may surprise some readers is that that they not only welcomed but embraced this approach years ago. Instead of using one solution for all devices Intel uses a tiered approach to their information security that hasn’t changed much from its published case study in 2012. As the image on the right shows, the more risk associated with the data being accessed or needing to interface with results in increased security and management by the company.
As the speaker clarified after the session, this may be as simple as restricting users to public information or login-based systems. Others may require registration of the device’s MAC address in order to access data so that it is clear who has the access – necessary when trying to retain accountability. Finally, those that want or need full access will have to either segregate their personal device or accept the restrictions of an MDM solution provided by Intel. The good news about this sort of approach is that it doesn’t outright deny the ability to root or run custom software on the device. The speaker, an Intel employee, clarified that certainly at the lower levels this might be possible – where on higher levels they would require the containerized solutions (such as Samsung’s KNOX) to remain intact.
To a large extent, it’s helped me form a base model for BYOD and non-corporate devices at my day job as well. I generally restrict non-company devices to a low-bandwidth public wifi access point, but even then this is for guests only. Company devices, which currently do not directly interface with our operations system, are granted access to our e-mail. But as we approach a point where tablets will be distributed to employees and will exchange data with our operations systems – even if indirectly – these devices will become subject to Mobile Device Management. And there’s room for adjusting that in most of the major MDM solutions: When testing Airwatch for my previous employer, we were able to enroll a device, watch it drop off the moment it detected root access or the Knox flag triggered, or assign it to a group which allowed this access but then restricted what data and systems the device could access within the company infrastructure. Going through all the options allows me – or other IT administrators – to block those things that we don’t need in our environment (sorry, employees – no YouTube) while ensuring we retain the functions that are necessary to complete the job.
With that in mind, we here at XDA offer a few “Do’s and Don’ts” for both Businesses and Users looking to help find that balance.
Businesses:
- DO understand the risks. Even something as simple as allowing people access to e-mail or wi-fi networks can expose a risk to the company. At the same time do you want devices – even TVs now that come with Android installed – to have unfettered access to things that you would rather they don’t?
- DO make a plan on how to mitigate those risks. Don’t be afraid to call in a security expert to help you assess those risks, especially before undertaking a massive change in the way mobile devices will be handled in the workplace. It may not be MDM but a policy that employees have to sign – but doing nothing makes your environment the equivalent of the “Wild West.”
- DO communicate this plan with your users. The more you make it clear what employees/guests can and cannot do, the easier it should be to not only adhere to the plan but also enforce it if necessary.
- DO regularly review the plan to make sure that it still fits the needs of the business. More importantly, take action and adjust the plan if necessary.
- DON’T ignore the need to address this. With the myriad of security issues present and only growing daily, the proverbial head-in-the-sand approach will only delay the pain, not avoid it.
- DON’T go with a model or security plan that you haven’t invested the time to research. One of the biggest reasons that a security plan fails is because it hasn’t been designed based on your company’s needs but rather on what someone else suggested.
Users of a Business – Employees, Vendors, Guests:
- DO respect the need for a company to have security in place, especially with mobile devices. The policy could be as simple as not even allowing devices on company premises, but in the end it’s their business, and how to properly secure that is their choice.
- DO ask, especially if you don’t know, what your options are for BYOD or accessing company data on a mobile device. It could be they may have something in the works and haven’t announced it yet. I have yet to know a single employer to discipline an employee, vendor or guest for asking what they can do before actually doing something in this realm.
- DO offer suggestions or feedback to your company if you feel the current security plan doesn’t serve your needs. Many companies offer a feedback or improvement policy to help exactly with things like this. But make sure when you explain this, explain why and how it needs to be changed. Details matter a lot here.
- DON’T do whatever you want or try to circumvent the policy… unless it is your job to do so. Most companies place this under such a level of severity that even unintentional breaches of security policy can lead to disciplinary action, termination or worse.
Are you a business owner or user that’s faced this situation? Facing this situation now but unsure how to proceed? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments below and let’s continue the discussion!
