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Download Android USB Drivers for popular OEMs
Not sure which driver to install for your Android device? We can help. In this guide, we'll explain how to install the correct USB driver.
Dipping your toes into the Android modding world isn't a very complicated job, but you have to fulfill a few prerequisites. Be it rooting or installing a custom ROM like LineageOS, most of the aftermarket tinkering requires you to connect your Android smartphone to a computer using a USB cable, so you can use tools like the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to interact with the device. Things are usually more jolting for a power user, as they may also want to reinstall the factory firmware on the phone or tablet, which means the OEM-specific flashing utilities come into the picture as well.
Critical MediaTek rootkit affecting millions of Android devices has been out in the open for months
A critical flaw in MediaTek processors went unpatched in devices due to OEM neglect. Google hopes the March 2020 Android Security Bulletin will fix this.
On the first Monday of every month, Google publishes the Android Security Bulletin, a page that discloses all the security vulnerabilities and their patches submitted by Google themselves or other third-parties. Today was no exception: Google just made public the Android Security Bulletin for March 2020. One of the vulnerabilities that are documented in the latest bulletin is CVE-2020-0069, a critical security exploit, specifically a rootkit, that affects millions of devices with chipsets from MediaTek, the large Taiwanese chip design company. Although the March 2020 Android Security Bulletin is seemingly the first time that CVE-2020-0069 has been publicly disclosed, details of the exploit have actually been sitting openly on the Internet—more specifically, on the XDA-Developers forums—since April of 2019. Despite MediaTek making a patch available a month after discovery, the vulnerability is still exploitable on dozens of device models. Even worse, the vulnerability is actively being exploited by hackers. Now MediaTek has turned to Google to close this patch gap and secure millions of devices against this critical security exploit.
TCL unveils the mid-range Plex with triple cameras, new Alcatel devices
You may know TCL as the company behind recent Blackberry and Alcatel phones, but the TCL Plex is the beginning of their push to establish their own name.
TCL is a company that has been making Android phones for a while, but they rarely get the fanfare of other OEMs. It seems like the only time we talk about TCL is when they show off phones at major events. IFA 2019 is going on this week and here we are again to talk about TCL's latest phone, the TCL Plex.
TCL unveils the Alcatel 3, 3L, 1S, and low-cost foldable displays
At MWC 2019, TCL unveiled three smartphones under the Alcatel brand: Alcatel 3, 3L, and 1S. They also showed low-cost foldable display prototypes.
TCL has been a known resident at MWC for the past couple of years. Usually, they announce a few different smartphones, most of them from the budget or mid-range categories. 2019 is no different. The Chinese OEM just announced three devices under the Alcatel brand and showed off prototypes of its DragonHinge foldable displays. Let's take a look.
Xiaomi, OPPO, LG, and Alcatel have released less phones with NFC in the past 4 years
According to Mobile Overview Report, Xiaomi, OPPO, LG, and Alcatel have cut down on the number of phones with NFC in last 4 years despite global increase.
NFC or Near Field Communication is an amazingly useful technology that you'll find on many mid-range and high-end smartphones. Using NFC, you can tap on other accessories like headphones to connect with them over Bluetooth, make payments at PoS machines, share files via Android Beam (RIP), or even read the data stored programmable NFC tags with your smartphone.
The Alcatel 1S and ZTE Blade A5 2019 are upcoming budget smartphones that run Android Pie
We have spotted two upcoming budget smartphones, the Alcatel 1S and the ZTE Blade A5 2019, that come with Spreadtrum SoC and run Android 9 Pie. Read on!
Budget smartphones do not get near-enough attention as compared to flagship or other quirky releases, even though they occupy their own space in the smartphone market. For people on a tight budget or very limited needs, entry-level phones do the job well and save money while they're at it. If all you need is a phone for calls and texts, it is a no-brainer to prefer a much cheaper budget phone over a premium, top-tier flagship.
[Update: Hands-on] The 2019 Alcatel 1X and 1C are TCL's latest budget Android smartphones
The 2019 Alcatel 1X and the Alcatel 1C are TCL's newest budget Android smartphones, with specifications to match their pricing.
