Huawei lists eight phones that will get Android Q update

Following Google’s official Android Q announcement at its annual Google I/O conference, its partner companies have started to reveal which phones would get the stable iteration of the next OS. Huawei is one of those partners and it has announced a list of eight phones that will get the Android Q later this year. Reportedly, this is the first batch of Huawei phones that will receive the update, which means that more phones could be added to this list later.

The phones that will get the Android Q stable update are: Huawei Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 X, Mate 20 Porsche Edition, Huawei P30, P30 Pro, Honor V20, and Honor Magic 2. However, there is no information about the timeline for this update. In the last two years, Google has rolled out the stable OS update for Pixel devices in August, so this year is likely to be no different.

The upcoming Android release focuses on bringing new mobile experiences, more control of privacy and enhanced security. It introduces several new features, including Live Captions and Smart Replies, Dark Mode, Focus Mode, and a new framework for updates under which the users will receive key updates to the operating system automatically in the background similarly to how Android apps update via the Play Store.

But before this is rolled out, the release will have six betas, out of which three are already out. You can see the list of all phones that will get the Android Q beta update here. Also, you can check this article to learn more about what the next major Android release will offer. Further, if you want to experience the Android Q beta on your Pixel device, you can visit this link to enroll your device, and later receive the beta build as an over-the-air update. For the other devices, you will have to manually flash the beta build onto the phone.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2DWN2xM

Google Play tweaks how ratings work, announces cash payments for purchasing apps

Google I/O 2019 is in full swing and the company made a slew of announcements during the keynote and on the next day as well. One of the announcements from the event is about how Google Play will be changing a couple of things. TechCrunch reports that Google Play Store policies are being changed to better reflect app ratings. Till now, app ratings were a cumulative representation of how well an app performed over the years. However, this is being changed so that the recent releases of the app ratings are favoured. Another notable announcement for the Play Store from Google is the ability to purchase apps with a new delayed form of payment options like cash.

“You told us you wanted a rating based on what your app is today, not what it was years ago, and we agree,” says Milena Nikolic, an engineering director leading Google Play Console. Explaining more about how the new rating system would work, Nikolic says that the average rating calculation for apps will soon be updated for all Android apps on Google Play and instead of displaying ratings based on lifetime cumulative values, more weight would be given to the most recent users’ ratings. The new rating system makes more sense as many apps start out great but go off the track with subsequent updates. The new ratings won’t be shown to consumers till August but app developers can preview the new system today via the Play Store Console. 

Coming to the new form of payment option, while there are multiple payment options to choose from when buying an app on the Play Store, Google is aiming at emerging markets with the new “pending transactions” option. The new feature will enable users to pay via traditional methods that don’t require online transactions. “We know that emerging markets are a key area of growth for you all, which is why we’re excited to announce ‘pending transactions,'” announced Aurash Mahbod, Director of Engineering at Google, while speaking at Google I/O. 

This new feature enables users to select an alternative method of payment and receive a payment code. They can then show this code to a nearby store and pay for the app they purchase. Google says within 10 minutes, users will receive their purchase and an email with their proof of payment but TechCrunch notes that the process can take up to 48 hours to get through. This would certainly make it easier for some users to pay for apps but in case they want to get a refund, they will receive Play Store credit. The feature is currently available in early access and it remains to be seen whether it will be announced for India as well. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2WyS8Ye

Logitech G502 Lightspeed Gaming Wireless Mouse Launched at $150

Logitech has launched its new G502 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse. The new mouse is a successor to the iconic G502 Hero gaming mouse.

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Xiaomi teases triple-camera smartphone for India, could it be a tweaked Mi 9 SE

After launching a 48MP-camera phone in the form of the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi is most likely gearing up to launch a triple-camera smartphone in India. The company released a teaser on its official forum on Wednesday and the cryptic graphic seems to tease a smartphone with three cameras on the back. The teaser doesn’t reveal the name of the phone. However, Xiaomi’s Manu Kumar Jain had earlier tweeted about a smartphone powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 7-series chipset (likely the Snapdragon 730 or the Snapdragon 730G), which could launch in India. It could be possible that the two teasers are talking about the same device.

The teaser itself doesn’t give away much. It shows a single-camera, dual-camera and a triple-camera stack orbiting around a planet. Now Xiaomi already has single and dual-camera phones in the country, so it’s likely that the teaser is talking about a phone with two additional camera on the back.

As of now, Xiaomi has two triple-camera powered smartphones — The Xiaomi Mi 9 and the Mi 9 SE, both of which are available in China and some other regions, but not in India. Also, neither of the two phones is powered by a Snapdragon 7-series processor. It could be possible that Xiaomi is planning to launch a new smartphone or a tweaked version of the Mi 9 SE made specially for India.

