Nokia 8.2 5G to be fueled by forthcoming Snapdragon 735 and up to 8GB RAM

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Oct 17, 2019

While the race is on to offer flagship performance along with 5G spectrum, HMD Global is silently working on bringing 5G capabilities to the masses. Despite being a mid-ranger, the Nokia 8.2 5G still offers a lot of performance for its price. According to the good folks over at NokiaPowerUser, an anonymous source revealed the powerhouse behind the upcoming Nokia 8.2. The report claims that the phone is fueled by the forthcoming Snapdragon 735 by Qualcomm

The SD735 succeeds the SD730 and sits directly below the upcoming SD865, which is another next-generation powerhouse scheduled to arrive in 2020. The leak makes sense since HMD and Qualcomm have already revealed their plans of launching a 5G-compliant mid-range smartphone powered by an unreleased Snapdragon 7-series processor. The SoC features an upgraded AI Engine and is built using a 7nm architecture.

Editor’s Pick: Nokia awarded more than 2000 patents that deal with 5G

The report further reveals that the Nokia 8.2 5G is rumored to launch in three variants with 4GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, 6 GB of RAM and 12 8GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage. It appears that the Nokia 8.2 5G could be the first phone from the Finnish firm to arrive with 8 GB of RAM. Previous leaks have revealed that the smartphone features a higher screen-to-body-ratio, pop-out selfie camera and a 64-megapixel quad camera setup housed in a circular module at the rear.

HMD Global is expected to showcase the 8.2 5G at Mobile World Congress (MWC) tech trade show in Barcelona, Spain in February 2020. Rumors are rife that it will be an affordable 5G phone priced around $500. The smartphone is also expected to come in LTE only version.

(source)

New ThinkPad X1 line is a foldable PC, will it beat the Surface Neo?

By

Airyl Jaszly

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Oct 17, 2019

It looks like the latest addition to the ThinkPad X1 line will be a foldable PC, and it’ll come out before the Surface Neo. No name is confirmed yet, but the PC is expected next summer following a short preview at the Canalys Channels Forum in Barcelona.

The strange introduction saw Lenovo‘s Milanka Muecke, director of global commercial comms and brand, pull the 13″ OLED screen device out of her handbag to demonstrate its bendiness. “I have it right here and you can have it in your purse,” she said. “It looks like a leather bound notebook that you can carry with you all day long, but it is a full performance PC that fits in the palm of your hand.”

As for when the ThinkPad X1 will ship, the device “will start shipping probably Q2 next year.” The COO explained that “hardware is ready, but we need to still fix certain things from a software point of view, and that doesn’t depend 100 percent on us.” Lenovo did not expand on which software development is holding the device back.

There’s a good chance that it is related to Windows 10X, the version of Windows 10 that is specifically designed for foldable devices. If the company does successfully manage to hit their deadline however, they’ll beat the upcoming Microsoft Surface Neo to market, with the Surface planned for ‘Holiday 2020’.

Unfortunately, no concrete price was given, though we wouldn’t expect it to be low. Generally right now it seems that foldable tech can’t be done cheaply, yet. On top of this, ThinkPads tend to sit on the higher end of the price spectrum, so expect the new foldable ThinkPad to cost quite a lot at launch.

(Source)

Live photos of the Moto G8 Play reveal design and specs

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 17, 2019

It is raining Motorola leaks this week, and if you have missed them, then you should check out these leaked renders and specs of the Moto G8 Plus as well as the alleged renders of the standard Moto G8 first. When you are done, you can finish up this post that covers the Moto G8 Play.

The Moto G8 Play is the latest device in the Moto G8 series to leak and this time around live photos of the device itself have leaked. First reported by Brazilian tech blog, Tudocelular, the photos show the front and rear of the phone. There is even a sticker that reveals the specs of the device.

[envira-gallery id=”283633″]

Starting with the design, the Moto G8 Play looks a lot like the Moto G8. It has the same waterdrop notch and thick bottom bezel. It also has triple rear cameras and a fingerprint scanner. on the back

The sticker on the display reveals the phone has a 6.2-inch HD+ Max Vision display. It is powered by a 2.0GHz octa-core processor stated to be the Helio P60 from MediaTek. It will draw power from a 4000mAh battery which is good news since the Moto G8 Play also gets a bigger battery to go along with its bigger display. There is also support for rapid charging.

Just like its siblings, the Motorola Moto G8 Play is getting triple rear cameras which is a big upgrade from the single rear camera on the Moto G7 Play. The sticker says the cameras are supported by artificial intelligence and one of the sensors is a 117° ultrawide angle camera. What hasn’t changed is the selfie camera which is still an 8MP sensor.