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Samsung Galaxy A9 Passes Through TENAA
In the build up to CES 2016, we are seeing more and more devices rush their way through regulatory authorities in order to be ready for an announcement during the event. This time, we caught the Samsung Galaxy A9 as it passed through Chinese regulatory authority TENAA.
Design wise, it looks like a standard Samsung device that we could expect in 2015-16, following the now very familiar design language of the flagships of 2015. For the display, the A9 will pack in a substantial 6″ AMOLED FHD display, putting this device well within the phablet category. Device dimensions are 161.7 mm × 80.9 mm × 7.4 mm, with the A9 weighing around 200 grams.
On the inside, the Samsung Galaxy A9 will sport a 1.8 GHz octa-core processor, as the TENAA listing specifies. The exact processor is not mentioned, but talk around town is that it will be the Snapdragon 820 (or Snapdragon 652, as it is now called), with its 4x Cortex-A72 and 4x Cortex-A53. The A9 sports the Adreno 510 for the GPU, and 3GB of RAM. There is 32GB of onboard storage, as well a micro sd card slot for expandability up to 128GB.
As far as confirmed specs from the TENAA listing goes, the Galaxy A9 will feature a 13MP rear camera, and a 8MP front camera. The device will come with Android 5.1.1 out of the box, but we should expect Android 6.0 Marshmallow to hit the device as per Samsung’s schedule (which isn’t the quickest for non-flagships).
Rumors and unconfirmed reports point that the device will be sporting a fairly large 4,000 mAh battery, which is expected to be non-removable. There will also be a fingerprint scanner on the home button, much like the other phones in the Galaxy A 2016 lineup.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 is expected to be officially unveiled at CES 2016. We can expect more details to arrive before the device gets officially unveiled.
What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy A9? Does a 6″ device spark any interest for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Read on for related content:
- Qualcomm Renames Snapdragon 618 and 620 SoCs to 650 and 652
- Leaked Promotional Images Reveal Details of the Samsung Galaxy A9
- Samsung Launches the 2016 A Series: A3, A5, A7
- New Samsung Galaxy A8 Packs up an Exynos 7 Octa
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The Beatles Available To Stream On Many Services
British rock legends The Beatles will be available to stream on Google Play, Spotify, Microsoft Groove, Deezer, Rhapsody, Slacker, Tidal, Amazon Prime and Apple Music at 12:01 am your local time. You can view its progress around the world on The Beatles site.
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Enable EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) on Nexus 5X by Editing Build.prop
Reddit user cthuluhoop123 found out that the Nexus 5X can indeed use EIS, just like the Nexus 6P. To enable Electronic Image Stabilization, you need root to edit the build.prop to add persist.camera.eis.enable=1, and reboot to find the setting in your camera app. Users have reported success with the quality, so go on ahead and give it a try!
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What Was the Best Android Thing That Happened in 2015?
The year is almost over, and as we wrap it up, it’s time to look back at 2015 and reflect on how our favorite platform has changed. From a full OS version jump to new amazing services, Android has seen a lot this year. XDA, too, provided amazing contributions as always, including multiple Xposed releases and the customization goodness we know and love. And finally, we saw old OEMs like Blackberry adopt the platform, while others like Sony further cemented their development community efforts. What was the best thing to happen to Android in 2015, in your opinion?
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Mediatek Helio X20 MT6797 Spotted on GeekBench, Peaks Multi-Core Performance
Mediatek Helio X20 MT6797, which is Mediatek’s deca-core chip for 2016 with 2x Cortex A72 for high performance, 4x Cortex A53 @ 2.0 GHz for general performance and 4x Cortex A53 for low processing tasks, has been spotted on Geekbench. The Helio X20 aces Multi core performance, coming at par and beyond all current flagship chips, but delivers a believable performance on Single core performance.
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YouTube Accuses T-Mobile of Throttling Video Traffic
T-Mobile recently launched a service called Binge On, that lets users watch as much video content from select sources as they want. The trick here is that the company down scales the content to 480p and this is something that YouTube agreed to. What YouTube didn’t agree to is allowing T-Mobile to throttle the bandwidth of its users, which YouTube is now accusing T-Mobile of.
