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Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 bootloader unlocking and kernel source code now available
Asus has released an official bootloader unlock tool for the ZenFone Max Pro M1. The company has also released the kernel source code for the device.
The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 was launched in India on April 23. It's a lower mid-range smartphone, and it competes with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro in terms of specifications, while significantly undercutting it in pricing. Its list of specifications includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 system-on-chip, 3GB/4GB of RAM paired with 32GB/64GB of storage, 6-inch Full HD+ (2160x1080) IPS LCD, dual 13MP + 5MP (depth sensing) rear cameras, 8MP front-facing camera, and a 5000mAh battery. Instead of running Asus' custom ZenUI skin, the phone ships with stock Android 8.1 Oreo -- which means that it's required to have Project Treble support.
Chrome OS adding hover previews for shelf items like on Windows
A new commit in the Chromium Gerrit shows that Chrome OS is adding a flag to enable hover previews for items on the Chrome OS shelf. The commit has now been merged. When the flag goes live, the operating system will attain feature parity with WIndows in this area.
Chrome OS was launched back in 2010 as Google's desktop operating system. In the beginning, the operating system was light on features. Most tasks on the operating system required an Internet connection, as offline functionality was rarely included. This was because in the early days, Chrome OS was a desktop operating system based on the Google Chrome web browser. Its selling points were simplicity (dealing with the lack of a learning curve), as well as security.
The LG G7 ThinQ is official: here are the specifications
LG launched the LG G7 ThinQ at an event in New York on Thursday. The phone has a 6.1-inch Quad HD+ display with a notch, dual rear cameras, and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC.
After months of rumors and leaks, LG officially announced the LG G7 ThinQ today. The phone is the successor to last year's LG G6. It has a refreshed design, a display notch, the latest-generation system-on-chip (in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845), and a new dual camera setup.
Opera Touch is a new mobile browser optimized for one handed use
Opera has released a new web browser for mobile devices, called Opera Touch. It lets users browse the web with one hand, and features a built-in ad blocker as well as cryptojacking protection.
Google Chrome remains the most popular web browser on Android. That doesn't mean that third-party browsers aren't popular, though. In fact, Samsung Internet, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox all have a substantial user base. These third-party browsers have features such as tracking protection, add-ons, and more.
Xiaomi launches the Xiaomi Mi 6X in China with dual cameras and the Snapdragon 660 SoC
Xiaomi has launched the Xiaomi Mi 6X in China. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip. It has a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display, and dual 12MP + 20MP rear cameras. It's powered by a 3010mAh battery.
Two weeks ago, we exclusively reported on the specifications of the Mi 6X. At an event in China on Wednesday, Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi Mi 6X, which is the successor to last year's Xiaomi Mi 5X.
OnePlus 5T Long-Term Review: A Reliable Phone that shows Attention to Detail
This is XDA's long-term review of the OnePlus 5T. It consists of camera quality analysis, real-world performance evaluation, and observations about software user experience.
The OnePlus 5T is the company's first phone to have a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It has the same internal specifications as its predecessor, the OnePlus 5, but the differences in the display and camera setup are profound. It’s one of the most popular devices in our forums and has been a go-to pick for enthusiast users who need an affordable flagship.
Motorola's Moto G6 and Moto E5 series will have really poor software support
Motorola has announced that the Moto G6 series will get one major Android update. However, the Moto E5 series is not guaranteed a major update.
Motorola announced the new Moto G and Moto E series lineup on Thursday, and we have posted our first impressions of the new devices. The Moto G6 Plus is the flagship Moto G series device, and it will launch in various international markets, but not the US. In the US, the Moto G6 and the Moto G6 Play will be available, while the Moto E5 Plus (known as the Moto E5 in international markets) and the Moto E5 Play are the company's latest devices in the Moto E series.
