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vendredi 31 juillet 2020

Learn Linux Inside Out With 110 Hours of Training for Just $69

We often don’t realize it, but Linux plays a huge part in daily life. Every time you search with Google and check Facebook, your device is working with Linux servers. Using an Android phone? That is based on Linux, too. If you would like to know this system better, the Complete 2020 Learn Linux Bundle can help. This huge learning library offers 12 courses and 110 hours of training for only $69 at the XDA Developers Depot.

As you may have gathered by now, Linux is a very powerful and versatile platform. For this reason, expert developers are always in demand, earning up to $111,000 a year according to Payscale. In addition, Linux skills are valuable in many other technical careers.

This bundle provides a comprehensive education in Linux. Through hands-on tutorials, you learn how to power almost any project using the open-source operating system.

You start by learning how to navigate the graphical user interface, before diving into the shell. Once you have some command-line skills under your belt, you discover how to deploy Linux in the cloud, set up enterprise systems, and run Linux servers.

The bundle also provides extensive training on networking and cybersecurity, including full prep for the CompTIA Linux+ exam.

You would normally expect to pay over $3,500 for these courses, but you can get them now for only $69 with this deal.

 
The Complete 2020 Learn Linux Bundle – $69

See Deal

Prices subject to change 

The post Learn Linux Inside Out With 110 Hours of Training for Just $69 appeared first on xda-developers.



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Motorola One Zoom and Moto G8 Plus get Android 10 soak test updates in Brazil

Different smartphone OEMs go by their own schedule when it comes to Android updates. Motorola, for example, prefers to conduct limited invitation-based public beta testing (commonly referred to as “soak testing”) before the actual release of a major Android version update through the stable channel. The final beta firmware is often mature enough to be considered as the stable build, which means the soak testing phase is a pretty good indicator of the arrival of the stable update. Now, the Motorola One Zoom (also known as the Motorola One Pro) and the Moto G8 Plus have started receiving such soak test builds of Android 10.

Motorola One Zoom XDA Forums || Moto G8 Plus XDA Forums

Motorola One Zoom

Despite the “One” tag, the Motorola One Zoom (codename “parker”) is not a part of the Android One initiative. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 675-powered phone was announced at IFA 2019 with Android Pie onboard. The Android 10 soak test for this device is currently running in Brazil, where the company has pushed several beta builds so far. The version number of the latest soak test build is QPH30.29-Q3-28-13 and it comes with the July 2020 security patches.

motorola_one_zoom_android_10_soak_test_builds motorola_one_zoom_android_10_soak_test_patch

Moto G8 Plus

The Moto G8 Plus (codename “doha”) packs in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone runs a close-to-stock version of Android Pie out of the box, while the soak testing of Android 10 is underway in Brazil. Those enrolled their device to Motorola’s Feedback Network (MFN) have received multiple beta builds as of yet, with the latest one featuring July 2020 security patches.

moto_g8_plus_android_10_soak_test_build_patch

Thanks to Reddit user u/karanpatils for the screenshot!

It is worth noting that the soak test beta builds sometimes contain critical bugs. Therefore, we would recommend you to stay away from sideloading these beta builds on your daily driver. Once all the known issues are being ironed out, Motorola will push the stable update to all users, including the beta testers.

The post Motorola One Zoom and Moto G8 Plus get Android 10 soak test updates in Brazil appeared first on xda-developers.



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Samsung rolls out the August 2020 security update to the Galaxy Note 10 series

Just a day ago, Samsung started rolling out an update for the Exynos variants of the Galaxy S10 series in some regions. The update included August 2020 security patches for the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10e, along with a new bootloader (v8) for the devices. Even though the update is yet to make its way to most Galaxy S10 users, Samsung has now started rolling out a similar update for the Exynos-powered Galaxy Note 10 devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 XDA Forums || Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ XDA Forums

The latest update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series (software version N975FXXS6CTGA/N975FOXM6CTGA) measures in at 168.86MB and it includes the August 2020 security patches. Much like the OTA update for the Galaxy S10 series, the update also brings a new bootloader (v6) for the Galaxy Note 10 series, which means that end-users will no longer be able to downgrade to older builds once they install this update.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series August 2020 security patches

Thanks to XDA Senior Member jaylence for the screenshot

As with all previous updates from Samsung, the latest OTA update is currently rolling out to a few users and it’s expected to reach all Galaxy Note 10 series devices in the coming days. In case you don’t wish to wait for the OTA update, you can use a community developed tool called Frija to download the updated firmware for your device from Samsung’s repository. The required parameters can be found in the screenshot below.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Frija firmware

Thanks to XDA Senior Member henklbr for the screenshot

Once you have downloaded the decrypted firmware package created by Frija, you can flash it on your device using Odin. You can follow the instructions given in this post if you aren’t familiar with upgrading your Samsung device’s firmware with Odin. Do note that the aforementioned update is only for the international Exynos 9825-powered Galaxy Note 10 devices and it isn’t compatible with the Snapdragon 855-powered variants of the Galaxy Note 10 series.

The post Samsung rolls out the August 2020 security update to the Galaxy Note 10 series appeared first on xda-developers.



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Honor 9A, Honor 9S launched in India with AppGallery, alongside Honor MagicBook 15

Honor is launching two smartphones in the Indian market, focusing on the entry-level segments in one of the most competitive markets in the world. The Honor 9A was released earlier this year in China, and the device made its way to the European markets later. Similarly, the Honor 9S and MagicBook 15 have also made their way to global markets, and are now finally making their way to India.