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HTC A9 to Receive Android 6.0.1; Unlocked M9 to Receive Android 6.0 Today
HTC is ready to roll out a pair of Marshmallow updates to two of their biggest 2015 smartphones. The unlocked version of the HTC One M9 is said to start receiving the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update today. The company is also starting to roll out the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OTA update to the HTC One A9 sometime today as well.
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Class-Action Lawsuit Against Apple’s iMessage Dismissed Over Technicalities
Apple was accused of rigging iMessage to prevent Android users from receiving text messages after they had switched to Android. The company requested that the lawsuit be dismissed since two of the people no longer had their iPhones, they could no longer demonstrate whether the texts went to their Apple or Android devices. The Judge agreed and is not granting the case class-action status either.
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NVIDIA Found to Infringe on Samsung’s Patents
Samsung had accused NVIDIA of infringing on its patents in November of 2014, which happened two months after they accused both Samsung & Qualcomm of infringing on theirs. The first round of lawsuits is over and a judge has just decided NVIDIA is infringing on three patents that Samsung owns. NVIDIA says this judgement is unfair because the older technology isn’t even used in modern chip designs anymore.
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Launcher X – App Review
One of the most overlooked, but important parts of our Android devices is the home screen. We use it for so much, from weather and other widgets to app shortcuts. The ability to customize this with a custom launcher can offer some very handy useful features and tricks.
In this episode XDA TV, TK reviews an app which touts that it is everything you need in a launcher. Launcher X by XDA Forum Member junaid558 is that launcher. TK shows off the app and gives his thoughts, so check out this video.
Please subscribe to XDA TV and Subscribe to TK’s channel.
- 10,000 mAh Smartphone! Gold OnePlus X, Sub-$100 BLU Octa-Core Phone! – XDA TV
- Pure Nexus Review (Sort of) and Overview – XDA TV
- Pixel C Tablet Available! Firefox OS Discontinued, Cyanogen Preloading Cortana on OnePlus One?? – XDA TV
- GOLD Nexus 6P?? Windows 10 on Xiaomi Mi 4, Droid Turbo Bootloader Unlocked! – XDA TV
- How to Flash CyanogenMod 13 on your LG G4 – XDA TV
- Walloid: HD Stock Wallpapers – XDA TV App Review
Be sure to check out other great XDA TV Videos.
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mardi 22 décembre 2015
Sony Xperia S Receives AOSP Port of Marshmallow
It’s almost 4 years since the Sony Xperia S has been announced. This former flagship device has recently received a working port of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and it’s not even a CyanogenMod, but pure AOSP! It was possible thanks to contributions made by XDA Senior Member billchen1977. Installing it isn’t simple, but you can learn more by reading the original thread.
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Samsung Launching Marshmallow Beta Testing Program in UK & South Korea
Samsung does a lot of things to be considered as an innovative OEM. The Koreans invest a lot of resources to provide the best design their devices had in recent years. They also focus on safety and overall performance of their devices.
According to reports, Samsung is looking to make the best software too, as the company is looking for beta testers for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the new version of TouchWiz.
Android 6.0 is likely the first incarnation of Google’s mobile operating system that is officially tested on a wider group of users. Samsung will use two devices for tests – the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Don’t get super optimistic, as there is one requirement – you have to live in either the UK or South Korea and be a user of KT or LG U+ carriers. It’s uncertain if the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ will also be part of the beta testing program. They might be, but the hardware of these devices is quite similar to Galaxy S6’s, so Samsung might want to test only two aforementioned devices. Either way, we’ll likely see ports.
There are a few pros of using such approach. A wider group of users might provide lots of logs and suggestions. Samsung desperately needs them to catch and fix potential issues as soon as possible. Samsung faced some serious criticism after releasing the Lollipop update for devices like the Galaxy S5. The company is likely looking to avoid a similar situation hence the decision to launch the program.
