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Pixel 2’s Portrait Mode Ported to some Non-Google Devices running Android Oreo There are a few contenders for best smartphone camera of 2017, and many would argue that the Google Pixel 2 & 2 XL were the best mobile shooters. That’s thanks in large part to the phone’s exceptional combination of camera hardware with Google’s prowess in image processing software as seen by their famous HDR+ technology . Ports of Google Camera with the HDR+ technology have been shown to dramatically improve the picture quality of budget phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and flagship phones like the Essential Phone . The Pixel 2 camera experience is largely an iterative improvement over the first generation Pixel, though it adds some polish with features such as Motion Photos, Face Retouching, and lastly Portrait Mode. The Pixel 2’s Portrait Mode is perhaps its best new feature due to how the algorithm can produce beautiful photos that focus on one or more persons. ...

Pixel 2’s Portrait Mode Ported to some Non-Google Devices running Android Oreo There are a few contenders for best smartphone camera of 2017, and many would argue that the Google Pixel 2 & 2 XL were the best mobile shooters. That’s thanks in large part to the phone’s exceptional combination of camera hardware with Google’s prowess in image processing software as seen by their famous HDR+ technology . Ports of Google Camera with the HDR+ technology have been shown to dramatically improve the picture quality of budget phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and flagship phones like the Essential Phone . The Pixel 2 camera experience is largely an iterative improvement over the first generation Pixel, though it adds some polish with features such as Motion Photos, Face Retouching, and lastly Portrait Mode. The Pixel 2’s Portrait Mode is perhaps its best new feature due to how the algorithm can produce beautiful photos that focus on one or more persons. ...

LG to Introduce Raspberry Rose LG V30 at CES 2018 LG doesn’t typically announce new flagship products at the Consumer Electronics Show. It has a history of unveiling smartphones (particularly new G series devices) at Mobile World Congress, with the release date usually following a month or two later. So it was a little surprising when LG said it’d introduce a new variant of the LG V30 at CES 2018 next week: A new Raspberry Rose color option for the V30 featuring audio tuning by specialists at B&O PLAY. LG says the new color is designed for “fashion-conscious smartphone users”, with the goal of crafting a design so outstanding it wouldn’t feel out of place in a Valentine’s Day gift basket. Source: LG As with most of LG’s unique smartphone variants, the LG V30 in Raspberry Rose isn’t expected to be available in every market. While LG didn’t announce launch pricing and every launch country, it said it’ll bring the new phone ...

LG to Introduce Raspberry Rose LG V30 at CES 2018 LG doesn’t typically announce new flagship products at the Consumer Electronics Show. It has a history of unveiling smartphones (particularly new G series devices) at Mobile World Congress, with the release date usually following a month or two later. So it was a little surprising when LG said it’d introduce a new variant of the LG V30 at CES 2018 next week: A new Raspberry Rose color option for the V30 featuring audio tuning by specialists at B&O PLAY. LG says the new color is designed for “fashion-conscious smartphone users”, with the goal of crafting a design so outstanding it wouldn’t feel out of place in a Valentine’s Day gift basket. Source: LG As with most of LG’s unique smartphone variants, the LG V30 in Raspberry Rose isn’t expected to be available in every market. While LG didn’t announce launch pricing and every launch country, it said it’ll bring the new phone ...

Huawei P20 Schematics Reveal Three Models, Triple Rear Camera Mount Huawei is one of the biggest and most influential China-based OEMs on the planet, right up there with giants like Samsung and Apple. And while it’s looking to expand its global reach with a wireless carrier partnership in the U.S., it’s also preparing to launch its first 2018 flagship: The Huawei P20 . For the Huawei P20, the company’s changing its branding strategy slightly, skipping a few numbers in the P series and going straight for P20. We’ve covered leaks and rumors regarding the P20 before, but we’re getting a clearer look at the exterior through internal schematics. Huawei P20. Huawei P20 Plus. Huawei P20 Pro. The device will reportedly come in three flavors: The Huawei P20, the P20 Plus, and the P20 Pro. All three will feature an 18:9 display and a triple rear camera mount, but similarities end there. The P20 has a horizontally-mounted camera mount in the top-left corner, while t...