The Moto G8 Play is expected to cost R$1099 which converts to about $264. It should be cheaper when it launches in the US.

(Source)

Download Pixel 4 live wallpapers on any Android device

By

Simranpal Singh

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Oct 17, 2019

Last week, Google unwrapped the Pixel 4 series featuring various astonishing features such as motion sensing, smart camera, and high-end specifications. Along with the beautiful design and features, Google also packed it with some excellent live wallpapers. Thanks to some third-party developers who have extracted these Pixel 4 live wallpapers and made them available for any Android device.

A senior XDA developer – Pranav Pandey who also pulled Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 wallpapers for other devices is again at work. He has successfully ported all the Pixel 4 live wallpapers into a modded APK. A new Slice Viewer app also allows the users to customize some of the wallpapers by adding new objecting, controlling animation speed and color.

Pixel 4 Specifications

Google launched two new smartphones – Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL carrying the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. However, the Pixel 4 comes with a 5.7-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It is coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The device comes with a 2800 mAH battery with facelock and Titan M security module.

In optics, Pixel 4 carries a dual camera module with a 12MP primary sensor and a 16 MP telephoto lens. There’s an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies and video calling. It is available in three different colors of Just Black, Clearly White and Oh So Orange. It measures 5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches and weighs 5.7 ounces.

As far as the Pixel 4 XL is concerned, then it carries a 6.3-inch 90HZ display with the resolution of 3040 x 1440 display. It is available two different storage variants of 6GB + 128GB and 6GB + 64GB internal storage variants. It is powered with a 3700 mAH battery.

Download Pixel 4 Live Wallpapers

Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL carry several live wallpapers but the most dynamic are the Doodles, Compass, and Sights of the Sun. The new Doodles are customizable with some new objects and animation speed with the help of the Slice Viewer app. The wallpapers work perfectly on all Android devices. The Compass theme also looks good with the needle pointing towards the north. Some nature-inspired wallpapers refresh minds with animated birds, waves and clouds.

These will drain more battery, so don’t complain if you’re using the Pixel 4 live wallpapers. To check out the wallpapers you can download the apk from the link below. If you want to customize the wallpapers, don’t forget to install the Slice Viewer app from the wardrobe.

Download Pixel 4 Wallpapers

Download Slice Viewer App

Steps to Customize the Doodle live wallpapers?

Set the Compass, Doodle or Sights From The Sun live wallpapers.
Now open the Slice Viewer app and Enable Do it yourself.
Now, edit the wallpaper by selecting the color location and animation speed of the respective wallpapers.
Wallpapers will show changes in real-time.

The new wallpapers are only working on Snapdragon devices, the devices running on Exynos and Kirin are left in the lurch. We hope in the coming few days, other devices will also start supporting Pixel 4 live wallpapers.

(source)

Samsung Goofed up with S10’s fingerprint real bad: Anyone can unlock it!

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 17, 2019

Samsung has acknowledged the existence of a security flaw on the Galaxy S10 which allows any fingerprint to unlock the phone. The company also promised to push a software patch that would fix the issue pretty soon.

The software flaw was first reported by a British woman whose Galaxy S10 unit was successfully unlocked by her husband’s thumbprint after fixing a cheap screen protector on the device. The lady had bought a £2.70 gel screen protector on eBay and then noticed her left thumbprint, which was not registered could also unlock the phone. Both of her husband’s thumbs could also unlock the phone. The same scenario played out when the screen protector was added to another relative’s phone which we believe is also a Galaxy S10.

The Galaxy S10 was launched in March this year and it came as the company’s first phone to feature an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor was touted to be a “revolutionary” piece of tech. But the fingerprint authentication feature has been unarguably the most controversial feature onboard the amazing device. The scanner sends ultrasounds to detect 3D ridges of fingerprints in order to recognise users.

In January this year, before the Galaxy S10 went official, US accessory maker Armadillotek had hinted that the device was tested with a screen protector and the fingerprint sensor didn’t work. The screen protector is said to leave a small air gap that interfered with the scanning. This is likely different as the cheap screen protector was able to unlock it meaning it scanned.

It was also discovered earlier on that the screen could be unlocked using a 3D printed version of the owner’s fingerprint. This again called to question the security of the fingerprint sensor.

This is the first-gen under-display fingerprint scanner from Samsung so we may give them the benefit of doubt that it has not been perfected. So, you should know it cannot be relied upon for secure transactions and other important biometric uses. Already, South Korea’s online-only KaKao Bank has instructed customers to switch off the fingerprint-recognition option to log in to its services until the issue was fixed.

(via)

Apple patents a Smart Ring, could it replace the Apple Watch?