Honor 9A and Honor 9S

Specification Honor 9A Honor 9S
Dimensions & Weight
  • 146.5 x 70.94 x 8.35 mm
  • 144g
Display
  • 6.3″ HD+ display
  • 5.45″ HD+ display
SoC
  • MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762R
  • MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762R
RAM & Storage
  • 3GB + 64GB
  • Expandable via microSD
  • 2GB + 32GB
  • Expandable via microSD
Battery & Charging
  • 5000mAh battery
  • Reverse wired charging
  • 3020mAh battery
Rear Camera
  • 13MP
  • 5MP
  • 2MP
  • 8MP, f/2.0
Front Camera
  • 8MP
  • 5MP, f/2.2
Other Features
  • Rear fingerprint sensor
  • MicroUSB port
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • MicroUSB port
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
Android Version Android 10 with Magic UI 3.1 Android 10 with Magic UI 3.1

The Honor 9A and Honor 9A are decidedly entry-level devices, so people used to flagships may not find them impressive by themselves. However, Honor’s use of the aging MediaTek Helio P22 on both the phones does not incite confidence as the phones will face very stiff competition from phones from Xiaomi, Realme, and Samsung. Further, both of these devices do not come with GMS and Google Play Store, and instead, adopt Huawei’s AppGallery and HMS Core.

HONOR 9A

Honor 9A

The Honor 9A will be available in Midnight Black and Phantom Blue color variants, starting from August 6, 2020, on Amazon.in. The phone will cost ₹9,999, but users can get it for ₹8,999 in the first sale.

HONOR 9S

Honor 9S

On the other hand, the Honor 9S comes in Blue and Black color options for ₹6,499, but users can get it for ₹5,999 in the first sale.

Honor MagicBook 15

The Honor MagicBook 15 is Honor’s first foray into the laptop market in India. As the name implies, it features a 15.6″ FHD IPS display with an 87% screen-to-body ratio and TÜV Rheinland certification. The laptop is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor coupled with Radeon Vega 8 graphics. You also get 8GB of DDR4 dual-channel RAM and a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD.

HONOR MagicBook 15

The laptop is charged through an included 65W charger that charges the laptop 0-50% in half-hour through the USB Type-C port. Other notable features on the notebook include a two-in-one fingerprint power button, a pop-up webcam hidden underneath the camera button, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and more. And of course, you also get Windows 10 Home edition preloaded.

The Honor MagicBook 15 is priced at ₹42,990 in India and will go on sale on August 6, 2020, in the Mystic Silver color option on Flipkart.com. There is a first-sale discount available, letting users pick it up for ₹39,990.

Buy the Honor MagicBook 15 from Flipkart

The post Honor 9A, Honor 9S launched in India with AppGallery, alongside Honor MagicBook 15 appeared first on xda-developers.



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Xiaomi Black Shark 3S with 120Hz refresh rate display, Snapdragon 865 launched in China

Over the last couple of days, several smartphone OEMs have launched their latest and greatest gaming smartphones. ASUS unveiled its ROG Phone 3 and ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition, Lenovo launched the much-awaited Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, and Nubia launched the Red Magic 5S. Adding on to the list of new gaming smartphones, Xiaomi has now unveiled the Black Shark 3S in China. Xiaomi’s latest gaming smartphone is just a minor upgrade over the Black Shark 3 from earlier this year, with a better screen and a few other changes.

Xiaomi Black Shark 3S: Specifications

Specification Xiaomi Black Shark 3S
Display
  • 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • 270Hz touch sampling
  • 17ms latency
SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
RAM & Storage
  • 12GB LPDDR5 + 128GB UFS 3.1
  • 12GB + 256GB
  • 12GB + 512GB
Battery & Charging
  • 4,720mAh
  • 65W fast charging via USB Type-C
  • 18W fast charging via secondary magnetic port
Rear Camera
  • 64MP primary camera
  • 13MP wide-angle camera
  • 5MP depth sensor
Front Camera 20MP
Other Features
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Secondary magnetic charging port
  • USB Type-C
Android Version Joy UI 12 based on Android 10

For the most part, the Black Shark 3S is the same device as its predecessor. It’s powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip, packs in 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It offers the same camera setup, with a 64MP primary camera, a 13MP wide-angle camera, and a 5MP depth sensor on the back, along with a 20MP selfie camera over on the front.

Black Shark 3S SoC RAM Storage

The device packs in the same 4,720mAh battery with support for 65W fast wired charging via USB Type-C, it still features a 3.5mm headphone jack, and it also includes a secondary magnetic charging port, which is capable of charging the device at 18W.

Xiaomi Black Shark 3S 120Hz panel

In terms of improvements, the Black Shark 3S packs in a 6.67-inch FHD+ 120Hz high refresh rate display, instead of the 90Hz display found on the previous model, and it runs the company’s latest Android skin — Joy UI 12.

JoyUI 12 Voice Controls JoyUI 12 - Somatosensory controls

Thanks to the new software, Xiaomi has managed to include several new features on the Black Shark 3S, including screen pressure 4.0 for 3D touch controls, voice control 2.0 to help users adjust settings using voice commands while in-game, and something called somatosensory control that offers 6 built-in somatosensory actions. We aren’t exactly sure what somatosensory control offers, but it seems to refer to touch-sensitive shoulder buttons on the device.

JoyUI 12 Game Barrage

Additionally, Joy UI 12 brings features like Game barrage to control notifications while playing games, Game macro to help users set up macro commands in games, Hunting mode to enhance vegetation and ground contrast in games, and Black Shark Moment 3.0 for game recording and editing.

Joy UI 12 screencasting

Joy UI 12 also enables screencasting support on the Black Shark 3S, which will let users cast their device’s screen on a larger display with a delay of just 40ms.