Huawei P20 Schematics Reveal Three Models, Triple Rear Camera Mount Huawei is one of the biggest and most influential China-based OEMs on the planet, right up there with giants like Samsung and Apple. And while it’s looking to expand its global reach with a wireless carrier partnership in the U.S., it’s also preparing to launch its first 2018 flagship: The Huawei P20 . For the Huawei P20, the company’s changing its branding strategy slightly, skipping a few numbers in the P series and going straight for P20. We’ve covered leaks and rumors regarding the P20 before, but we’re getting a clearer look at the exterior through internal schematics. Huawei P20. Huawei P20 Plus. Huawei P20 Pro. The device will reportedly come in three flavors: The Huawei P20, the P20 Plus, and the P20 Pro. All three will feature an 18:9 display and a triple rear camera mount, but similarities end there. The P20 has a horizontally-mounted camera mount in the top-left corner, while t...

Micromax to Launch a $31 Android Go Smartphone in India Google announced Android Go in May 2017 at the company’s annual developer conference, Google I/O. The goal of Android Go is to deliver an optimized version of Android (currently Android Oreo ) that runs on low-end devices with 1GB of RAM or less, which will in turn allow smartphone OEMs to use less expensive hardware so they can sell devices at lower price points. There aren’t a lot of Android Go devices in the wild yet, but this week, Micromax announced that it’ll be launching a Rs 2,000 (about $31) Android Go smartphone in January. The average price of a 4G smartphone in India is Rs 6,400 (about $100), but Android Go’s coming to devices that are far less expensive. Micromax’s $31 smartphone is expected to be followed by comparably-priced Android Go phones from Intex, Lava, Karbonn, and others. Android’s middling performance on low-end devices has been a longstanding issue, but Google’s ...

Micromax to Launch a $31 Android Go Smartphone in India Google announced Android Go in May 2017 at the company’s annual developer conference, Google I/O. The goal of Android Go is to deliver an optimized version of Android (currently Android Oreo ) that runs on low-end devices with 1GB of RAM or less, which will in turn allow smartphone OEMs to use less expensive hardware so they can sell devices at lower price points. There aren’t a lot of Android Go devices in the wild yet, but this week, Micromax announced that it’ll be launching a Rs 2,000 (about $31) Android Go smartphone in January. The average price of a 4G smartphone in India is Rs 6,400 (about $100), but Android Go’s coming to devices that are far less expensive. Micromax’s $31 smartphone is expected to be followed by comparably-priced Android Go phones from Intex, Lava, Karbonn, and others. Android’s middling performance on low-end devices has been a longstanding issue, but Google’s ...

CAD Renders Show off the Sony Xperia L2, Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra Sony’s product portfolio includes multiple smartphones across mid-range and flagship price brackets. Last year, the company launched several mid-range phones, including the Xperia L1, the Xperia XA1 and the Xperia XA1 Ultra . Rumors abound suggest the successors to these devices may launch soon, and on Tuesday, @OnLeaks published CAD renders of the Sony Xperia L2, the Xperia XA2 and the Xperia XA2 Ultra in collaboration with  Compare Raja  and  Tiger Mobiles. Source: Compare Raja and Tiger Mobiles The renders show that the Xperia L2 will have a 5.5-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and measure 149.9 x 78.4 x 9.9mm. (The screen resolution hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s safe to say it’ll be at least HD, or 1280 x 720.) The handset may have an octa-core Snapdragon 630 system-on-chip paired with 4GB of RAM, and it’ll reportedly ship with Android Nougat on board. In terms of aest...

CAD Renders Show off the Sony Xperia L2, Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra Sony’s product portfolio includes multiple smartphones across mid-range and flagship price brackets. Last year, the company launched several mid-range phones, including the Xperia L1, the Xperia XA1 and the Xperia XA1 Ultra . Rumors abound suggest the successors to these devices may launch soon, and on Tuesday, @OnLeaks published CAD renders of the Sony Xperia L2, the Xperia XA2 and the Xperia XA2 Ultra in collaboration with  Compare Raja  and  Tiger Mobiles. Source: Compare Raja and Tiger Mobiles The renders show that the Xperia L2 will have a 5.5-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and measure 149.9 x 78.4 x 9.9mm. (The screen resolution hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’s safe to say it’ll be at least HD, or 1280 x 720.) The handset may have an octa-core Snapdragon 630 system-on-chip paired with 4GB of RAM, and it’ll reportedly ship with Android Nougat on board. In terms of aest...