By

Airyl Jaszly

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Oct 17, 2019

The Apple Watch is one of the company’s most notable product success stories in recent years. So it would make sense for Apple to continue exploring the potential of new wearable accessories. And, if a new patent application published this week is any indication, Apple is probably going to be producing an “Apple Ring” fairly soon.

The title of the patent says it all, “Devices, methods, and user interfaces for a wearable electronic ring computing device.” The ring contains a processor, wireless transceiver, power supply, and a microphone. There would also be other sensors included within the ring to enable hand gestures to be detected and interpreted, along with a dial control perpendicular to the ring’s circumference that could function like the Apple’s Digital Crown.

The technology covered by the patent relates to a finger ring with a touchscreen that includes a processor, a rechargeable source of power and a wireless transceiver. With the ring worn on one finger, a finger tap, voice command or hand gesture can be used to control the action on another device like an iPhone or an iPad.

While the patent itself is dense, it’s pretty much describing an Apple Watch you wear on your finger — complete with Apple Pay, fitness tracking and the ability to communicate with other devices wirelessly. Also like the Apple Watch, it’s very much a companion device that relies on your other Apple products to work, and not a standalone product.

Might this smaller, arguably simpler interface fully replace the Apple Watch, if it connects to your phone, Siri and other smart devices around the home? Time will tell if Apple decides the devices can sit alongside each other, but we seriously doubt the company is planning to kill off their massively successful Apple Watch line.

(Source)

Xiaomi crowdfunded 17PIN Thermos features a digital temperature display

By

Airyl Jaszly

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Oct 17, 2019

Xiaomi crowdfunding brings us a brand new product to take a look at. Today, we’ve got the Xiaomi 17PIN Thermos. It’s a thermos that features a digital display. Xiaomi boasts that the thermos has long-lasting insulation as well as a glazed enamel finish. So, let’s take a closer look at the latest from Xiaomi’s crowdfunding platform.

Like we said earlier the Xiaomi 17PIN Thermos comes with a glazed enamel finish that requires a 64 steps process as well 2 high temperature burning sessions to apply a layer of enamel on the inner wall of the stainless steel. Perhaps the most interesting part of the design, however, is the little display on the top that displays the drink’s temperature.

This is a design that’s been patented by 17PIN, giving the cover of the thermos some extra functionality. To take a look at how hot or cold your drink is, just gently touch the top of the cup or flip the cup. The temperature is instantly displayed on the digital display, which is a fairly nifty little feature to include on a thermos.

The inner liner is wrapped with a 304 stainless steel double-layer vacuum cup body. It’s built to be durable and has a high vacuum heat-breaking design and three-layer insulation.
The inner lining is smooth and easy to clean, as the thermos is fairly easy to disassemble and cleaned.

There are two variants of the 17PIN Thermos, a standard variant, and a digital temperature display version. As you can probably guess, the standard doesn’t have the nifty little temperature display, while the other one does. Pricing begins at 69 yuan ($10) for the standard, and 99 yuan ($14) for temperature digital display.

Oppo Reno 10X Zoom starts recruiting users for Android 10 beta testing

By

Jeet

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Oct 17, 2019

Today, OPPO has announced that the company has started recruiting users for the beta testing of the new ColorOS 6 update which is based on the latest Android 10 operating system. The company has also revealed that it will start rolling out the new update to internal users from 25th October.

The official changelog for the ColorOS 6 beta version based on Android 10 operating system mentions the following:

Dark mode: The new system-wide dark color scheme not only gives you a more focused and comfortable screen experience at night but also saves battery.
Control Center: The drop-down notification page can display more switches to optimize the one-handed interactive experience, and the quick switch is more convenient to use.
Camera optimization: The company has completely updated the camera experience, making operations more intuitive, and the common function settings are now more convenient to use.
File Management: File Management adds a “Recent” view, displays the last 30 days of files in the order of timeline, has a new memory storage rights management system, and more complete privacy protection.
Cloud disk: The cloud adds support for storing documents, videos, audio, compressed files, and other files, and important data to be carried around via cloud storage.

Along with these features, the company has also mentioned a few more features, including Focus Mode, Random Mac Address, among others.

To get this update, make sure that your device has model number PCCM00 and the phone version is PCCM00_11_A.42. To register for this beta program, go to “Settings” > “Software Update” > Click on the upper Right Corner Settings Icon and then click “Upgrade Early Adoption” and you are done. The company is reportedly taking 800 users for the beta testing of Android 10.

Last month, Shen Yiren, Vice President of OPPO had confirmed through a Weibo post that the Reno 10X Zoom smartphone will be getting the upcoming ColorOS 7 update. This was also the first confirmation from the company about the existence of ColorOS 7.

The smartphone features a 6.6-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. On the front side, the smartphone has a “shark fin” shaped pop-up camera module that houses a 16-megapixel selfie snapper with an LED flash.

There’s a triple camera setup on the back where the sensors are placed vertically. It features a 48-megapixel primary lens with optical image stabilization, a 13-megapixel periscope-type telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and OIS and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens.

The phone is powered by a 4,065mAh battery and comes with support for 20W VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge fast charging technology. The smartphone comes running Android Pie-based ColorOS 6.0 out-of-the-box.

Xiaomi’s Cottonsmith 3-in-1 heated down jacket is ideal for summer, winter and spring

By

Jed John Ikoba

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Oct 17, 2019

Xiaomi has today announced its 422nd product under the Youpin crowdfunding platform. The product is yet another smart down jacket design that would take you through the winter without stress. Just that this time around, the jacket isn’t just designed for winter but has a three-in-one design which makes it equally suitable for use during spring and summer

The down jacket is developed by Cotton Smith just like the heated goose don jacket and uses the same graphene heating technology as its sibling. This version comes with a crowdfunding price of 599 yuan (~$84) but will retail for 649 yuan ($91) after the crowdfunding exercise.

The jacket comes with several innovative features which include multi-zone heating at the front and back. The two heating zones can also be controlled independently as it has independent dual switch control. The jacket uses a graphene-carbon nanotube heating material which is efficient and heats up very fast. The jacket gets heated up in just 1 second after it is switched on.

There is also a safety feature in place which prevents the skin from getting burnt as the jacket automatically powers off after it is left on for 3 hours. You’ll have to turn it on again to continue using. Also included is a colour-coded button which shows the temperature (53 ° C -red, 48 ° C -purple, 43 ° C- green, 38 ° C- white).

Further, the inner jacket is accompanied by an outer liner which can be detached and worn on its own. The goose down jacket which has a honeycomb design can equally be used separately. The material is said to be highly effective against cold weather while the fabric is water repellent. The jacket can be powered using a power bank as it comes with a USB interface. There is a separate compartment for the power bank.

The jacket is available in black and polar blue.

(source)

“Cool Black Mech” Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition goes on sale tomorrow

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 17, 2019

The Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition was announced last month. It went on sale immediately after the launch but one variant wasn’t available for purchase – the “Cool Black Mech” color variant. It has been announced that it will go on sale for the first time tomorrow.

The Cool Black Mech variant has a different design from the Carbon Black variant as seen in the images below. Unlike the other color variants, it is only available with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The poster says it will be available for ¥2999 (~$424) instead of ¥3199 (~$452) and it will go on sale at 10 AM (China Standard Time) on Mi.com.

Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition Cool Black Mech and Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition Carbon Black

The Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition has a 6.39-inch OLED display with an FHD+ resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The phone adopts the pop-up selfie camera design and does away with most of the bezels. It is powered by the Snapdragon 855+ and comes in three configurations – 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 512GB and 12GB + 512GB.

There are three cameras on the back of the phone – a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 13MP ultrawide angle camera. The selfie camera is a 20MP sensor. The Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition also has an in-display fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, and a 4000mAh battery with support for 27W fast charging.

AI expert Daniel Povey hints at joining Xiaomi; Is XiaoAI going global soon?

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Oct 17, 2019

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi launched its own voice-activated smart assistant dubbed XiaoAI which is installed on its smartphones and other products, including smart speakers and smart home products. Earlier this year, Lei Jun revealed that XiaoAI has been activated on a massive 100 million gadgets but that is definitely in China alone. We are yet to see the voice assistant gets adapted for its English users as well as other popular languages. That may change soon as popular speech recognition expert Daniel Povey has taken to Twitter to disclose that he will be joining Xiaomi in Beijing soon.

I am very close to signing an agreement to work for Xiaomi in Beijing. Would leave before end of 2019, and would hire a small team there to work on next-gen `PyTorch-y' Kaldi.

— Daniel Povey (@dpovey1) October 16, 2019

Daniel Povey was in the news recently for a weird reason. The John Hopkins University (JHU) associate professor attempted to end a month-long students sit-in by entering the building using a bolt cutter. He was subsequently fired by the university but immediately got employed by Facebook. The programmer later announced he was no longer joining Facebook after both parties couldn’t agree on terms.

The AI expert also disclosed that he would be leaving for China before the end of 2019 and would recruit a small team that would assist him to work on the next-gen PyTorch Kaldi. Povey is responsible for the development of the speech recognition tool kit – Kaldi. We expect the company to seal the deal soon and develop an adaptation for now Chinese speakers for XiaoAI. It would in no small way to help Xiaomi’s posture as an internet company as more XiaoAI-powered products could get released outside China. Let’s keep our fingers crossed on this one.