Microsoft Translator adds AI-powered Offline Language Packs
Microsoft has added AI-powered offline language packs in Microsoft Translator. These neural machine translation (NMT) packs can run on any modern device's CPU without needing a dedicated AI chip.
Microsoft Translator is Microsoft's competitor to Google Translate. The app has a broad feature set, and it features translation capabilities in many languages. Users can use it for text-to-speech translation in many languages.
Moto G6 Plus is now official with a 5.9-inch Full HD+ display and the Snapdragon 630 SoC
Motorola has launched the Moto G6 Plus in Brazil. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC, a 5.9-inch Full HD+ 18:9 IPS LCD, and dual 12MP + 5MP rear cameras.
On Thursday, Motorola, officially announced the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, Moto E5 Plus, and Moto E5 Play at an event in Brazil. What's common about these phones is that they will officially launch in the United States. (We have already posted our first impressions with the phones.) Surprisingly, however, Motorola also launched another phone at the event, but it will not be coming to the U.S. It's called the Moto G6 Plus, and it's the flagship device in the Moto G series lineup.
Last month, Motorola confirmed that new Moto phones would be launched in April with a change in leadership. At an event in Brazil on Thursday, it officially announced the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, Moto E5 Plus, and Moto E5 Play.
Toyota won't use Android Auto over privacy concerns
A report by Motor1 states that Toyota won't integrate Android Auto with its vehicles because of privacy concerns. The company originally raised these concerns in 2015.
Android Auto is a mobile app that mirrors information from an Android smartphone to a car's dashboard. It enables users to mirror content such as Google Maps, telephony, messaging apps, and more, and comes in a driver-friendly user interface. (Wireless Android Auto is also now live for the Google Pixel and Nexus devices.) Announced back in 2014, Android Auto is now compatible with vehicles from many brands, although it's fair to say that it isn't ubiquitous yet. Users who have bought or upgraded to select new vehicles from select car manufacturers since 2015 have used Android Auto, but this hasn't been true if they have purchased a new Toyota car. It won't be true anytime soon, either.
Safe Browsing will come to the Android WebView by default in version 66
Google Play Protect is bringing Safe Browsing to WebView by default, starting this month with the release of WebView 66. Google states that developers of Android apps will no longer have to make any changes to benefit from this protection.
Malware and phishing attacks continue to be a threat to online security. We have seen various operating systems be affected by malware attacks, and Android is one of them. To overcome the issue, Google has consolidated its Android security features into Google Play Protect, which regularly scans users' apps for malware. Web browsing is another area where users are vulnerable to these attacks, but Google's Safe Browsing has been acclaimed for protecting users from such attacks since it was released in 2007.
PrivSet updated with Android Oreo support, makes it easy to modify Android Framework-res
PrivSet, an app that allows users to change Android framework-res values without needing Apktool, has been updated with support for Android 8.0 and Android 8.1 Oreo.
One of the most popular uses of Apktool, a tool which allows you to decompile Android applications so you can make modifications, is to modify the Android framework-res.apk. This app, called the Android Framework, is responsible for providing much of the assets, colors, images, and configuration values on your device. For instance, you can modify framework-res to enable or disable round icon support. Making modifications to framework-res has required a bit of effort until PrivSet came along. PrivSet, made by XDA Senior Member sir mordred, is a useful root app for changing Android framework values without needing to use Apktool.
Curb your Android smartphone addiction with "Lock Me Out" [XDA Spotlight]
"Lock Me Out" is an Android app that allows you to curb your smartphone addiction. You can lock yourself out of the device, schedule regular daily lockouts, and more.
Smartphone addiction can be a serious issue. There was a time when mobile phones were used only for calling and texting (and that too with triple-tapping physical keypads or using T9). It meant that users spent far less time on mobile devices than they do today. At that time, there were no huge 6-inch 18:9 displays. There was no Wi-Fi or LTE connectivity, and battery life used to be counted in days and weeks, not hours.
