Android The Galaxy S II still lives: Developer unofficially ports LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11 |
- The Galaxy S II still lives: Developer unofficially ports LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11
- Carbon 1 MK II - the world's first carbon fiber monocoque smartphone. Weighs only 125 grams, and only 6.3 mm thick. Android 11, Helio P90, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, 3000 mAh battery, 6" 1080p AMOLED screen, 16MP selfie camera, single 20MP main camera. Price: €799
- Google TV phone app prepares to add Android TV remote - 9to5Google
- From the seas, to more ZZZs: Your new Pixel features
- ASUS ROG Phone 5 with 18 GB of RAM spotted on Geekbench
- Stadia 3.5 preps for Android party chat, Hailstorm subsides - 9to5Google
- Reaction of Zuckerberg to Apple's new Privacy policy, but not to Android's?
- Google Workspace Updates: Access to Google Workspace core services from Google Assistant
- Thoughts on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 as a first time foldable phone user
- Google maps global dark mode is finally here (for me)!
- Song's current flagship has gone 4 months without an update in the US
- We need to talk about being nearly a decade behind the iPhone when it comes to 3rd party camera apps
- We need better bootloop practices
| The Galaxy S II still lives: Developer unofficially ports LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11 Posted: 01 Mar 2021 09:33 PM PST
| ||
| Posted: 01 Mar 2021 05:53 AM PST
| ||
| Google TV phone app prepares to add Android TV remote - 9to5Google Posted: 02 Mar 2021 03:33 AM PST
| ||
| From the seas, to more ZZZs: Your new Pixel features Posted: 01 Mar 2021 10:00 AM PST
| ||
| ASUS ROG Phone 5 with 18 GB of RAM spotted on Geekbench Posted: 01 Mar 2021 09:02 AM PST
| ||
| Stadia 3.5 preps for Android party chat, Hailstorm subsides - 9to5Google Posted: 02 Mar 2021 03:32 AM PST | ||
| Reaction of Zuckerberg to Apple's new Privacy policy, but not to Android's? Posted: 01 Mar 2021 08:38 AM PST I might be a little late to this discussion and the post itself is out-of-the-loop worthy, but with all the highly upvoted posts concerning how much the new policy of privacy adopted by Apple can potentially harm Facebook, i got curious to why this problem hasn't been raised with Android yet. I have switched from iPhone around Summer and never looked back until now. One of my main concerns for switching was how easy it is to make it Android more private than Apple, yet with time i realised that i could've been wrong all along. Yes, Apple collects quite much data about you, but it seems to be quite greedy with it, limiting other companies and leaving no chance for them to access the desired information. My question is, with the current privacy-oriented road that Apple has chosen, is it a better option for a user to stick with it, or are there some ways to make my Android device more secure? P.s. I do check r/privacy and r/privacytoolsIO, but the community there criticises more than actually suggests something, for rare exceptions of course. [link] [comments] | ||
| Google Workspace Updates: Access to Google Workspace core services from Google Assistant Posted: 01 Mar 2021 08:27 AM PST
| ||
| Thoughts on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 as a first time foldable phone user Posted: 01 Mar 2021 06:46 AM PST Hey guys, When the first Galaxy Fold was announced a couple of years ago, I was blown away as I wasn't expecting good foldables to come this soon. Then the reviews came and reality set in. I decided to wait for the second generation before buying one and seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews on the Z Fold 2 made me go ahead and buy one. Here are my thoughts on the Z Fold 2 after having it for a month. If you'd rather listen/watch, here's a video review. As always, no ads. Initial ReactionMy first reaction was WOW holy shit this looks unreal. The first time you unfold the phone is quite magical. It shows how much this technology has matured in just a couple of years. The screen looks absolutely stunning when unfolded and the 120Hz refresh rate makes this phone really fly. The hinge is tight and feels quite assuring. It's got the perfect level of resistance to make you feel that it's not going to break. The glass finish makes it feel like an expensive showpiece. You think this is peak smartphone and if there's a thing as a perfect smartphone, this is it... Then the reality starts to set in a bit. The phone's front screen, although nothing wrong with it is quite narrow. It's good for checking notifications, a bit of casual browsing, and making calls. But, it's quite bad when it comes to typing. I typically install the Google Keyboard on my phones but that keyboard just doesn't work well on this phone. The keys aren't meant for a screen this narrow or the bigger screen. Also, because both screen sizes are uncommon, most apps just aren't optimized for either screen. The front screen is too narrow and the main screen is too square-ish causing a lot of apps to have borders. The primary screen, while it's stunning to take a look at, has a very thick plastic screen protector installed on it. It ends up making this amazing-looking piece of technology into a smudgy mess. Because it's plastic, it's pretty hard to keep clean and you have to spend some time cleaning it with a microfiber cloth. Samsung doesn't recommend removing it yourself and while the screen is made of glass, it's so thin I wouldn't dare removing the screen protector to prevent it from cracking. Durability ConcernsThe phone isn't water or dust-resistant, and it's made of glass. That means, if you drop it, it's likely game over. Because the phone is so expensive to own, I ended up putting a case on it to keep it protected. As a result, this already chunky thicc boy looked like it put on some lockdown weight. As a result, I felt I didn't quite enjoy using it as a phone. When consuming media, it was an absolute joy, but the cheap-feeling plastic always reminded me that the tech wasn't mature enough every time I turned off the screen or played something dark on it. The Good SideIt might seem that I'm shitting on the phone, but that's not the case at all. Samsung deserves a lot of praise for everything they were able to pack into this device. The battery life is incredible and easily got me 6-7 hours of screen on time while primarily using the bigger screen. The cameras, while not top of the line, offer most focal lengths and take really good quality shots. While it doesn't have a microSD slot, the 256GB storage is more than enough for over 90% of people. Also, I like the software tweaks Samsung