ASUS wireless charger gets certified; wireless charging for Zenfone 7?

By

Habeeb Onawole

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Oct 17, 2019

The ASUS Zenfone 6 is an affordable flagship phone that launched this year. Most times the device gets talked about, its rear cameras are usually the focus. The Zenfone 6 or ASUS 6z as it is called in India, actually has other interesting features. One of them is its massive 5000mAh battery which is 600mAh short of being double the Pixel 4’s measly 2800mAh battery capacity.

Since it packs a big battery, ASUS added support for reverse charging, allowing you to use it as a power bank to charge other devices. Sadly, there is no support for wireless charging. But that may change with its predecessor which should arrive as the Zenfone 7.

The wireless power consortium has certified an ASUS Wireless Charger with the model number W1G-AWPM. The charger was registered on October 4 but there are two other listings for September 23 and September 26 too. The differences between the three listings are the colors of the chargers and their Qi registration IDs. The listings for all three say the ASUS Wireless Charger has a potential power level of 15 Watts.

1 of 3

The charger has a circular design but it is hard to tell the material used for the top. The bottom does look like plastic though. The three colors are white, sky blue, and pink.

Alongside the Zenfone 7, ASUS may also decide to add wireless charging support to the ROG Phone II‘ successor. We just hope both phones get to keep their large battery capacities.

The Zenfone 6 was announced in May and made available the same month. However, its predecessor was announced in February of 2018 but didn’t go on sale until May. ASUS may decide to announce the Zenfone 7 earlier next year.

(Sources: 1, 2, 3 | Via)

Honor starts Magic UI 3.0 public beta registration for Honor 20 and 20 Pro, New features also revealed

By

Sahil

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Oct 17, 2019

In the month of November last year, Honor launched the Honor Magic 2 smartphone that originally came wtih EMUI which is also found on Huawei’s handsets. However, soon after its launch, the company rolled out a system update which shifted the Android Skin from EMUI to Magic UI 2.0.

A couple of months ago, the company had announced EMUI 10 and Magic UI 3.0. both of which are built on top of the latest Android 10. While Huawei devices had already started receving either the public beta or final build of EMUI 10, Honor has today started the beta program for Magic UI 3.0 and the update package for users who sign up for it will start seeding shortly.

The latest Magic UI 3.0. will initially be available for Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro which are companies current flagship devices. With the latest updates, Honor claims to have added several new features and simplified the UI which is not only easier to navigate but also looks more pleasing to the eye. A couple of changes introduced with the latest skin are as follows:

1 of 5

AI powered Lockscreen optimisiation: Similar to a variety of other Android OEMs, Honor also offers the feature to automatically change the lockscreen wallpapers which is also referred to a “Magzine” feature. However, with the Magic UI 3.0 that makes use AI, these wallpapers can be enhanced automatically to make them more visually appealing.
Dark Mode: Falling in line with the industry trend, the Magic UI 3.0 brings system-wide support for Dark Mode. Clearly, this feature helps in preserving the battery in case of an AMOLED or OLED display, but it can also take away a lot of stress from the eyes especially during night usage or low light environments. According to Honor, its latest Android skin is capable of automatically adapting dark mode even on 3rd party apps which sounds like an interest addition.
Seamless PC conncectivity: A lot of users these days tend to simultaneously use a smartphone and a windows laptop/PC and at times the variety of applications can confuse the user. In order to provide a seamless experience between the two, the display of a Magic UI 3.0 compatible device can be mirrored on to their Windows computer. Besides, it also supports simple drag and drop file sharing right from the on computer mirrored screen of smartphone. Therefore, users can achieve a simplified and smoother work flow.
Smart HIcar support: As seen with Android Auto and Apple Car Play, this is Huawei’s take to achieve the similar functionality. Hence, when connected to a cars infotainment system, users can project utilitiy applications like Maps or entertainment apps like video player on the large screen display of the car.

All in all, the new Magic UI 3.0 looks like a worthwhile upgrade. Lastly, the company is yet to provide the release date of the final version for Honor 20 and its other smartphones.

Samsung may switch from polyimide to ultra-thin flexible glass on next Galaxy Fold

By

Jed John Ikoba

-

Oct 17, 2019

There are reports that Samsung may launch another foldable phone this year. After a couple of mishaps, the Galaxy Fold was finally released a few months back. Despite the improvements in the construction, the Polyimide screen still remains one of the most delicate parts of the Galaxy Fold.

There are indications that next year’s Galaxy Fold may come with a permanent fix for the fragile display screen. According to sources cited by Korean website ETNews, the company will abandon its transparent polyimide solution in favour of flexible ultra-thin glass (UTG).