Soak tests aren’t an entirely new idea. Some other OEMs like Motorola use such tests to get user input prior releases. From the XDA’s power user point of view, it’s a great thing, as it’s quite easy to capture such update. Developers should also benefit as we know how much harder rooting a Marshmallow ROMs is.
Samsung Netherlands confirms that there is no plan to release the soak test in other parts of Europe. South Korean and United Kingdom users can download the Galaxy Care app from Play Store to apply for the beta test. The whole program starts on January 18, so there is a fair assumption that the Marshmallow update shouldn’t go live until late January.
What do you think about Samsung’s approach? Let us know in the comments below.
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Google Reportedly Has Plans to Launch a New and Smarter Messaging App
A report from the Wall Street Journal talks about a messaging application that uses the company’s machine learning & chatbot technology to pull ahead of the competition. So instead of being forced to do a Google search, you could ask a chatbot instead. The application is said to be headed by Nick Fox, who has been working on the ‘communications project’ for at least a year.
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Google Posts Changelog for the Latest Android Native Development Kit Update
Android NDK Build 2490520 has just been released and Google has also posted the changelog for it. We see a lot has changed as Google is encouraging users to switch to Clang as GCC is now deprecated. Samples will no longer be included in the NDK, but you can find them over on the Google Samples GitHub from now on.
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The SFC is Hosting a Fundraiser to Help Fund GPLCompliance Work
I shouldn’t have to tell you how important it is to the community to have companies comply with GPL rules. The Software Freedom Conservancy is one of the very, very few groups who actively go out and help to enforce those licenses and they need our help to keep going. So head on over to the fundraiser page to donate and help spread the word.
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Emoji Exploit Crashes Whatsapp on Android 4.4+ and Web
Enthusiast Indrajeet Bhuyan, the person behind the 2000 word special character set message that could crash Whatsapp, is back for round 2. The latest crashing exploit involves the excessive use of Emoji characters to bypass the char limit in messages and result in a buffer overflow and a crash in the conversation and app.
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AMD Announces its Next-Generation Graphics Architecture: GPUOpen
GPUOpen is AMD’s way of taking their graphics architecture past Mantle and into the next level. GPUOpen will include visual effects, driver utilities, troubleshooting tools, libraries and SDKs. Developers will have direct, code-level access to the effects they use and how the code controls the GPU and since it is open source, they invite industry leaders to participate and expand up on it.
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Samsung Looking For Testers in UK for Android 6.0 Marshmallow for the Galaxy S6
Samsung is looking for testers based in the UK who would be interested in trying out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for the Samsung Galaxy S6. Users need to create a Samsung Account here, download the Galaxy Care app from Google Play and then complete the registration process for the Galaxy Beta Program.
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Microsoft to Hike Surface Hub Prices Ahead of 2016 Release
Microsoft’s Surface Hub video-conferencing systems are going to be pricier (and slightly later) than originally announced. The 55″ Surface Hub will now cost $8,999 (previously $6,999), while the 84″ variant will cost $21,999 ($18,999). The January 1 timeline will also get delayed, as the Surface Hubs are now on track for shipment in Q1 of 2016. Customers who have already pre-ordered will receive the product at the original price.
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Google Announces New Games for Chromecast this Holiday Season
In a new blog post today, Google has announced a handful of top tier games that can now be played on the big screen with a Chromecast. You can now play games like Angry Birds Friends, Driver Speedboat Paradise, Monopoly Here & Now, Yahtzee Blitz, The Game of Life, Scrabble Blitz 2.0 and Risk all on your television.
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Google Removes NowSecure’s “Vulnerability Test Suite for Android” App
NowSecure released an application at the end of October, that would scan your Android device and tell you if it was vulnerable to various exploits. This month though, Google took down the application, citing the use of “ping_pong.c, futex_exploit_he.ck.c, and ZergRush.java tests” in the appeal process. For now, users can download and install the app from the company’s GitHub.