Android Security Bulletin for January 2018 is Live, OTA and Factory Images Now Available Just like clockwork, Google releases a new Android Security Bulletin at the beginning of every month, and the January bulletin went live on Tuesday. With it, the search giant published a rundown of exploits that were fixed in this month’s patch and where they originated in the system. All of the vulnerabilities were of the critical or high-security variety, and so this security update is of utmost importance. Luckily, it’s already available in factory images for the Google Pixel and the Nexus 5X / Nexus 6P . Most of the fixes pertain to Android’s media framework. The worst exploit patched in the January Android Security Bulletin let remote attackers make specially crafted files that’d allow remote code execution on your smartphone — if you weren’t careful, a malicious file downloaded from the internet could’ve given full control of your phone to a hacker....

Android Security Bulletin for January 2018 is Live, OTA and Factory Images Now Available Just like clockwork, Google releases a new Android Security Bulletin at the beginning of every month, and the January bulletin went live on Tuesday. With it, the search giant published a rundown of exploits that were fixed in this month’s patch and where they originated in the system. All of the vulnerabilities were of the critical or high-security variety, and so this security update is of utmost importance. Luckily, it’s already available in factory images for the Google Pixel and the Nexus 5X / Nexus 6P . Most of the fixes pertain to Android’s media framework. The worst exploit patched in the January Android Security Bulletin let remote attackers make specially crafted files that’d allow remote code execution on your smartphone — if you weren’t careful, a malicious file downloaded from the internet could’ve given full control of your phone to a hacker....

Samsung Will Highlight 3 New C-Lab Projects at CES 2018 We’ve talked about Samsung’s C-Lab (Creative Lab), which  offers Samsung employees a chance to experiment with side projects that could turn into full-blown startup companies , a few times in the past. And today, Samsung announced that it’ll be showcasing three projects from seven startups that have been spun off from C-Lab at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first of the three new C-Lab experiments is something called S-Ray (Sound-Ray), a portable directional speaker. The idea was to engineer a smaller, lighter, and more portable sound system that could be easily transported from place to place — ideal for folks who like to listen to music in public but dislike using earbuds or earphones. Next is GoBreath , a health device for people who suffer from postoperative pulmonary complications after general anesthesia. They sometimes have difficulty recovering, so a doctor employed at the Sa...

Samsung Will Highlight 3 New C-Lab Projects at CES 2018 We’ve talked about Samsung’s C-Lab (Creative Lab), which  offers Samsung employees a chance to experiment with side projects that could turn into full-blown startup companies , a few times in the past. And today, Samsung announced that it’ll be showcasing three projects from seven startups that have been spun off from C-Lab at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first of the three new C-Lab experiments is something called S-Ray (Sound-Ray), a portable directional speaker. The idea was to engineer a smaller, lighter, and more portable sound system that could be easily transported from place to place — ideal for folks who like to listen to music in public but dislike using earbuds or earphones. Next is GoBreath , a health device for people who suffer from postoperative pulmonary complications after general anesthesia. They sometimes have difficulty recovering, so a doctor employed at the Sa...

Xiaomi Mi A1 Mod Adds Fingerprint Wakeup After Reboot, Night Light, and More The Xiaomi Mi A1 was the first smartphone from the company to ship with Android One , so it isn’t surprising that it’s received a lot of attention since its released. Android One devices sometimes don’t have the same functionality as standard Android phones. But thankfully, XDA Senior Member  Rajeev  created a Xiaomi Mi A1 mod that adds features such as fingerprint wakeup after reboot, which lets you wake the display with third-party lock screen apps, and auto brightness, which adjusts the display’s brightness level to ambient light sources. Here’s the full list of changes: Features Added Fingerprint Wakeup Added voLTE Symbol Instead of HD Added Invisible Power Button in Statusbar Added Night Light Added Auto Brightness Added 4 Row Quick Tiles (v2) If you’re raring to get started, head to the XDA Forums for a full list of installation instructions. Note that while the mod wo...

Xiaomi Mi A1 Mod Adds Fingerprint Wakeup After Reboot, Night Light, and More The Xiaomi Mi A1 was the first smartphone from the company to ship with Android One , so it isn’t surprising that it’s received a lot of attention since its released. Android One devices sometimes don’t have the same functionality as standard Android phones. But thankfully, XDA Senior Member  Rajeev  created a Xiaomi Mi A1 mod that adds features such as fingerprint wakeup after reboot, which lets you wake the display with third-party lock screen apps, and auto brightness, which adjusts the display’s brightness level to ambient light sources. Here’s the full list of changes: Features Added Fingerprint Wakeup Added voLTE Symbol Instead of HD Added Invisible Power Button in Statusbar Added Night Light Added Auto Brightness Added 4 Row Quick Tiles (v2) If you’re raring to get started, head to the XDA Forums for a full list of installation instructions. Note that while the mod wo...