The source hinted that the Samsung Display is already manufacturing the foldable displays for its next foldable smartphone mode and that a third-party firm named DOWOO INSYS has also begun manufacturing the first batch of UTG panels for Samsung. A recent report had revealed that DOWOO INSYS and SCHOTT AG are the two best ultra-thin glass manufacturers in the industry. Industry sources however disclosed that DOWWO INSYS has the upper edge and “the best technical skills when it comes to UTG” with technical skills 4-5 years ahead of its competitors.

Ultra-thin glass (UTG) may not totally eliminate the fragility of the flexible display but it is said to eliminate the crease that forms on the flexible panel along the hinge. UTG looks aesthetically more appealing but it is even more fragile than transparent polyimide. It is also costlier to produce while having a lower yield rate on the manufacturing line. A source even hinted at the UTG material being used on Samsung’s next clamshell foldable phone codenamed “Bloom,” but a second unnamed industry insider isn’t so positive about that. However, with the challenges posed by the new technology, we doubt if Samsung will use it anytime soon. Next year’s Galaxy Fold model is said to bring along a cheaper price tag. We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out.

(source)

Rumor: Huawei Mate X to launch in China on October 23

By

Habeeb Onawole

-

Oct 17, 2019

It has been more than 6 months since Huawei showed us the Mate X foldable phone but the device is yet to be available for purchase. It was first expected to launch in June but didn’t. Then there were reports it will be launched in September but that didn’t happen. Now, new info says the phone will launch on October 23.

The source says the Huawei foldable device will be unveiled in China on October 23. Reservations will open up on the same day and sales will be live in the first week of November.

It has also been reported that only 300,000 units of the Mate X are available. This is less than the 700,000 units Samsung made for its Galaxy Fold which is the Mate X’s rival.

The new date may be real since Huawei’s CEO, Yu Chengdong, revealed during the Mate 30 series launch that the Mate X will begin shipping in a month.

The Huawei Mate X will arrive with the Kirin 990 5G processor and not the Kirin 980 that powered the version shown at a pre-MWC event in February. A video that surfaced on YouTube a few days ago revealed the device now has a button for releasing the screen when folded into phone mode.

(Source)

How to install Gcam 7.0 with Astrophotography mode on Poco F1, Redmi K20, Redmi Note 7, Realme 5 Pro and other devices

By

Simranpal Singh

-

Oct 17, 2019

Google always stuns its fans and users by introducing compelling features in the Google Camera App of Pixel devices. They always make a mark by introducing features carved out of AI-based innovative technologies. After introducing Night Mode last year, the search giant introduced Astrophotography Mode this year on Pixel devices. It allows users to take DSLR like photos of stars and other astronomical objects in the sky.

The new Pixel 4 series is incorporated with the new astronomical feature via Google Camera 7.0 app. The feature is officially limited to Pixel devices but some third-party developers have ported Google Camera 7.0 for other devices with working Astrophotography mode. The new feature is currently working on Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset devices. It is boon for the users who don’t own Pixel 4 device but still want to enjoy the Astrophotography mode.

Along with the new Astronomical mode, the new Google Camera 7.0 carries various other advancements such as transparent UI, enhanced Night Sight, Motion Blur, AR Photobooth, Audio Zoom, and a few other features. We expect the new Astro Mode to work on few devices as of now but we expect wider support in the future.

We have listed below the links to the respective Gcam mods for Astronomical features. You can follow the steps below to enable Google Camera Astronomical mode features easily.

Download Gcam Mod for your device

Poco F1 (Download san1ty mod)
Redmi K20 / K20 Pro, OnePlus Devices (Download, by Parrot043)
Redmi Note 5 Pro / 6 Pro / 7 / 7S / 7 Pro, Mi A3 / A2, Zenfone Max Pro M1 / M2 (Download, by Parrot043)
Realme Devices (Download, by BSG)

Note: It is always recommended to use the original Gcam app for Pixel devices. Gcam version 7.9 is available for all Pixel devices including Pixel 3, 3 XL, 2, 2XL, 1, 1 XL, and 3a (XL).

Make Sure: To make it work flawlessly, your smartphone must support Cmaera2API. Also, Android 9.0 Pie is a must for Gcam 7.0 to work without any issue.

Steps to Enable Astrophotography Mode on Gcam 7.0

Download and Install the respective Gcam 7.0 Mod on your smartphone from the links above.
Allow the installation of APK from third-party sources by allowing the prompt if it appears.
Open Google Camera App and swipe down to get the settings menu.
Now tap the settings icon and scroll down to the developer settings.