Xiaomi Black Shark 3S shoulder buttons Xiaomi Black Shark 3S finger gloves

Along with the Black Shark 3S, Xiaomi has also announced a couple of new gaming accessories. These include the Black Shark Gamepad 3, Black Shark Gaming Finger Gloves, and an attachment that adds physical shoulder keys to the device.

Pricing and Availability

The Black Shark 3S will be available in three RAM/storage variants that have been priced as follows:

  • 12GB+128GB: CNY 3999 (~$573)
  • 12GB+256GB: CNY 4299 (~$616)
  • 12GB+512GB: CNY 4799 (~$688)

The device will go on sale in China starting from August 4th via JD.com and other major Chinese etailers. Buyers will be able to choose from two different color options — Skyfall black and Crystal blue.

Xiaomi Black Shark 3S color variants

The new Black Shark Gamepad 3 has been priced a CNY 238 (~$34), while the Black Shark Gaming Finger Gloves and shoulder keys will be available for CNY 29 (~$4) and CNY 79 (~$11), respectively. As of now, we have no information from Xiaomi regarding a global launch.

The post Xiaomi Black Shark 3S with 120Hz refresh rate display, Snapdragon 865 launched in China appeared first on xda-developers.



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Download: OnePlus 6 and 6T receive OxygenOS 10.3.5 with RAM optimizations, OnePlus Buds support, and more

OnePlus recently rolled out new OxygenOS updates to the OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus 8 family that brought in necessary support for their first pair of truly wireless earbuds — the OnePlus Buds. In a similar fashion, the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T have now picked up a new stable build of OxygenOS that not only enables official support for the OnePlus Buds on the device duo, but also brings over the July 2020 security patches.

OnePlus 6 XDA Forums || OnePlus 6T XDA Forums

According to a recent post on the OnePlus Community forums, the OEM has started the incremental rollout of OxygenOS 10.3.5 for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T. Besides the bump in the Android security patch level (SPL), the update also addresses an issue related to frequent crashing of Google Chrome on these phones. Moreover, the new build of OxygenOS includes a fix for the black screen bug while opening the OnePlus Logkit app. For those not familiar with OnePlus Logkit, it is a handy built-in diagnostic app to collect device logs which can be executed by dialing *#800# in stock dialer.

You can find the complete changelog for this update below:

OxygenOS 10.3.5 Changelog for the OnePlus 6 & 6T

  • System
    • Optimized RAM management
    • Newly adapted OnePlus Buds, easier to take advantage of wireless connection
    • Fixed the crash issue when browsing on Chrome
    • Fixed the black screen issue when opening logkit
    • Improved system stability and fixed general bugs
    • Updated Android Security Patch to 2020.07
    • Updated GMS package to 2020.05
oneplus_6_6t_oxygenos_10.3.5_ota

Thanks to OnePlus Community user MMuralidhar for the screenshot!


Download OxygenOS 10.3.5 for the OnePlus 6 & 6T

The company is following a staggered rollout model, which means they are rolling out the update to a handful of users first. If no critical issue pops up during the initial phase, the rollout will gradually be expanding to more devices over the coming days. However, you can grab the appropriate update package for your model from the index below and freely sideload it right away.

OxygenOS 10.3.5 for the OnePlus 6

OxygenOS 10.3.5 for the OnePlus 6T


Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

The post Download: OnePlus 6 and 6T receive OxygenOS 10.3.5 with RAM optimizations, OnePlus Buds support, and more appeared first on xda-developers.



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Android’s Nearby Share now works on Windows via Google Chrome

Google’s alternative to Apple’s AirDrop sharing feature, called Nearby Share, started rolling out to some users in a Google Play Services beta late last month. Shortly thereafter, Google started rolling out Nearby Share support to Chrome OS, allowing Chromebook users to start sharing files with nearby devices by enabling a couple of experimental flags. Now, according to a recent report from Techdows, Nearby Share is rolling out to Google Chrome on Windows on the Chrome Dev and Canary channels.

In order to use the new Nearby Sharing feature, you’ll first need to head over to chrome://flags and enable the “Nearby Sharing” flag. Once you’ve enabled the flag, you’ll need to restart the browser and then head to chrome://nearby. The following page will bring up a list of supported devices that you can share files with.

Chrome Windows Nearby Share

However, there are a couple of requirements that you need to fulfill for the feature to work as intended. First, you will need a Windows PC with Bluetooth support and a supported Pixel smartphone or Chromebook. Secondly, both devices need to be unlocked and close to each other with Bluetooth enabled. And finally, if you’re using a Chromebook to test out the feature, the Chromebook should have Nearby Sharing feature enabled in the Quick Settings.

Google Chrome Windows Nearby Share

While I do have a PC that supports Bluetooth, I wasn’t able to see the feature in action because I don’t have access to a supported Google Pixel smartphone or Chromebook. In case you do have devices that meet all the requirements mentioned above, do try out Nearby Share and share your experience in the comments section below. It’s also worth noting that while Google Chrome on the stable channel (v84.0.4147.105) does show the Nearby Sharing flag on my system, it doesn’t open up the chrome://nearby page yet.


Via: Techdows

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OPPO unveils Reno4 Pro global variant with a curved 90Hz Super AMOLED display, 65W charging, and Snapdragon 720G

OPPO introduced the Reno series last year with a higher mid-range and an affordable flagship — the Reno and the Reno 10X Zoom editions. The first-gen Reno devices were succeeded shortly with the Reno2 series, which was then succeeded by the Reno3 series powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity chipsets in December 2019. While the outbreak of COVID-19 slowed down OPPO a bit, the company still went ahead and launched the Reno 4 and the Reno 4 Pro in China back in June 2020. They are now launching the Reno 4 Pro globally but with Snapdragon 720G instead of the Snapdragon 765G, and an extra camera on the back.