How to root the Huawei P20 Pro and install Magisk
Users can now root and install Magisk on the Huawei P20 Pro as XDA Senior Member LastStandingDroid has posted a patched ramdisk image.
The Huawei P20 and P20 Pro were launched in March as Huawei's latest flagship smartphones. The Huawei P20 Pro is the most expensive Huawei smartphone yet. Its high-end list of specifications includes the HiSilicon Kirin 970 system-on-chip, 6GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage, a 6-inch Full HD+ (2244x1080) OLED notched display with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio, triple 40MP (RGB) + 20MP (monochrome) + 8MP (telephoto) rear cameras, 24MP front-facing camera, and a 4000mAh battery. The phone ships with EMUI 8.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo launches in India with Dual Cameras and Android Oreo
Samsung has launched the Galaxy J7 Duo in India. The phone has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, an Exynos 7 series octa-core processor, and dual 13MP + 5MP rear cameras. The phone ships with Android Oreo.
In recent months, Samsung has been facing stiff competition from Xiaomi in the Indian smartphone market. In Q4 2017, Xiaomi overtook Samsung to become the largest smartphone vendor in India. The company's Redmi series has sold very well in India, with the Indian Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, and Redmi 5 all proving popular. In January, Samsung released the Galaxy On7 Prime in the lower mid-range price segment, but the phone did not have competitive specifications and it failed to distinguish itself. Now, the company is back with another phone release: the Galaxy J7 Duo.
TWRP Builder is a project that connects you with developers to request unofficial TWRP ports
TWRP Builder is an open source project that enables users to connect with develoeprs to request unofficial TWRP images for their devices.
TWRP is the most popular custom recovery for Android development. Without a custom recovery, development for devices is crippled. This is because Android devices require a custom recovery to flash a custom ROM, custom kernel, other modifications, etc. The basic requirement for starting development on an Android phone is: does it have TWRP support (either official or unofficial)? If yes, then developers can start the process for custom development. But if the answer to the question is negative, then in most cases the potential for development is low.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro kernel source code now available for Android Nougat release
Xiaomi has released kernel sources for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The kernel source code is based on the Android Nougat release for the device.
Device makers have an obligation to release kernel sources of their devices in a timely manner. In this regard, some device makers have an admirable track record, while others don't. At XDA, we have urged device makers to release kernel sources in their timely manner to fulfill the legal requirements of the GPLv2 license. One such device maker that has had longstanding issues with kernel sources has been Xiaomi.
Huawei P8 Lite 2017/Honor 8 Lite Android Oreo update brings Project Treble support
The Android Oreo update for the Huawei P8 Lite 2017/Honor 8 Lite contains Project Treble support. This means that users can flash a Generic System Image of Android Oreo. They can also choose to install unofficial LineageOS 15.1 for the device.
The Huawei P8 Lite 2017 and the Honor 8 Lite are different names for the same phone. Both phones have the same list of specifications, which include the HiSilicon Kirin 655 system-on-chip, 3GB of RAM paired with 16GB of storage or 4GB of RAM paired with 64GB of storage, 5.2-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS display, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery. The Huawei P8 Lite 2017 was released in January 2017 with EMUI 5.0 on top of Android 7.0 Nougat. The Honor 8 Lite was released a few months later for different markets.
Huawei releases the HiAI Engine with the Huawei P20
Huawei has released the HiAI engine with the Huawei P20. The HiAI engine opens application capabilities and integrates "a plurality of AI capabilities." Its features are: scene recognition, document detection and document correction, code detection, face detection, and more.
Huawei launched the Mate 10 series in October with the HiSilicon Kirin 970 system-on-chip. The Kirin 970 notably has dedicated hardware for AI, in the form of a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Last month, we also showed how Huawei was developing HiAssistant (powered by HiAI), a Google Assistant + Google Lens competitor for the Chinese market. Now, Huawei has released the HiAI Engine alongside the Huawei P20.