Android 9 Pie is now installed on over 10 of devices: Google

Google has updated the Android distribution numbers and the data shows that the latest stable version of Android, Android 9 Pie is installed in 10.4 percent devices. According to Google, adoption of Android Pie is ahead of schedule as compared to past releases. Android Pie was announced at Google I/O last year, and was first rolled out to Pixel devices in August. In October, the OS failed to make a cut in the distribution numbers apparently because Google does not include any versions with less than 0.1 percent distribution.

According to the company, these numbers are compiled from Android devices that accessed the Play Store during a seven-day period that ended on May 7. According to these numbers, Oreo is the most installed Android OS with a total of 28.3 percent share. It is followed by Android Nougat with 19.2 percent share and Android Marshmallow is installed on 16.9 percent of all the devices running on Android OS. Lollipop is at 14.5 percent, KitKat at 6.9 percent and Jelly Bean at 3.2 percent. Bothe Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread are installed on 0.3 percent.

In related news, Google also announced an update on the total number of devices running on Android OS. During the Google I/O keynote, the company confirmed that a total of 2.5 billion devices are currently running on the platform as monthly active devices. Two years ago, 2 billion devices were reported to be running on the Android OS.

10 years and now over 2.5 billion active devices. Thanks for joining us on this journey. #io19 pic.twitter.com/wC2VcVgEBS

— Android (@Android) 7 May 2019

Last month, Google released its Android Security and Privacy 2018 Year In Review report, in which it claimed that the overall health of Android ecosystem improved as compared to last year. The company's report claimed that in the fourth quarter of 2018, 84 percent more devices received a security update as compared to the devices in the same quarter last year.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2ZXHZXg

PUBG Mobile replaced in China with a more patriotic alternative called Game for Peace

While PUBG Mobile is one of the most famous battle royale games out there, it’s faced a fair share of controversy. The game was recently banned in Iraq, along with Nepal, however, ban on it in the latter country was reversed as the supreme court said banning it would impinge on citizen’s freedom of expression. Reuters now reports that Tencent has pulled down the test version of the game from its servers in China after the country’s government rejected the game developer's appeal to monetise it. Players of the title are reportedly being migrated to another title developed by Tencent called “Game for Peace,” which received monetisation approval in April. 

The new game that PUBG players are being migrated to is described as a tactical shooter. The company says it “pays tribute to the blue sky warriors that guard our country’s airspace,” which is said to be a reference to the Chinese air force. The decision to shut down PUBG in China comes after the game’s developers waited for a year to get monetisation approval for the game. “With PUBG Mobile having around 70 million average daily active users in China now, we expect Game for Peace could potentially generate 8 billion yuan to 10 billion yuan ($1.18 billion to $1.48 billion) in annual revenue,” Reuter quotes China Renaissance analysts.

Banning gory games is not surprising news coming from China. Back in December 2018, a list of games banned in China surfaced on Reddit, which included multiple well-known titles like Fortnite, H1Z1, Ring of Elysium, among others. The games were apparently banned on the grounds of featuring “Blood and Gore, Vulgar content, and Overly revealing female characters.” 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VT0rRI

Google is working on foldable phone prototypes: Report

The whole Samsung Galaxy Fold scenario could prove a learning experience for the company as well as it competitors that are eagerly working on foldable phones. Google, which has already announced that is developing the OS for the latest tech, has now revealed that it is already working on a foldable phone. But the company is not in a rush to bring the product to the market anytime soon.

While talking to CNET, a Google executive said that the company has also experimented with the foldable form. “We’re definitely prototyping the technology. We’ve been doing it for a long time. I don't think there's a clear use case yet. We're prototyping foldable displays and many other new hardware technologies, and have no related product announcements to make at this time,” Mario Queiroz, who leads development of Pixel phones, was quoted as saying. He was talking on the sidelines of the launch of the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL.

He said that foldables are good for people who want bigger screens, but that won't be enough to spur consumer interest. “I think it needs to be more innovative. The use case is going to need to be something where you go, 'Hey, I definitely need to have this.' Right now, you don't need to have a foldable. It's kind of a 'nice-to-have,” Queiroz added. The executive did not give any further details about the development of the phone.

Samsung, the first company to launch a foldable phone for the masses, has struggled with its innovation. Samsung had to recall the devices it had sent to reviewers after at least four of them, including The Verge’s Dieter Bohn, Steve Kovach of CNBC, YouTuber MKBHD and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed that the foldable display on their units broke or malfunctioned. The company is apparently testing the phone internally and it is yet to be identified when will it ship the handsets to those who have already pre-booked it.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VojkfV

PUBG Mobile Gets a Baahubali-Inspired 'Great Indian Warrior' Outfit, Now Available With Limited Time Discount

PUBG Mobile is offering players a Baahubali-inspired character costume, which is now available to purchase with a limited time discount.