The OPPO Reno 4 Pro global variant varies from both — the Chinese Reno 4 and the Reno 4 Pro variants — in terms of dimensions. It is actually lighter than both of the Chinese variants and weighs only 161 grams. This is because of the plastic composite material used in place of the AG glass on the Chinese variants. Despite the difference in materials, the global Reno4 Pro comes with a similar “anti-glare matte finish.” Globally, the Reno 4 Pro will be available in two different colors — Starry Night & Silky Black.

Oppo Reno4 pro global color

The Reno 4 Pro retains the same 6.5-inch curved Super AMOLED display as on the Chinese version of the device. The display is claimed to cover 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut as well as have a peak brightness of 1,100nits. OPPO boasts of a high contrast ratio of 5000000:1 along with a screen-to-body ratio of about 92%. The display also houses a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. In addition, the display sports a 90Hz refresh rate beside all the other virtues.

Oppo Reno4 pro screen

When it comes to the cameras, the Reno 4 Pro global features a quad-camera setup. This includes a 48MP primary camera with a Sony IMX586 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP mono sensor for phase detection. Unlike the Chinese variant, there’s no Laser Autofocus on this variant. On the front, the Reno 4 Pro features a 32MP camera with a Sony IMX616 sensor — the same as the OnePlus Nord and the Realme X3 SuperZoom. Besides supporting OIS on the primary rear camera, the phone also supports EIS for videos recorded using the front camera.

The next major highlight of the phone is the 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging technology that can recharge the entire 4,000mAh battery in about 30 minutes. OPPO provides a 65W charger within the box. The same charging technology is also supported on the OPPO Find X2 Pro and the Realme X50 Pro and the claims of getting the battery fully charged in about 30 minutes have turned out to fairly accurate.

In terms of internals, the OPPO Reno 4 Pro global variant comes with 8GB of RAM along with a Snapdragon 720G chipset. This primarily means that the global variants lack 5G support. The phone also uses a graphite-based cooling system to keep the phone from overheating. There is a 128GB UFS 2.1 storage which can be expanded further using the dedicated microSD card slot.

In terms of software, the smartphone features OPPO’s custom Android skin ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10.

OPPO Watch

OPPO has also announced the OPPO Watch powered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 SoC. The OPPO Watch resembles the Apple Watch aesthetically and comes in 41mm and 46mm dial sizes. The 46mm variant features a 1.91-inch display but the company does not reveal the size of the display on the smaller variant.

oppo watch

The OPPO Watch 46mm and 41mm have 24 hours and 36 hours of battery life. Additionally, the Watch also supports VOOC Flash charging that allows the Watch to get fully charged in 75 minutes.

Price & Availability in India

The OPPO Reno 4 Pro will be available in India starting August 5th. The 8GB/128GB is priced at ₹34,990 (~$470).

The OPPO Watch is priced at ₹14,990 (~$200) for the 41mm variant and the ₹19,990 (~$270) for the 46mm. The Watch will be available starting August 10th.

OPPO Reno 4 Pro Global Specifications

Specifications OPPO Reno 4 Pro
Dimensions & Weight
  • 160.2 x 73.2 x 7.7 mm
  • 161g
Display
  • 6.5-inch hole-punch FHD+ Super AMOLED
  • 1080 x 2400
  • 90Hz, 20:9 aspect ratio
SoC
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
  • Adreno 618
RAM & Storage
  • 8GB + 128GB
  • 8GB + 256GB
Storage Type UFS 2.1
Battery
  • 4,000mAh
  • 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 fast charging
Fingerprint Sensor In-display optical fingerprint
Rear Cameras
  • 48MP Sony IMX 586 primary sensor, f/1.7, OIS
  • 8MP 119° wide-angle sensor, f/2.2
  • 2MP macro camera, f/2.4
  • 2MP mono camera, f/2.4
Front Cameras
  • 32MP Sony IMX616, f/2.4
Android Version ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10

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Redmi K30 Ultra spotted at TENAA with 6.67″ display, 4400mAh battery

Earlier this month, we revealed the existence of another smartphone in Xiaomi’s Redmi K30 lineup. This device was spotted with the codename cezanne and the branding of Redmi K30 Ultra, indicating that it would be somewhat of an extension of what we have already seen in the existing lineup. Now, a new Xiaomi device has been spotted on TENAA, and it looks suspiciously close to the already available Redmi K30 Pro.

This new Xiaomi device comes with the model number M2006J10C and device dimensions of 163.3 × 75.4 × 9.1 mm and weight of 213g, which largely matches what we have seen on the Redmi K30 Pro. The TENAA certificate also mentions that the device has a 6.67″ FHD+ AMOLED display and a 4400mAh battery. This new phone will be available in 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM options and 128GB/256GB/512GB storage options, at least. There’s also dual-SIM support, as well as support for 5G (though likely to be limited to one SIM). There is no headphone jack on the device according to the listing, which seems to be the one difference from the Redmi K30 Pro. The maximum CPU clock speed is 2.6GHz, while the main rear sensor is 64MP and the front camera is 20MP.

Redmi K30 Ultra TENAA Redmi K30 Ultra TENAA

While the TENAA listing does not explicitly confirm the device codename or the device branding, the device looks to be very similar to the existing Redmi K30 Pro in design. On this basis, one can presume that this new device on TENAA is the upcoming Redmi K30 Ultra.