Nokia 5 Camera App Reveals 4 Unreleased Nokia Phones One of 2017’s greatest developments was the comeback of Nokia  in the form a licensing agreement with holding company HMD Global. The company’s new Android-touting smartphones had solid spec sheets, durable and premium designs, close-to-stock Android firmware, and reasonable price tags. HMD Global established itself as a solid, affordable alternative to Android juggernauts such as Samsung or HTC, and it has even bigger plans for 2018. Along with a refresh of last year’s Nokia phones, it’s preparing to launch all-new handsets in almost every price bracket. Thanks to a crafty developer at MySmartPrice who decompiled the Nokia 5 ‘s camera app, we have a better idea of what Nokia and HMD Global have in store. The application’s directory points to the existence of four unreleased smartphones: The Nokia 9, the 7 Plus, the Nokia 4, and the Nokia 1 . Source: MySmartPrice The camera app doesn’t, howev...

Nokia 5 Camera App Reveals 4 Unreleased Nokia Phones One of 2017’s greatest developments was the comeback of Nokia  in the form a licensing agreement with holding company HMD Global. The company’s new Android-touting smartphones had solid spec sheets, durable and premium designs, close-to-stock Android firmware, and reasonable price tags. HMD Global established itself as a solid, affordable alternative to Android juggernauts such as Samsung or HTC, and it has even bigger plans for 2018. Along with a refresh of last year’s Nokia phones, it’s preparing to launch all-new handsets in almost every price bracket. Thanks to a crafty developer at MySmartPrice who decompiled the Nokia 5 ‘s camera app, we have a better idea of what Nokia and HMD Global have in store. The application’s directory points to the existence of four unreleased smartphones: The Nokia 9, the 7 Plus, the Nokia 4, and the Nokia 1 . Source: MySmartPrice The camera app doesn’t, howev...

SunShine Now Supports Android Oreo on the HTC U11 Modding HTC devices can be a pain — they use what’s called an “S-ON/S-OFF” system.  It was previously possible to mod the HTC U11 with S-OFF using the SunShine tool on Android Nougat , but with the update to Android Oreo , the functionality broke. Now, SunShine’s been updated to support Android Oreo on the HTC U11. SunShine 3.5.18 brings u11 support on Oreo https://t.co/XGKyeU7YGx — TheRootNinja (@TheRootNinja) January 2, 2018 SunShine costs $25, but it’s the only S-OFF solution available for the HTC U11’s newest firmware. (The license is non-transferable, but can be used as many times as you’d like on the device you choose.) The only catch is that it’s temporary — after a reboot, you’ll have to run SunShine to mod again. Changes made while S-OFF’s enabled don’t persist across sessions, so there’s no need to worry about your phone becoming unbootable if ...

SunShine Now Supports Android Oreo on the HTC U11 Modding HTC devices can be a pain — they use what’s called an “S-ON/S-OFF” system.  It was previously possible to mod the HTC U11 with S-OFF using the SunShine tool on Android Nougat , but with the update to Android Oreo , the functionality broke. Now, SunShine’s been updated to support Android Oreo on the HTC U11. SunShine 3.5.18 brings u11 support on Oreo https://t.co/XGKyeU7YGx — TheRootNinja (@TheRootNinja) January 2, 2018 SunShine costs $25, but it’s the only S-OFF solution available for the HTC U11’s newest firmware. (The license is non-transferable, but can be used as many times as you’d like on the device you choose.) The only catch is that it’s temporary — after a reboot, you’ll have to run SunShine to mod again. Changes made while S-OFF’s enabled don’t persist across sessions, so there’s no need to worry about your phone becoming unbootable if ...

WhatsApp No Longer Supports BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8 Back in February 2017, the Facebook folks behind WhatsApp gave a glimpse into their plans for future development. They included dropping support for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, the Nokia S40, the Nokia Symbian S60, Android 2.1 and Android 2.2, Windows Phone 7, and the iPhone 3GS/iOS 6 by the end of 2016, but recently, the list was amended with new EoL (end of life) dates for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8 operating systems. The WhatsApp team announced in a support FAQ this week that it’d discontinued development for BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8 on December 31, 2017. It’s no longer possible to create new accounts or re-verify accounts on smartphones running those operating systems, though the app’s core messaging features will continue to work for the time being. WhatsApp also clarified that the S40 will be supported until December 31 2017, and that...