In the developer menu, enable these three options to enable the Astronomical Mode:

camera.cuttle.darken
camera.cuttle.extended
camera.cuttle.extended_iterable_burst

Head back to the main UI of the Gcam app and select Night Sight Mode.
Now, swipe down for settings and set Focus to Infinity and timer to 3 seconds for Astronomical feature.
We recommend you to use a tripod stand to make Astronomical feature work without any issue. Otherwise, the phone will take a photo in normal Night Sight Mode.
Once Astronomical Mode is active, it may take more than a minute to capture the farther objects clearly.
It’s done, enjoy!

The astronomical feature automatically gets triggered once you steadily hold the phone. It is always recommended to use a tripod for perfect shots.

That’s it for today and if you have any questions and issues do let us know via the comments below.

Honor Band 5i teased ahead of October 22 launch

By

Sahil

-

Oct 17, 2019

In the month of July this year, Huawei‘s sub-brand, Honor launched it latest fitness band which is called the Honor Band 5. Earlier today, the company has shared a teaser which reveals that it is about to launch another variant of the previously launched smart wearable which will be dubbed the “Honor Band 5i”.

According to the teaser, the upcoming fitness tracker will be launched on the 22nd of October which also happens to the launch date of the “Honor 20 Youth Edition“. In terms of looks, the Honor Band 5i is reminiscent of the original device with an elongated body and silicone wrist strap. However, one obvious difference that the two variants have is that the future smart wearable has a charging connector built-in which is concealed in the strap.

With the help of this connector, the Honor band 5i can directly be plugged into a wall charger with a USB A female port, eliminating the need of a specific charging accessory which we believe is a thoughtful addition.

Besides, it can also be confirmed that this smart wearable will be offered in at least three colour variants which include Pink, Black and Olive Green. While the display size is yet to be publicised, it looks similar to the standard Honor 5 which features a 0.95 inch OLED AMOLED display that capable of displaying 43 characters at once. The teaser also confirms that this variant will have an Spo2 meter to measure blood oxygen and will have a step counter.

Usually, Honor smartphones that carry an “i” suffix are watered down and affordable variants of the standard handset and similar strategy is expected to be adopted with the Honor Band 5i. Even though this cannot be confirmed, we assume the only alteration with this variant will be the new type of charging connector which was previously mentioned and the lack of NFC.

All in all, all the assumptions will be clarified once the device is officially launched on the 22nd of October which is when we will update you. So stay tuned.

OPPO to launch dual-band 5G phone in partnership with Qualcomm by 2019 end

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 17, 2019

As the Qualcomm 5G Summit in Barcelona comes to an end, interesting news has already started coming by. Qualcomm has announced its partnership with OPPO, confirming that a dual-mode 5G smartphone will be developed shortly. Henry Tang, OPPO’s Chief of 5G Operations explained that the company is thrilled to venture into the next phase of the 5G spectrum. Tang went on to confirm that the Qualcomm dual-mode 5G smartphone will be showcased before the end of 2019.

Dual-mode 5G refers to Standalone (SA) and Non-standalone (NSA) modes. While the SA configuration relies on the 5G spectrum for data transfer and signaling without a pre-existing LTE network. An NSA configuration relies extensively on the LTE band for all communications held between servers and consecutive cellphone towers. This enhances the 5G bandwidth while utilizing existing LTE networks, reducing the overall cost of operation.

According to Henry Tang’s statement, OPPO plans to offer superior network coverage on a global platform, making 5G readily available to a larger audience worldwide with the dual-band 5G configuration. There is no official confirmation from OPPO regarding the specifications of the upcoming smartphone apart from the dual-band 5G compliance.

Rumors suggest that the device will be powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 7250 SoC, which is slated to be the first mid-range dual-band 5G processor in its portfolio. Additional details are expected soon as the tentative deadline is December.

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In related news, OPPO plans to introduce 5G variants of every flagship and mid-range smartphones in their lineup by 2020. According to Shen Jia, OPPO’s 5G expert, the Chinese tech giants will offer 5G capability to all devices priced above CNY 3,000 (~$421). The company has reportedly set aside a budget of CNY 10 billion (~$1.4 billion) for Research and Development purposes.

OPPO has accelerated their effort to launch their first 5G device by the end of 2019. The company was originally expected to showcase 5G-compliant smartphones within the first half of 2020. However, with competition heating up, seems like OPPO had to rethink their 5G strategy. Vivo currently has the lead, offering the iQOO Pro 5G and the Nex 3, while Xiaomi is selling the Mi 9 Pro 5G, which is the cheapest 5G device in China. OPPO is yet to launch its first 5G device in China.