We expect the Redmi K30 Ultra to come with a 64MP primary rear camera, a pop-up front camera, and a MediaTek SoC. We still do not have details from our sources on the exact processor that will be used on the device, but other unverified rumors suggest that the phone will have the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 (MT6889) SoC. Other rumors also suggested that the phone will come with 33W fast charging support. For now, we also do not have any information on this device launching outside of China, which would be at par expectations from MediaTek Dimensity smartphones. Rumors had suggested that the device was to be launched in late July, but that target obviously has been missed.


Source: TENAA

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jeudi 30 juillet 2020

Google Assistant-enabled Smart Displays can now play some games

Google Assistant-enabled Smart Displays are great for watching YouTube videos, checking the weather, viewing photos of family and friends, and most recently, watching Netflix. Starting today, these devices also make for a great party distraction thanks to the addition of games.

Google announced today on its official blog that devices like the Nest Hub and Nest Max can now access games “that take full advantage of the screen, and combine with voice and touch controls for instant, easy fun.” Simply say, “Hey Google, Let’s Play a Game,” and you can browse what’s available.

There are a variety of games to choose from, according to Google, including “Jeopardy!”, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, “Trivia Crack”, and something called “Guess the Drawing”, which challenges players to guess drawings as quickly as possible.

With families and friends quarantined together, these games are meant to provide a light-hearted distraction from the madness. It’s also just a nice way to add more value to Google Assistant-enabled Smart Displays, which are already great home companions.

Google said a handful of games are available beginning today, with more titles from “top game developers” coming later this year. It’s unclear what other titles are planned, but they’ll likely be party-focused.


Source: Google

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Google Chrome for Android is adding biometric authentication for payments and touch-to-fill for passwords

Google Chrome rolled out support for Windows Hello biometric authentication for payments earlier this year, allowing users with Windows Hello capable devices to authenticate payments on the browser with their face or fingerprint. Earlier this month, we learned that Google was working to bring a similar feature to Chrome for Android which would allow users to select “Screen lock” as an additional payment confirmation method on their smartphones. Now, Google has officially announced that biometric authentication support is making its way to Chrome for Android, along with a few improvements to the Autofill experience.

Once the feature rolls out to Google Chrome for Android, users will be able to enroll their device and retrieve card details via biometric authentication. While the feature will require users to enter their CVC manually the first time they use their credit card, all subsequent transactions will just require biometric authentication to confirm the credit card details. The biometric authentication feature will be optional and users will be able to enable or disable it from within Chrome settings.

Google Chrome Biometric Authentication touch to fill

Google further reveals that the browser will make use of the W3C standard WebAuthn to securely enroll you for biometric authentication and ensures that none of your biometric information will ever leave your device. It’s worth noting that the feature isn’t available in the current build of Google Chrome for Android and it should roll out to users in the coming weeks.

Along with biometric authentication support, Google Chrome for Android is also getting a touch-to-fill feature that will present your saved accounts for the current website in a new dialog. The dialog will let you quickly fill in your information without requiring you to scroll to the respective form fields to choose an account. As with the biometric authentication support, the new touch-to-fill feature isn’t available in the current build of Chrome for Android and should roll out in the coming weeks.

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Report: Huawei overtook Samsung in Q2 2020 to become the #1 smartphone vendor

The Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG), which both the Huawei and Honor smartphone brands are part of, has achieved incredible growth in the last few years. The Chinese technology giant is a major player in not only its home market of China but also in certain markets in Europe and other parts of Asia. The company’s growth has led them to become the #1 smartphone vendor in the second quarter of this year, finally overtaking Samsung. That’s according to a new report by technology analyst firm Canalys.

Canalys‘ data shows that Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices in Q2 2020, while Samsung shipped 53.7 million phones in the same period. As a result of the smartphone market contraction brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, Huawei’s smartphone shipments actually dropped 5% year-on-year. However, Samsung’s smartphone shipments dropped a whopping 30% in the same period, which is what has allowed Huawei to overtake Samsung as the global smartphone vendor. In response to this news, Huawei issued a statement saying that their business has “demonstrated exceptional resilience in these difficult times. Amidst a period of unprecedented global economic slowdown and challenges, we’ve continued to grow and further our leadership position by providing innovative products and experience to consumers.

There’s a big caveat with these smartphone shipment numbers, though. Much of Huawei’s success in Q2 2020 came from increased smartphone shipments in its home market of China where they increased shipments by 8%. In contrast, Samsung has a minuscule presence in China, with only less than 1% of the total market share. Samsung’s core markets including Brazil, India, the U.S., and Europe have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, and their economic activity contracting as a consequence. In these overseas markets, Huawei’s smartphone shipments actually dropped 27%, a decrease similar to the one Samsung suffered.

Samsung and Huawei’s worldwide smartphone shipments in millions of units tracked from Q1 2015 to Q2 2020. Source: Canalys.

This data is surprising for a big reason. First, U.S. trade sanctions have threatened Huawei’s ability to make new Android smartphones since 2019. With the sanctions in place, Huawei cannot license Google Mobile Services (GMS) for new smartphone models, which means that the company’s latest smartphone models do not ship with the Google Play Store or Google Play Services. Users in Western markets rely on many apps that are either downloaded from the Google Play Store or depend on APIs within Google Play Services. While Huawei offers its own alternatives to the Google Play Store and Google Play Services in the form of the Huawei AppGallery and Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) respectively, many developers have not yet adapted their apps for deployment on HMS-only devices. Huawei has continued to sell smartphones with GMS on board thanks to a clever trick: Rebadging older, already-Google-certified models as new releases with slight design changes. However, this tactic of rebadging older models, as well as the company’s ability to create truly new smartphone models, is in jeopardy with the recent news that contract chip-makers have been barred from using U.S.-developed technology to fabricate chips for Huawei’s HiSilicon. The former measure affects the Chinese market very little, though, as the Chinese app ecosystem is wholly decoupled from Google already, while the latter measure is too recent for us to see the effects of in Q2 2020 smartphone shipments.

Then there’s the fact that we’re still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic effects of which have grown substantially during Q2. With the pandemic came a global recession as stay-at-home orders have affected both supply and demand for new smartphones. It’s thus no surprise to learn that the smartphone market contracted significantly this quarter. Huawei’s lead this quarter can be partly attributed to the effects on the market from the pandemic. Although the outbreak started in China, the country has managed to bounce back to relative normality as factories have reopened and new outbreaks are tightly controlled. Smartphone sales in the country are, thus, returning to normal, and since 70% of Huawei’s shipments are in China, they have weathered the storm better than Samsung.

It may be difficult for Huawei to maintain this lead going forward, though. As President Trump’s administration keeps imposing harsher trade sanctions on Huawei, it will become increasingly difficult for the company to compete in the global smartphone market. When the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, and thus, smartphone shipments, will bounce back. China may be Huawei’s most important market, but it won’t be enough to keep Huawei at the #1 spot for much longer.

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HMD Global’s first 5G smartphone, the Nokia 8.3 5G, is coming to the US this fall

The Nokia 8.3 5G was announced a few months back as HMD Global’s highest-end smartphone in 2020 so far (although there are rumors floating around of a Nokia 9.3 PureView in the works, so this could very well change soon). The Nokia 8.3 5G is also the company’s first, and so far only, 5G-enabled smartphone. While it’s not powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, it does have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which has been the common choice for mid-range smartphones with 5G support throughout the year. Not only this, but HMD Global also claimed that theirs was the first 5G device in the market to be compatible with all 5G bands globally. This device was previously planned for a global release following an announcement at MWC 2020 but plans obviously changed because of COVID-19 (MWC was canceled, the phone’s announcement was delayed, etc.) Now, HMD Global has announced that the Nokia 8.3 5G is coming to the United States very soon.

nokia 8.3

The Nokia 8.3 5G. Source: HMD Global

How soon, you might ask? The phone is launching sometime in the fall as per the company’s official announcement. For now, though, HMD Global has not given an exact release date and there is also a lot of information essential to the U.S. market that has not been disclosed right now, such as which carriers will have the phone, which retailers will sell it, what RAM/storage configurations will be available, and more. All of this information will probably be disclosed as we get closer to the phone’s release.

HMD Global is also increasing its focus on the American market; they have already had a presence in the U.S. for years, but the company plans to increase its presence as they’ve done in other parts of the world. The release of the Nokia 8.3 5G in the U.S. is only a part of this renewed push; Juho Sarvikas, the current Chief Product Officer of HMD Global, has been appointed Vice President of North America in order to work more closely with carriers and bring even more Nokia-branded smartphones to Americans.

This is all amazing news for Nokia fans in the United States. Are you excited about the Nokia 8.3 5G?

Nokia 8.3 5G Specifications

  • 6.81-inch (1080 × 2400 pixels) Full HD+ 20:9 LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate
  • Octa Core (1 x 2.4GHz + 1 x 2.2GHz + 6 x 1.8GHz Kryo 475 CPUs) Snapdragon 765G 7nm EUV Mobile Platform with Adreno 620 GPU
  • 6GB LPDDR4X RAM with 64GB storage, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB storage, expandable memory with miroSD
  • Android 10
  • Single / Dual SIM
  • 64MP rear camera with Dual LED flash, ZEISS Optics, 12MP ultra-wide angle lens, 2MP macro and 2MP depth sensor
  • 24MP front-facing camera
  • Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
  • 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM radio receiver, OZO audio
  • Dimensions: 171.90 x 78.56 x 8.99mm; Weight: 220g
  • 5G SA/ NSA / Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C
  • 4500mAh battery with 18W fast charging

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HMS Core 5.0 introduces an AR Engine, Computer Graphics Kit, Accelerate Kit and more improvements

Huawei Mobile Services, or HMS, is Huawei’s alternative to GMS, and it similarly consists of user-facing applications as well as core background services. HMS provides an experience that is consistent across devices and independent of the platform version. The HMS ecosystem is comprised of HMS Apps, the HMS Core, and the HMS Capabilities that the Core enables through its available APIs. The latest milestone update to HMS Core 5.0 introduces several APIs and improvements to existing APIs.

Huawei has doubled down on improving HMS Core and its allied services. After all, these services and service frameworks form the backbone of Huawei and Honor’s current experience. As of March 2020, Huawei’s global monthly active users has reached 650 million, representing an increase of 25% YoY. The number of registered developers on Huawei’s platform has also reached 1.4 million, a 115% YoY increase. And the total number of HMS Core apps has also exceeded 60,000 globally, which is a 67% YoY growth. Huawei is placing all of its bets on its own ecosystem, and the constant improvements in HMS Core are testimony to its long-term commitment towards the HMS vision.

HMS Core 4.0 was launched back in January 15, 2020, introducing new APIs in the form of the Map Kit, Machine Learning Kit, Scan Kit, WisePlay DRM, and more. Now, with HMS Core 5.0, Huawei is introducing some more new APIs: AR Engine, Computer Graphics Kit, Accelerate Kit.