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Google Chrome gets new cookie controls, cross-site tracker blocking and more privacy tools

Google made a plethora of announcements at its I/O 2019 keynote and repeatedly stressed on the importance of privacy and how it is a key point of consideration in all Google products. Along with the new tools coming to Search and other Google products for helping users take control of their data, the company is also bringing some new protections and controls in Chrome. Google says that it is improving cookie controls so that users can clear or block third-party cookies. This feature will be implemented such that first-party cookies aren’t affected, which means users won’t be logged out of banking sites if they have opted for such first-party trackers. 

Additionally, Google will also aggressively restrict fingerprinting across the web. Fingerprinting is an opaque tracking method used by sites to track users even when they opt out of third-party tracking. “Google doesn’t use fingerprinting for ads personalization because it doesn't allow reasonable user control and transparency. Nor do we let others bring fingerprinting data into our advertising products,” reads Google’s blog post. Developers will also be required to specify cross-website cookies that could be used to track users. 

Users will also get to know about what data is being used to serve them personalised ads and the companies that are involved in the process. Ads shown on Google’s own domain and its publishing partner’s domain will show new info via an open-source browser extension that will work for different browsers. The extension will also show the companies that are involved in tailoring a particular ad for the user, along with how the companies have ad trackers in an ad. Users will also get to see a consolidated summary of all the ads Google showed them recently. 

These new privacy-centric announcements add to the ones made earlier. Google announced a new incognito mode for Search and Maps. The feature can be toggled on or off and will enable users to have more control over when the Google service is collecting data. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2YgQriy

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 may have 25W fast charging: Report

There is still time for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 launch as it is still a few months away, but rumours regarding the phone are already making rounds on the internet. The latest information comes from two sources, and it is related to the charging tech that the phone might come with. Reportedly, the Galaxy Note 10 will come with a charging “faster than 25W.” This, however, is a vague claim to make but still suggests that the charging speed will no longer be a pain point for its potential customers.

Gordon Kelly of Forbes says that he verified this fact through a trusted source. “You should be thinking bigger [not smaller]. That’s all I can say about it right now but expect to be pleasantly surprised and not disappointed when the charging specs are released publicly,” he cited his source as saying.

The second source is famous tipster Ice Universe, who tweeted saying that “perhaps starting from Note 10, battery capacity and charging speed will no longer be Samsung's weaknesses, or even advantages.” Currently, only the Galaxy S10 5G and the Galaxy A70 have Samsung's new 25W fast charging tech. The Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+ have a 15W fast charging tech.

“Note10 charging is not 25w” ≠ “less than 25w”, perhaps starting from Note10, battery capacity and charging speed will no longer be Samsung's weaknesses, or even advantages. But I don't want to say more because everything has variables. pic.twitter.com/PQR2Q6oUNX

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) 4 May 2019

Last month, a report said that the Samsung might launch four variants of the Galaxy Note 10, and the alleged Galaxy Note 10 Pro might come equipped with a 4500mAh battery. A leaked image, said to be of the Note 10 Pro’s battery, suggested that it might feature 500mAh more capacity than its predecessor, the Galaxy Note 9. Additionally, the model number EB-BN975ABU can be seen on the battery, which is being linked to the SM-N975 model number, which is rumoured to be the model number of the Galaxy Note 10 Pro.

Currently, Oppo’s SuperVOOC is the fast charging tech available to masses. It delivers 50W charging and the company claims that the tech can charge a phone to up to 40 percent in 10 minutes and full charge in 35 minutes. Huawei recently announced the TÜV Safety Certified Huawei 40W SuperCharge tech with the P30 Pro, and claimed that the phone can be charged up to 70 percent in 30 minutes.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2H7e2wC

Motorola One Vision leaked renders tip at punch-hole display design, 48MP main camera sensor

Motorola is reportedly gearing up to launch its Vision One smartphone in Sao Paulo, Brazil on May 15. Details about the upcoming handset have been leaking out steadily, hinting at the features and hardware we can expect from it. Now, fresh renders of the phone have surfaced online, which reveal its design and the colour variants it might be launched in. Mobielkopen posted renders of the Motorola One Vision, which suggest that it could be the company’s first smartphone with a punch-hole display design. Going by the renders, the device might house the camera in a punch-hole that sits on the display’s upper-left corner. A dual-rear camera module can also be expected along with a fingerprint sensor that houses the Motorola batwing logo. 

There are some key camera details that can be seen on zooming in on one of the renders, which shows off the dual cameras. The Motorola Vision One could come equipped with a 48MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture lens and OIS. This is in line with a previously leaked image of the device, which suggested the same. In addition, the phone is said to come in a dark blue color model, alongside the brown colour variant that was spotted earlier. While there are no additional details about the phone from this new leak, much more information about it has been reported previously. 

The Motorola Vision One is speculated to come equipped with a 6.2-inch display with punch-hole design. The screen aspect ratio might be 21:9 with a 2520x1080 pixels resolution. The handset might be running on the Samsung Exynos 9610 SoC and is reported to ship in  3GB and 4GB RAM models with options to select from 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of internal storage. Finally, the handset could be backed by a 3,500mAh battery and is expected to support fast charging with a USB Type-C port. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2VqU2h9