Considering there’s no other concrete information available about the upcoming device apart from the cryptic teaser, we will have to wait and see what is in store for the Indian market.

Meanwhile, the company is gearing up to launch Redmi’s first Snapdragon 855-powered flagship phone with an in-display fingerprint sensor and triple rear cameras in China. The event is likely to be held on May 13.

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

Upcoming Redmi flagship to have in-display fingerprint sensor, large battery

Redmi has been intermittently teasing its upcoming flagship device on Weibo and has already confirmed a lot of specs. In the latest development, the company’s General Manager Lu Weibing has teased the in-display fingerprint sensor and the reportedly large battery life of the phone by sharing an image on the Chinese social media platform.

In the image, the phone is seen having a fingerprint impression in the lower half of the display - a place where OEMs usually put a fingerprint sensor, suggesting an in-display fingerprint sensor on it. Further, the phone is seen having 47 percent charge left. The text posted along with the photo reads, “Ready to call it a day, life is very satisfied, exceeded my expectations.” This hints that the phone could have a large battery and may last up to two days in a single charge.

The news comes a day after a leaked image of the phone’s protective display sticker surfaced online suggesting that the phone might be named the Redmi K20 Pro. The stickers suggests that the phone will come equipped with a 6.39-inch AMOLED display. It is said to run on the Snapdragon 855 SoC and come equipped with a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 27W fast charging. The phone could feature a triple-rear camera setup with a 48MP sensor.

The information about the processor and the camera falls in line with earlier reports that claimed that the phone would have Qualcomm’s latest flagship under the hood and sport a 48MP + 13MP + 8MP sensor configuration for the main camera setup. On the front, the phone is rumoured to feature a 32MP sensor.

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

Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime now receiving Android Pie update with OneUI: Report

Samsung has started rolling out the Android Pie update for its Galaxy On7 Prime (First Impression) smartphone in India, a media report suggests. The latest update brings Samsung’s latest OneUI to the phone, along with the May security patch. It is being seeded as an over-the-air patch and is said to be around 1034 MB in size. Interestingly, several Android-powered phones, which usually get security updates faster than others, are yet to receive the latest package.

As mentioned above, the update brings Samsung's new One UI, and comes with a slew of other new features. The features include a system-wide Night mode, the Scene Optimizer for the camera, a Kids Mode shortcut in the notification panel, a floating mode of the Samsung Keyboard app, and more. Those who haven’t received the update notification yet can manually check it by navigating to Settings > Software update.

Earlier this week, Google rolled out the May security update to its Pixel and Android phones. The Android bulletin says that the latest patch has resolved a total of 10 issues across Framework, Media Framework and System components. The vulnerabilities range from high to critical, with the most severe relating to the media framework and a remote attacker possibly executing arbitrary code through a crafted file.

According to Google, there were “no reports of active customer exploitation or abuse of these newly reported issues.” However, the update fixes 21 issues with Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items. These are the issues that were identified in Samsung’s own software.

The Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime was launched in January last year running on a 1.6GHz Exynos octa-core processor and 3GB RAM/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage variants. The device sports 13MP cameras on the front and back with a f/1.9 aperture lens for each. The phone features a 5.5-inch FHD display and comes with Samsung Pay Mini support.

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

Google Maps with AR navigation now rolling out for Pixel users

Google showed off Augmented Reality (AR) infused Google Maps first at I/O 2018 and in February this year, it was said to be under testing in a closed group. The feature enabled users to find directions using AR, identify landmarks and relay more in real time. The feature is finally being rolled out to the company’s Pixel series of phones and will be available for use when one chooses their preferred method of travel as walking to their destination. The update is being rolled out in phases and all is said to be currently available only to select Local Guides and Pixel users globally.

The rollout of the new feature was announced at Google I/O 2019 event and Google Maps’ official Twitter handle later tweeted about the rollout. When using the AR option to navigate, the real world takes up the majority of space on a screen and a small view of the Google map is present on the bottom of their phone’s display. The options shows useful cues like arrows for directions and banners with street names to help a user find their way. While we have yet to test the option, some users on twitter note that the feature is quite useful to find right directions when the GPS is yet to lock on. 

The new feature was reportedly quite aggressive in saving the phones’ battery. While using the mode, one should be able to view the world via their camera when they lift their phones up and when they put it down, traditional view of Maps should pop-up. In AR mode, landmarks will also be identified when the user comes across them. There is no information on when the feature will be made available for non-Pixel smartphones. However, if the option is now available for Pixel, it can soon be expected to be made available for other devices as well.

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