AR Engine

Huawei AR Engine is equivalent to Google Play’s ARCore service. Thie AR Engine in HMS Core serves as a platform for building augmented reality (AR) apps on Android smartphones with HiSilicon Kirin chips. It integrates core algorithms for AR to provide basic AR capabilities such as motion tracking, environment tracking, and body and face tracking. With the AR Engine, you can build apps that bridge the virtual world with the real world.

In a nutshell, the Huawei AR Engine continuously tracks the device location and poses in order to provide motion tracking and environment tracking abilities. It makes use of the device camera to identify feature points in a given space, and then tracks the movement relative to these points, and subsequently integrates these changes with the data reported by the inertial sensor on the device. It can also recognize flat planes such as floors and walls, and it can also make an estimation of the lighting intensity around them when identifying feature points.

What makes Huawei’s AR Engine special is its ability to also enable movement tracking for humans. It can allow locating hand locations and recognize specific gestures. There is also a depth component within the API, which then comes together to let the API track as many as 21 hand skeleton points to implement precise interactive controls and special effect overlays. It can also track 23 body skeleton points to detect human posture in real-time, and Huawei envisages that you can use this data to build innovative apps around fitness and health too.

Computer Graphics Kit

The Huawei Computer Graphics Kit is a Vulkan-based high-performance computer graphics rendering framework. This framework consists of the PBR (physically based rendering) material, models, textures, light, component systems, and more. The idea behind the rending framework is to provide the best 3D rendering capabilities on Huawei devices that make use of HiSilicon Kirin chips. The framework also supports secondary development with reduced difficulty and complexity, which Huawei claims helps significantly increase development efficiency.

The Huawei Computer Graphics Kit can be used for 3D applications use cases as it encapsulates the necessary Vulkan API call methods, and also implements dedicated optimization on the Huawei GPU. This greatly reduces the workload in developing high-quality 3D static models. The Kit also provides for a high-performance multi-thread rending module that integrates the best practices in usage of Huawei-dedicated Vulkan enhancements and extensions. In essence, the Computer Graphics Kit helps accelerate the adoption of computer graphics in apps by offering developers the cutting edge tools they need to integrate the same into their software.

Accelerate Kit

The Huawei Accelerate Kit provides for multi-threaded acceleration capability that claims to efficiently improve the concurrent execution of multiple threads, thereby optimizing apps. This Kit opens this capability to developers as a set of C-language APIs. This will allow developers much more flexibility on current-generation Android devices that run on a multi-core setup. Multi-thread programming is generally achieved by controlling task execution by managing threads. With the Accelerate Kit, developers are freed from thread management details, so they can focus more on their own app while still gaining efficiency.

Audio Kit, Image Kit, Video Kit within HMS Core

HMS Core 5.0 also adds three new kits relating to the phone’s audio, video, and image capabilities. The Audio Kit enables audio playback capabilities based on the HMS Core ecosystem, including audio encoding, decoding capabilities at the hardware level and system bottom layer. The Image Kit allows you to incorporate scene-specific design and animation production functions into your app. The Video Kit currently provides for video playback capabilities, and work is on to incorporate video editing and even video hosting APIs in later releases. This will let you easily build apps that can play streaming media from an address provided by a third party.

Other upgrades to HMS Core

While the major focus of the version release is the new APIs, several new APIs are also getting new features. For instance, the Scan Kit now features deep learning-based scanning codes to improve scanning accuracy in more challenging situations with higher response speeds. The Map Kit has gained bus and subway route planning information, so developers can now use these to improve the functions within their apps. The Location Kit now supports fence management capabilities.


HMS presents itself as a window of opportunity for reducing your app’s reliance on Google services as well as an opening into Huawei and Honor’s device ecosystem, which still forms a substantial and unignorable part of the market. Huawei is in one of the rare positions of being able to offer a robust set of alternative APIs that provide a similar set of expected functionalities to both developers and users. Huawei intends to move ahead with HMS Core integration within its devices, so as a developer, can you really afford to ignore this important part of the market?

Check out all API Kits present in Huawei Mobile Services


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Selpic P1 – A portable handheld printer with limited uses

Have you ever wanted a portable printer? I’ll be honest, I don’t think the thought ever really crossed my mind before. What would I use a portable printer for? Turns out there’s actually quite a lot of uses for a portable handheld printer, which I realized after I received the Selpic P1 for review earlier this month. It’s a portable printer that you can control with your smartphone, letting you print phrases and images with just your smartphone and the printer pen. Is it as useful as it sounds? Well, that’s complicated. The Selpic P1 is currently running an Indiegogo campaign, where you can pick up the pen for $99 and a separate ink cartridge for $39. Once it properly launches, the pen will cost $199 and the ink cartridge will cost $59. The pen also comes with a black ink cartridge.

Selpic P1 Front Selpic P1 Side

About this review: I received the Selpic P1 for review from Selpic in early July. The company had no input in this review.

A portable printer is significantly more useful with visible ink

Selpic P1 printing on paper

First, there’s just one caveat to this review. The biggest issue that I had with the Selpic P1 wasn’t technical but the fact that the ink cartridge I received wasn’t black—it was yellow. As you can imagine, a yellow ink cartridge is rather useless for use on white sheets of paper, and in fact, has very few uses in general. The ink cartridges aren’t multi-coloured—they’re all one colour each. I asked for a black ink cartridge, but the company was unable to send one to me. As a result, some of the photos here are of poor quality as it can be hard to get yellow to show up on a page in any kind of appealing way. It’s also hard to brainstorm ways that this could be used as in its current state, it’s not very useful due to the colour of the ink.