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Official CyanogenMod 13 Nightlies for Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini 3G/LTE [GT-I9190/I9195]
Official CyanogenMod 13 Nightlies have started rolling out to different devices, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini 3G and LTE variants are amongst those that are in line to receive some official love from CyanogenMod community, courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer arco68. The builds are online for the GT-I9190 and the GT-I9195, so head on over and take a look!
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Dualboot Custom ROMs on the LG L3 II
The LG L3 II is a fairly low/mid end device, but that isn’t stopping developers and users from trying out neat tricks. With the help of this guide by XDA Senior Member Caio99BR, you can dualboot two Kitkat-based ROM’s on your LG L3 II. The guide is currently restricted to L3 II, but the OP will extend it to the L7 II soon.
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Is Privacy a Privilege? Blackberry Thinks So
This year, we finally received a long-rumored Android device from Blackberry. Aside from the hardware uniqueness, the Blackberry Priv boasted some other features that would make the Priv worth owning. According to Blackberry, and written right on the box, the name “Priv” stands for privacy and privilege.
The CEO of Blackberry, John Chen, has repeatedly stressed the importance of privacy and how the Priv helps users protect their information.
In a blog post from October John Chen writes:
PRIV will be the solution for smartphone users who are learning daily of the lack of privacy they have on their current devices.
Blackberry’s own marketing material also touts the privacy benefits offered by the Priv :
Rest assured that your experience is unimpeded and your privacy is under your control.
In another John Chen official blog post he mentions:
There’s the unique key in the chipset of every PRIV smartphone to authenticate the Android OS, so users can be confident their PRIV is not running malicious firmware that could violate their privacy or security.
It seems very clear that Blackberry likes to use the privacy concerns of users as a competitive advantage and a selling point of their software and services. However, with a December 15th blog post, John Chen may have shown Blackberry’s true colors.
The blog post is titled “The Encryption Debate: a Way Forward”, and obviously focuses heavily on the current topic of encryption and messaging applications. In the post, Chen attacks Apple, saying:
In fact, one of the world’s most powerful tech companies recently refused a lawful access request in an investigation of a known drug dealer because doing so would “substantially tarnish the brand” of the company. We are indeed in a dark place when companies put their reputations above the greater good.
Chen goes on to say “our privacy commitment does not extend to criminals”. The implication here is, essentially, that Blackberry is willing to assume someone is a criminal, based on the fact that law enforcement wants to search their device.
The obvious questions are, who defines what a “criminal” is, and how can you create a system that “protects the privacy” of, specifically, non-criminals? What does “the greater good” consist of? These might sound philosophical more so than technological, but inescapably so — is Blackberry willing to listen to any government, however silly or nefarious their definitions of “criminal” and “greater good” might be, and provide them with the private data of others?
This attitude from Blackberry may be worth careful consideration — particularly if one is about to spend big money on a phone from a company that may not actually care about the right to privacy. And I will put emphasis on that word, right to privacy. A privilege and a right are not the same thing, and knowing the difference is as important as understanding the difference between freedom and slavery.
Do you agree with Blackberry? Let us know in the comments down below!
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Qualcomm Has Released an SDK For Camera Apps
The SDK offers a “computer vision (CV) library” which allows developers to build frameworks for computer vision apps such as Qualcomm’s Augmented Reality SDK. and enables you to add new UX’s to your apps such as: gesture recognition, face detection, tracking and recognition, text recognition and tracking and augmented reality.
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LG Unveils SD-615 Powered G Pad II 8.3 LTE Tablet
LG has added on to the G Pad family with the new G Pad II 8.3 LTE. This variant comes along to offer more choice to users not content with the G Pad II 8.0 or the G Pad II 10.1 Tablets.
As its name implies, the LG Gpad II 8.3 LTE bears a 8.3″ display bearing a resolution of 1920 x 1200. This is an upgrade over the G Pad II 8.0’s 1200 x 800 display. The tablet sports a brushed metal texture on the back, aiming to deliver a premium feel on the hand.