TCL, the exclusive licenser of Alcatel handsets, has announced the 2019 Alcatel 1X and the Alcatel 1C at CES 2019. Both are budget handsets aimed at North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa that intend to launch in Q1 of 2019. They feature low-end specifications for a low price, though you certainly won't be doing much heavy processing at all on them.
TCL's Alcatel 7 could launch on T-Mobile as the REVVL 2 Plus
The TCL Alcatel 7 which launched earlier this year on MetroPCS may be re-branded as the REVVL 2 Plus if it launches on T-Mobile.
Unlike in India and China where there's a wide selection of decent, low price Android smartphones, the budget phones sold in the United States are pretty awful. HMD Global is finally bringing a mid-range device that's worth talking about over to the U.S. in the Nokia 7.1, but Americans will still have to wait before there's a decent budget smartphone offering. Will the T-Mobile REVVL 2 Plus be a decent budget smartphone? Probably not, given that it's likely a re-branded Alcatel 7 that launched on MetroPCS earlier this year. But hey, if you're looking for a cheap device that works on T-Mobile, you might be interested in picking one of these up.
Every upcoming/unreleased Android smartphone and tablet we're monitoring
Here's a list of every Android smartphone and tablet from Xiaomi, Samsung, OPPO, Huawei, Google, Vivo, Sony, Nokia, Motorola, etc. we're monitoring.
Android smartphone and tablet leaks can be exciting, but there are so many new devices on the horizon that it can be a real headache to keep up with them all. There's the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google Pixel 3, Nokia 9, Sony Xperia XZ3, Huawei Mate 20, and Motorola One Power just to name a few. From what I can see, there are over 100 upcoming devices from major device makers such as Google, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Samsung, and Xiaomi. To wrap my own mind around the confusing mess of smartphone leaks and to help others who have trouble keeping up with all of the rumors, I've put together several tables sorted by brand of every upcoming/unreleased Android smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch.
Alcatel 5V launches with 6.2-inch notched display, 4000mAh battery, and Android 8.1 Oreo
The Alcatel 5V has launched in the US with a 6.2-inch notched display, 4,000mAh battery and Android 8.1 Oreo. Check it out here.
Alcatel has been working on releasing a number of devices this year. We saw the Alcatel 3 and Alcatel 5 smartphones announced back in February. Following that, we then saw the Alcatel 3V, which is effectively an upgraded version of that particular smartphone. Now, we're getting to see the Alcatel 5V, a smartphone with a 6.2-inch notched display, 4,000 mAh battery, and Android 8.1 Oreo.
TCL Announces Alcatel 5 and Alcatel 3 Series Phones, 1T Series Tablets, and an Android Go Phone
Alcatel took the wraps off a bevy of new devices at Mobile World Congress 2018. The lineup includes the Alcatel 5 and Alcatel 3 Series smartphones, the 1T 10 and 1T 7 tablets, and the Alcatel 1X, an Android Oreo (Go edition) phone.
On the eve of Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, Chinese smartphone maker TCL took the wraps off a menagerie of new devices on Saturday. In addition to the Alcatel 5, Alcatel 3, and Alcatel 1 Series smartphones that the company teased at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in January, it also unveiled two Android tables, the 1T 10 and 1T7, and an Android Oreo (Go edition) smartphone, the Alcatel 1X.
Alcatel 3X Shows Up Online with a 3000mAh Battery and Android 7.1 Nougat
The upcoming Alcatel 3X stopped by the FCC and Wi-Fi Alliance in January 2018, and documents reveal that it'll ship with a 3,000mAh battery and Android 7.1 Nougat.
Leaked press renders in late 2017 revealed upcoming Alcatel phones including the Alcatel 3V, Alcatel 3C, Alcatel 1X, and Alcatel 3X, and during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Alcatel took the wraps off the Alcatel 1, Alcatel 3, and Alcatel 5 series. Since then, new information about the phones has been hard to come by -- of all the rumored Alcatel devices so far, only the Alcatel 5 has leaked in full. But thanks to a combination of materials from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Wi-Fi Alliance, we've been able to glean a bit about the hardware and software of the upcoming Alcatel 3X.