Having said that, at the very least the Selpic P1 does work as intended. Yellow ink is just hard to see, and as such, it decreases the usefulness of the device by a lot. I would have loved to have had practically any other colour of ink just so that I could play with it more and maybe discover more use cases. I’m also skeptical about the white lines that seem to be printed as part of the image. Will this not cause issues for a barcode scanner? Seeing as one of the advertised use cases (and one I can see genuinely being useful) is that the Selpic P1 can print barcodes.

The Selpic P1 is mostly controlled through an (abysmal) app

Now that that is all out of the way, let’s move on to how the Selpic P1 is controlled. Everything happens pretty much entirely through an app on your smartphone. You connect your phone to it and all content to be printed is sent from your smartphone to the device via Bluetooth. The app is on the Google Play Store, though it can be a bit difficult to work out how exactly to connect it to the Selpic P1. I’ll be honest, the app isn’t well-designed and the process of even connecting the P1 to your smartphone is somewhat unintuitive.

There are three buttons on the Selpic P1, one of which is fairly pointless. Holding down the circular colored button on the back (above the USB-C port) puts the P1 in pairing mode. The long silver button is used to print whatever is stored in the Selpic P1’s memory. Finally, the gray circular button below that ejects the ink cartridge, which you can just pull out anyway as I’ve been doing.

There’s a “login” when first starting the app wherein you submit your email address. Am I actually logging into anything? Is there data associated with my “account” that anyone can access without a password? Not that I’m aware of, which is a little concerning to me. I didn’t notice anything obvious that the app may have pulled across to any devices that I tested on, so I’m confused by why it needed to collect my email.

When I asked my contact about this, I was told that the team “cancel[ed] the step of entering [the] password” that was originally required, since “people can’t get [the] verification code” yet. I assume what they meant by this is that they intended to have a login system with a password and verification code sent via text message, but they were unable to set this up. Instead, they’re simply logging you in by email address…without verification? In any case, I was assured that “this app doesn’t retain user information” in any way.

The app itself is used for updating the firmware of the Selpic P1 and also providing information about the device, along with the ink that’s loaded. Also, yes, it only works in landscape mode.

It also requires you to log into the same WiFi network that you are connected to by inputting your WiFi password when you first connect it to your smartphone. I don’t know why this is required as I was under the impression that the printer would work directly over Bluetooth. While I generally wouldn’t mind this too much, I’m already wary of the security of this application.

This app seems poorly designed and the UI is unintuitive. It doesn’t follow any of Android’s design language and the icons aren’t all self-explanatory. On the editing page, there’s a trash can icon next to the barcode symbol. You would think that button might clear what’s on the printer sheet, but no, it deletes the selected element. The paintbrush to its right is what clears the printer sheet, which I thought was a brush to allow you to draw on the printer sheet yourself. You can import an image as well for printing, but it’s… not great. I cleared the data of the app to get that screenshot showing the login page, and reconnecting the app to the Selpic P1 feels like a chore.

There are included images as well that you can add to the printer sheet, and they turn out okay on paper. Just like everything else from this device though, they’re small and hard to make out what they are. The ink colour doesn’t help either, as they appear even smaller due to their lack of distinction.

Selpic handy printer (Free, Google Play) →

The Selpic P1 has its uses, but they’re limited

I may have come across as harsh towards the Selpic P1, but that’s because it’s a product that asks for a lot of money when for most users, I don’t believe it’s useful. Those purchasing the product through Indiegogo will get a standard black ink cartridge, which makes more sense than the yellow cartridge I was sent. Non-black ink cartridges ought to be purchased separately. On top of that, the app itself needs major reworking. Besides the seeming lack of justification for asking for my email address, the UI isn’t well thought out. The Selpic P1 begins shipping worldwide in September, and if you really want one, you can check out the Indiegogo link below.

Selpic P1 on Indiegogo

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NVIDIA now lets you sync your Steam library to GeForce NOW, and adds 11 new games

NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW game-streaming service enjoys its share in the now-crowded game streaming market on the fact that it was one of the first to appear for end consumers. The service started beta testing for Android last year and opened up for everyone in February. NVIDIA had pledged to announce new games for GeForce NOW every week, and over the past months, it has kept to that promise. This week, NVIDIA is giving GeForce NOW 11 new additions, including titles like Far Cry 3, Life is Strange – Before the Storm, Magic the Gathering: Arena, and some new releases. NVIDIA is also making it easier to sync your Steam library to the service.

These are the eleven titles that have made their way to NVIDIA GeForce NOW this week:

  • Steam:
    • Blightbound
    • Hellpoint
    • Dead Age 2
    • Life is Strange – Before the Storm
    • Stationeers
  • Epic Games Store:
    • Far Cry 3
    • For The King
    • Magic the Gathering: Arena
    • South Park: The Stick of Truth
    • This War of Mine
  • My.com:
    • Warface

Amongst these, Blightbound, Hellpoint, Dead Age 2 are new game launches, having launched on July 29, July 30, and July 16 respectively on their platforms. Their addition adds freshness to the game streaming platform, so users don’t need to wait to play these games through the cloud. Along with the addition of new titles, NVIDIA has also added highlights support for Rainbow Six Seige, which will let users easily capture highlights from the game.

Further, NVIDIA is also adding in the ability to let users sync their Steam libraries to GeForce NOW by navigating to Settings > Game Sync. Once your Steam account is authorized, this feature will identify the games in the library that are supported by GeForce NOW and automatically add them to “My Library” within the app. You can also force a refresh any time you purchase a new Steam game.

Here are all the previous title additions to NVIDIA GeForce NOW:


NVIDIA GeForce NOW (Free, Google Play) →

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