With Qualcomm finally introducing their first chipset with an integrated 5G modem, OPPO was quick to announce their intentions of launching the first smartphone with the upcoming SoC. While MediaTek currently has a 5G chipset in their portfolio, OPPO is unlikely to ditch their tried-and-tested partnership with Qualcomm anytime soon. The Snapdragon 6, 7 and 8-series is expected to get a fresh lease of life with the addition of the 5G modem. This covers the requirements for both flagship and mid-range smartphones.

)source)

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite color variants leaked; May debut in December

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 17, 2019

Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+ earlier this year, which was later joined by the affordable Galaxy S10e. The upcoming Galaxy S11 has recently started hogging the limelight. However, recent reports have suggested a new S10 lineup product called Galaxy S10 Lite may debut before for the arrival of Galaxy S11 series. The rumored S10 Lite (model number SM-G770F) could fit in right below the Galaxy S10e in Samsung’s portfolio. Sammobile has just revealed the possible color variants on offer.

According to their report, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite will be available in Prism Blue, Prism White and Prism Black. Whether Samsung introduces the Prism Green and Canary Yellow colors from the standard S10 later remains to be seen.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Specifications (Rumored)

Despite the Lite branding the S10 Lite could be packed with flagship hardware components. The list includes Snapdragon 855 SoC with 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of native storage. This is the same setup powering the Galaxy S10 and the S10+. The Galaxy S10e features 6GB of RAM instead. Despite featuring the Lite brand name, the S10 Lite could be like the standard S10 in overall dimensions. The smartphone is rumored to feature a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a notch instead of the standard punch-hole.

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The South Korean company is rumored to offer a 4,500 mAh battery with 45W fast charging to power the larger display. The camera setup on the S10 Lite is not extraordinary and borrows the 48-megapixel optics straight out of the A90. The supporting lenses include a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The primary lens could be assisted by features like Optical Image Stabilization and an LED flash. Its front camera could be of 32-megapixel.

Samsung is yet to make any formal announcements regarding the specifications and pricing of the Galaxy S10 Lite. Rumors suggest that the chaebol could launch the device by December 2019 to capitalize on the S10’s popularity and avoid collisions with the Galaxy S11 next year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite is also rumored to be coming

In related news, Samsung is also rumored to be working on the Galaxy Note 10 Lite (model number SM-N770F) that may launch later this year. There is no information on the hardware specifications yet apart from reports of the device being powered by a flagship Qualcomm SoC instead of a mid-range chipset. If Samsung sticks to their current plan, the only notable difference between the Galaxy Note 10 and the Note 10 Lite could be the presence of the S-Pen and pricing.

A second theory suggests that the Galaxy Note 10 Lite could be like the Note 10e. In which case Samsung could pair the flagship camera setup from the Note 10 with a flat Infinity-O display with reduced resolution, lesser RAM and lower internal storage. The device could run on the Android 9.0 Pie-based One UI.

(source)

Meizu to announce four accessories alongside the Meizu 16T

By

Anvinraj Valiyathara

-

Oct 17, 2019

The Meizu 16T is the next smartphone from Meizu. It is a flagship phone aimed towards the younger audience. The handset will be made official on Oct. 23. The Chinese manufacturer has also confirmed that it will be also announcing four new accessories alongside the Meizu 16T.

In the below shown poster, names like Lifeme, Meizu, Pandaer and Flyme can be seen in the background. Lifeme and Pandaer are sub-brands of the company. In the past, the Chinese firm has launched Lifeme BTS-30 Bluetooth speaker, LIfeme umbrellas, Pandaer t-shirts, Pandaer mouse pads and canvas bags. However, there is no information on the exact product names of the accessories that will be showcased at the Meizu 16T launch event.

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Meizu’s Vice President Hua Hailiang has shared the first official image of the Meizu 16T. It reveals that the smartphone has a triple camera system and an LED flash on its back. There is no fingerprint reader on the backside of the phone which indicates that it will be embedded under its screen.

Meizu 16T Specifications

The TENAA listing and AnTuTu appearance of the phone has revealed the entire specs of the Meizu 16T. The handset will be arriving with a full HD+ OLED display of 6.5 inches. The 2.84GHz Snapdragon 855 chipset powers the smartphone’s 6 GB and 8 GB RAM editions. These models may respectively feature 128 GB and 256 GB of native storage. It lacks a fingerprint reader.

The Meizu 16T has a 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel + 5-megapixel triple camera system on its back. The camera sample that was released by the company in the previous week revealed that it will offer stellar low-light photography experience. Its front is fitted with a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The smartphone houses a 4,500mAh battery. The 3C listing has revealed that it may arrive with a charger that supports 18W rapid charging. The handset may arrive in China with a starting price of 2,499 Yuan (~$353).

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