On the inside, the LG G Pad II 8.3 LTE packs in an octa-core Snapdragon 615, with 4x Cortex A-53 clocked at 1.5 GHz and 4x Cortex-A53 clocked at 1 GHz. The GPU is handled by the Adreno 405, while the 2GB RAM helps keep things ticking overall. There’s also 16GB of internal storage, along with a microSD card slot that supports upto 2TB of storage.
For the camera, the G Pad II 8.3 sports a 8 MP rear camera, and a 2 MP camera on the front. The tablet measures 216.8mm x 126.5mm x 8.8mm and weighs around 366 g, thanks in part to its 4,800 mAh non-removable battery. The tablet also packs in a stylus and support for 4G LTE, and runs on Android 5.1.1 which is surprising considering that it has been a while since Android 6.0 Marshmallow has been publicly released.
This tablet has been launched in the South Korean market, but there is no word on the price and availability in the rest of the world. It is only a matter of time that the device will make its way to other prominent LG markets.
Source: LG Korea
What are your thoughts on the LG G Pad 8.3 LTE? Does this device bear any interest to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Read on for related content:
- LG Launches the LG G Pad II 10.1 in South Korea, US Release Incoming
- [OTA Captured] Verizon LG G Pad 8.3 Finally Gets Official KitKat Update
- Forums Added for the Moto 360 and LG G Pad 10.1
- LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition Updated to Android 4.4.2 KOT49H, OTA Captured!
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Toast Skins Review: A Genuinely Radical Change in Design
While Android is all about customization of software in the inside, various companies and their products allow you to customize the outside hardware. From cases to skins, your options grow by the day, but a quick glance at the bigger alternatives reveal just how samey they are.
This is where Toast comes in: the company offers original skins that do not look, feel or smell (yes, smell!) like the vinyl of the competition. Their specialty is genuine materials – wood, leather – and they are handcrafted to perfectly fit your phone and give it an extra sense of style and durability (especially if yours has a glass back, like mine). The first thing you’ll notice about Toast skins is that they come in a “onesie” package — that is, the whole skin, including sides, is one piece. While an odd strategy if you are used to other brands, it allows the phone to be fully wrapped up, seamlessly and with no gaps.
The skin achieves this with folds shown as vertical lines spanning across the back of the phone. Some skins also contain hypnotizing patterns carved into the wood, making the back even more alluring. This is actually part of the appeal — it gives your device an unconventional look and feel that is rather interesting, something you don’t see everyday. Buttons and SIM trays require extra pieces, as does the front, but overall the process is more straightforward than with other skins.
The result is, basically, a new phone. We tried this skin on both a Note5 and a Nexus 6P, and while other skins merely alter the color palette or texture, these alter the actual design of the phone in a way that makes it look like more than just a skin, and like a limited edition of sorts. Our skins also have an XDA logo in the back, one in ash wood for added contrast. You can add text on your skins too, allowing for extra expression.
Applying these skins is not too complicated; I typically find that process to be one of the more stressful parts about every new skin, but Toast’s onesie design made it slightly easier to set up, as I mostly had to focus on the back’s alignment. That being said, this is an expensive skin, and definitely more premium than other ones out there, so you want to have a hair dryer handy and be as careful and patient as possible during the application. Getting the perfect fit is a little tough, and the sides can easily break, so apply it with nerves of steel.
The pictures speak for themselves, and these are beautiful skins that feel and smell like real wood. If you follow my articles (or my twitter), you might have seen a few skins on my phones from time to time (mostly wood and leather). Other skins can’t shake off the faux feeling, even when they get close. Toast offers the real thing, and while it’s a premium price to pay with a minimum of $29, the quality is above everything I’ve tried.
Some skins for some models can get really expensive, however, so ultimately it’s a purchase you must think through… especially if you have shaky hands. But at the end of the day, it looks original and unique, and not like just a skin. If you want to try a radically new design for your phone, Toast can make it happen.
You can get Toast skins for various popular phones including the OnePlus One, Nexus 6, Note 4 & Note5, but also gaming consoles and Chromebooks, Macbooks and Surface Books.
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