added to take advantage of the foldable form factor. You can seamlessly set most apps to switch between the cover and primary screen. You can use the front screen as a viewfinder to take selfies using the primary camera. And some apps like YouTube and camera give you a slightly different experience when the phone is partially folded. How to Improve ItHere's how I think the phone can be improved. First, instead of glass, I'd like to see Samsung use plastic or "glasstic" as they call it for the back. It'll not only reduce the fear of breaking this phone, but also significantly reduce the weight of the phone and hopefully lower the price. Also, I'd like to see a thinner, but wider body. This will fix two complaints. One, it'll make the front screen bigger and more useful, and second, it'll allow for a wider folded screen, which will only improve multitasking similar to the Microsoft Surface Duo, as currently, the screen is best for using one app at a time. Also, to reduce the weight further, I'd be curious to see a smaller battery paired with a low-power processor. If Samsung can deliver a smooth experience similar to the Pixel 5, most people won't even notice that this isn't using the latest and greatest internals. Also, all these changes will significantly reduce the price, making this revolutionary tech more accessible. And obviously, I'd like to see a foldable glass screen that's durable enough to use without fear of it cracking easily and a hinge that's dust and water-resistant, but I'm not sure if that's doable at the moment. For now, I think the Galaxy Z Fold 2 isn't the phone for me, but it has done its job to get me super excited for the future of this form factor. If you have a Z Fold 2, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. [link] [comments] | ||
| Google maps global dark mode is finally here (for me)! Posted: 01 Mar 2021 04:56 PM PST | ||
| Song's current flagship has gone 4 months without an update in the US Posted: 01 Mar 2021 08:27 PM PST The US Xperia 1 ii hasn't had an update since November 1 - the last security update in 4 whole months. While previous generation xperia phones and even the current midranger have received the Android 11 update in other regions, the $1200 flagship that isn't a year old yet hasn't received it in the US. This is completely inexcusable and does not bode well for future support, but this has gone under the radar probably because Sony is a footnote in the smartphone world. I'm ready for this to be my 3rd Android flagship to receive a single major android update, making it 3 for 3. Amazing. [link] [comments] | ||
| We need to talk about being nearly a decade behind the iPhone when it comes to 3rd party camera apps Posted: 28 Feb 2021 05:15 PM PST I've been on this silver bullet hunt since my first Android phone that had a front camera. In low light, switch to the front camera in a 3rd party app that takes video. Facebook, FB Messenger, Instagram Live, Skype, Snapchat. Notice the smeary dog shit staring back at you. No, not your face (you're a beautiful person!), the 16fps sad excuse for "usable video" coming out of your 2020 or 2021 cutting-edge, likely one thousand dollar device. I'm an Android die-hard. I'm an enthusiast. A power-user. A borderline apologist. I've been trying to get this issue addressed for years.Fun Fact: An ex of mine had the first iOS device with a front camera. An iPhone 4 in 2010. It always, in any app, had a full and flawless 30fps in any lighting condition. All iPhones can. We are over a full decade behind the iPhone in this regard. How can I test this on my phone?
Why is this happening? I'm not a developer so I'm not sure. From what I understand about Android is that there's a mix of issues here:
Since I'm not a developer, I can't narrow it down any further than that. It seems to be mostly #1, and #3. My last few devices, the Oneplus 2, Oneplus 3T and Oneplus 6T can take proper video using the built-in camera app, but NEVER low-light 30fps in 3rd party camera apps. So the hardware is not bad, otherwise the built-in camera app would do this as well. Something on the firmware, OS or app side is causing this. I've tested this on other devices as well, mostly in the Samsung and LG spaces, they also get low fps in 3rd party apps. I also understand that this may have something to do with Camera2 API support. Back cams tend not to do this with 3rd party video apps if the back cam has FULL or LEVEL_3 support, which is uncommon on device front cams. Even the mighty Pixel 5, considered to be one of the kings of smartphone camera, cannot and will not hit 30fps front video in low light using these apps. It's had the same camera hardware since what, 2016? Logic would say that there should had been plenty of time to figure this out on the software end. But no. What can we do about it? I really don't know. But it needs to start with making a TON of noise. Tweet/comment/message OEMs. And Google. And your favorite tech review. And app devs. Let them know this makes a difference to you. Leave reviews outlining this issue. Point back to this post maybe. I've been barking about this for a few years now and the most common response I get is that users either don't care, or don't use the feature enough. It's 2021 and we're still social distancing in a midst of a pandemic that has no end in sight. This matters. Don't wait on CameraX because neither devs nor OEMs are under any obligation to use it. Chances are your 2020 device doesn't have proper Camera2 support for its front cam, and Camera2 came out with Lollipop in 2014. I tried your test, and in 3rd party camera apps, my front cam gets 30fps in low light. For the love of all that is good, tell me what phone that is, lol. [link] [comments] | ||
| We need better bootloop practices Posted: 28 Feb 2021 12:43 PM PST When Microsoft and Intel (plus so many others) headed the secure bootloader requirement on PCs there was a huge outcry from users. (1) Since that time, I haven't seen anyone who has an easy to fix but bricked PC. I have a Xiaomi Mi A1 phone that is stuck on booting. Normally I should be able to reset the OS, or just reflash a ROM, but since I haven't anticipated bootlocker being in such a state, I haven't created any Mi account and explicitly synced my phone with Xiaomi Unlock service, which I haven't heard until my problem (no mention for it on user manual, or on software update notifications) 1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Secure_boot_2 2- There are about 2000 (103 thread on each page * 20 pages) threads on xda for bootloop problems https://forum.xda-developers.com/tags/bootloop/ [link] [comments] |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment