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Xiaomi's Yeelight Speaker Uses Alexa and Looks Like an Amazon Echo Dot
Xiaomi's subsidiary Yeelight has launched the Voice Assistant Speaker that's equipped with a dual AI system. It's powered by Alexa in the global version.
Smart speakers with voice assistants are becoming increasingly popular. Amazon leads the market with its Alexa-powered Echo lineup of speakers, and Google's close behind with the Google Assistant-powered Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Google Home Max. Xiaomi, on the other hand, doesn't sell a smart speaker internationally, but that won't be the case for much longer.
Smartphone Display Technologies and Terminology Explained: OLED, LCD, Strengths & Weaknesses
Smartphone displays may seem simple, but there's a lot of research and development that goes into making the OLEDs and LCDs in flagship devices.
In light of recent conversations about smartphone displays, it’s important to take a step back and consider all the terms we keep reading about in context. Phones like the Google Pixel 2 XL have been criticized for their displays, but on the other hand, consumers have generally praised OLED panels. With such a robust ecosystem, there’s a lot to learn about our devices’ screens in 2017, and the more we know about their strengths and weaknesses, the more we can get to the root of these online debates.
Chrome OS 64 Beta Lets Multiple Android Apps Run Simultaneously Without Pausing
Chrome OS 64 Beta adds a new developer option which lets multiple Android apps run simultaneously without pausing, much like desktop apps.
Last year, Google released the Play Store for select Chromebooks and announced that Android apps would be available on Chrome OS. Now, multiple Chromebooks feature Android app support, and Google has worked to improve the user experience in Android apps, as well as in Chrome OS as a whole. In recent months, we've seen Google work on adding split screen in tablet mode as well as inline replies in notifications.
Andromeda Lets You Theme Oreo Without Root, and It's on Sale
The Andromeda add-on for Substratum allows you to theme Android Oreo without root, and it's on sale for $1.20 from Wednesday until New Years 2018.
One of the reasons people root their Android phones is to get system-wide theming support. In the past, it was built into CyanogenMod's popular Theme Engine (CMTE), but CMTE was retired in LineageOS, and the baton of system-wide theming support has been passed to Substratum. Substratum required custom ROM support initially, but that changed with the release of Android Oreo.
Popular Theming App "Zooper Widget" has been Removed from the Play Store [Updated: It's back]
The popular theme creation app called Zooper Widget was removed from the Google Play Store for unknown reasons, but it's returned.
Theming an Android phone has always been popular among our readers. There are full-fledged theme engines such as Substratum, but there are also apps that let you customize your launcher, icons, and more. Zooper Widget is one such app. It's a custom widget creator with extensive functionality, allowing users to create custom widgets, wallpapers, animations, and much more. It's one of the most popular apps in its category with over 1 million downloads, and many people still use it to customize their device to this very day.
Apple Confirms that it Slows Down Older iPhones Due to Aging Batteries
Apple has confirmed that it intentionally slows down older iPhones due to aging batteries, leading some to speculate if Android phones do this too.
We normally don't cover topics related to Apple products on XDA-Developers, but recent iPhone-related news has drawn a lot of attention from Android users. Apple has confirmed that it intentionally slows down older iPhones in order to extend the functional lifetime and prevent aging lithium ion batteries from shutting down the devices.
Fully Customize Gmail Notification Buttons with the AutoNotification app
It's now possible to fully customize Gmail notification buttons with AutoNotification. Users can now have up to five buttons with 14 different actions.
Android has plenty of great apps for managing your email, though the most popular by far is likely Google's own Gmail and Inbox app. If you gets tons of emails each day, then you may be annoyed by the amount of smartphone notifications that brings. Android has gained powerful notification management features in the past few versions, with features such as inline replies, bundled notifications, and notification channels, but the Gmail app still only shows the 'Archive' / 'Delete' and 'Reply' options in the notifications list and doesn't allow for customizing it notification buttons.
Project Tango is Dead and is Succeeded by Google ARCore
Support for Project Tango will be turned down on March 1, 2018. It means that the platform is dead and will be succeeded by Google ARCore.
Google saw the potential in augmented reality technology a long way back. The company first announced the Project Tango AR platform in November 2014, and the first consumer Google Tango phone was released as the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro in 2016. Tango relied on dedicated hardware in the form of sensors and cameras to enable a device to see in 3D space. It showed promise, but for multiple reasons, it never really took off.
"Hey Google" Voice Command is Now Widely Rolling-out in Google Assistant
The "Hey Google" voice command to wake Google Assistant is now widely rolling-out to more Android devices such as the ZTE Axon M.
Users have been able to search Google via voice using the 'OK Google' voice command since 2013. In 2016, Google released Google Assistant, although it was initially an exclusive for Pixel devices. While Google Assistant on smartphones continued using the same voice command as always, the company offered another command to wake the Google Home device. The "Hey Google" voice command could be used to wake Assistant on Google's lineup of smart speakers, but it took quite a while for Google to bring the new command to phones.
New Gboard Beta Adds URL Field Suggestions and Handwriting Support
A new version of Gboard beta added URL field suggestions, a "fast delete feature", and handwriting recognition. It also supports 20 new languages.
Google Keyboard, Google's keyboard for Android, relaunched as Gboard last year. It was a top-to-bottom redesign that integrated Google search, brought support for image searches, and added a dedicated number row. Since then, the keyboard has been updated with a number of other features, including emoji and GIF suggestions, improved voice typing, Google Translate, RTL enhancements, cursor control, and cut/copy/paste buttons. It's fair to say that with its fast-growing collection of utilities, Google's keyboard is one of the most feature-rich keyboards in Android. And it's still getting better.
Hands on with the OnePlus 5T Star Wars: The Last Jedi Edition
This is XDA's hands on with the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition with a white Sandstone finish, red alert slider, Star Wars theme, and The Last Jedi wallpapers.
In November, OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5T—a mid-cycle refresh to the OnePlus 5. Unlike 2016's OnePlus 3T, the OnePlus 5T doesn't feature a bump in the specifications as it has the same system-on-chip, RAM, and storage configurations. Instead, the OnePlus 5T is a redesign of the OnePlus 5 with a bigger and more modern 6-inch 18:9 Full HD+ (2160x1080) AMOLED display. The new phone also features a different secondary rear camera, but keeps the rest of the specifications same. It has now gone on sale in supported markets, and has broken sales records. OnePlus is looking to continue this momentum by building on the hype of the new Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie. To that end, the company announced the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition.
Janus Vulnerability Allows Attackers to Modify Apps without Affecting their Signatures
The Janus vulnerability allows attackers to modify apps without affecting their signatures. It was discovered by GuardSquare and has been fixed by Google.
Android is installed on a huge large number of devices, and that makes it a target for malicious attackers. Vulnerabilities in Google's mobile operating system continue to be discovered every month, but the good news is that Google is usually diligent about fixing them in regular security patches which are then offered to OEMs, who then ship it to devices.
MIUI 9 Global Developer ROM v7.12.8 Brings Notifications in Line with Stock Android
A Reddit user found that MIUI 9 Global Developer ROM v7.12.8 has brought notifications in-line with stock Android with quick replies, one-finger swipe, etc.
Notifications in MIUI have always been a pain point. Even though other Android devices have had a single finger swipe gesture to expand notifications back in Android Jelly Bean, users would have to swipe with two fingers to expand notifications in MIUI. The problems don't stop there, though. Android Nougat brought inline replies to notifications and also introduced bundled notifications from the same app in order to cut down on clutter. Unfortunately, Xiaomi didn't bother to add these features to Nougat-based MIUI ROMs in its phones. Other problems with notifications in MIUI included not being able to dismiss or expand notifications on the lock screen, though the former was eventually added to the software. Xiaomi finally announced that MIUI 9 would handle notifications better by bringing its behavior more in line with stock Android.
Qualcomm Unveils Kryo 385: Semi-Custom A75 and A55 Cores, 30% Better Performance
The Snapdragon 845 has four Kryo 385 "performance" cores paired with four Kryo 385 "efficiency" cores fabricated on a 2nd-gen 10nm LPP process.
Yesterday, Qualcomm unveiled its next-generation flagship processor for flagship devices: The Snapdragon 845. It confirmed that Samsung Foundry would fabricate the chip on a 10nm process, and on Wednesday, Qualcomm revealed more details about the new system-on-chip, including the specs of the second-generation Spectra ISP and Hexagon 685 DSP. It also detailed its brand-new Kyro 385 architecture, which boasts significant performance improvements over last year's Snapdragon 835.
Progressive Web Apps will Replace Google Chrome Apps in 2018
Google has sent an email to developers, letting them know that Google Chrome Apps will be phased out in 2018 in favor of Progressive Web Apps.
Are web apps better than native apps? That's the question which users have been debating ever since native apps first made their debut. In smartphones, native apps have proved to be more popular than web apps for their reliability and speed. However, the problem is that native apps are not built using open standards, and in most cases, are part of "walled gardens." To combat the problem, the Chrome team recently launched Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
Samsung Adds "Secure Wi-Fi" VPN to the Galaxy Note 8 via a Software Update
Samsung added a Secure Wi-Fi VPN feature to the Galaxy Note 8 via a software update. It encrypts all outgoing Internet traffic, and offers 250MB data free.
Smartphone manufacturers continue to roll out fixes for KRACK, a critical exploit in Wi-Fi's WPA2 encryption system that allows attackers to steal sensitive information, and Samsung's the latest of the bunch. On Monday, it added Secure Wi-Fi to the Galaxy Note 8 via a software update, a new VPN service designed protected against KRACK and other Wi-Fi exploits.
TWRP 3.2.0 Released with Better Support for Installing Android 8.0 Oreo Zips and More
TWRP 3.2.0 has been released for most devices. It has better support for installing Android 8.0 based zips, various minor bug fixes and tweaks, and more.
TWRP is the most popular custom recovery on Android, and its popularity continues to grow as devices need to have TWRP support if users want to flash custom ROMs, kernels, mods, etc. Recently, we have seen TWRP support added to more devices including the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Asus ZenFone 4 variants. The Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL first received an alpha release of the custom recovery, which was later upgraded to a beta.
Xiaomi Redmi 5A Launched in India with Snapdragon 425 and 13MP Rear Camera
Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5A in India at ₹5999, and the first five million units will be sold for ₹4999. It has a Snapdragon 425 SoC and 13MP rear camera.
A week ago, Xiaomi said that it would launch a new Redmi smartphone in India. Some reports suggested that it was the Redmi 5A, the successor to the Redmi 4A, which launched in India in March. Those reports turned out to be true: On Thursday, Xiaomi has officially took the wraps off the India-bound variant of the Redmi 5A, an entry-level budget smartphone that doesn't break the bank.
Bootloader Unlock Codes for the LG V30 (H930/H930G Models) are Now Available
LG has added the H930 (European) and H930G (Italy-only) models of the LG V30 to its bootloader unlock program. Developers have started work on TWRP.
The last update to LG's bootloader unlock program added the unlocked US model of the LG G6 (US997). Since then, the LG V30 has been announced, and released in select markets. It still hasn't seen a wider roll-out yet, but it has been available for more than a month in markets such as the US. However, development for the device hasn't started yet, because of one simple reason: there was no official bootloader unlock available, up until now.
Google is Adding Dual SIM Features to its Dialer App Despite Lack of Dual SIM on the Pixel
New commits recently merged into AOSP show that Google is adding Dual SIM features such as "Preferred SIM" to its Dialer app. Read on to know more!
Dual SIM smartphones are popular in many parts of the world. A Dual SIM phone has two SIM slots, which means that users can use SIM cards of two different carriers in a single device. At one time, few Android smartphones had support for Dual SIM. However, the feature has exploded in popularity in the last few years, to the point where phones with dual SIM slots are common in many regions such as India, the Middle East and Africa, etc.