Verizon is reportedly planning to launch a Palm-branded Android phone

It’s interesting to see old phone brands that died down in popularity years ago have a revival, with BlackBerry and Nokia being two of the most famous examples here. These two smartphone brands are owned by different companies, TCL and HMD Global respectively. They are also experiencing contrasting reception in the smartphone market as sales of BlackBerry-branded devices are much lower than sales of Nokia-branded devices.

Palm is another old brand which has experienced a lot of success in the past, as the company pioneered PDA devices back in the 1990s. It also launched webOS to compete with Android and iOS, but the venture was not successful. The company was sold to HP in 2010, with webOS rights being sold to LG in 2013. TCL acquired the rights to the Palm name back in 2015.

Last year, a TCL executive confirmed that the company was planning to launch Palm-branded smartphones in 2018. Now, Android Police states the current plan is that at least one such device will be launching on U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless in the second half of 2018. The phone will be powered by Android, but apart from that, nothing is known about its specifications.

Android Police notes that Verizon has been a long-time partner of Palm. The carrier had sold most of Palm’s webOS phones, including the Pre 2. It also intended to carry the Palm 3, but HP canceled the phone before it could be released in the US.

As of now, it’s unknown whether the Palm-branded Android phone will have a normal slate touchscreen form factor or something different (such as a slider having a hardware QWERTY keyboard). TCL’s recent BlackBerry-branded phones haven’t been a huge hit recently, but that doesn’t mean that Palm-branded phones will receive the same reception. It all depends on how well the phone is executed in the market. On a different note, it’s worth noting that the legacy of webOS lives on in gesture navigation, which is starting to become popular in some Android phones.

We expect to learn more about the upcoming phone in the coming months.

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Source: Android Police

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AT&T LG V30 now receiving Android Oreo with LG V30S ThinQ’s AI features

LG’s flagship smartphone is the V30 series, and despite poor financial showings causing a shift in the company’s business strategy, LG is still chugging along with new smartphone releases and software upgrades for its existing devices. The LG V30S ThinQ is the company’s latest offering which brings LG’s Vision AI and Voice AI features to a slightly higher-end LG V30 model. LG promised to bring these AI features to the V30 in the upcoming Oreo update, and it appears that the company is keeping its promise. After rolling out to the Verizon model, the AT&T LG V30 Android Oreo update is now rolling out according to users on our forums.

Credits: XDA Senior Member jschramm

The update brings the March security patch to the device and interestingly we’re told that the boot splash screen shows the device model as the V30S ThinQ. Besides all of the usual Android 8.0 Oreo features such as picture-in-picture mode, notification channels and snoozing, Autofill API, and smart text selection, the AI features are there as promised. For instance, the new “AI Cam” mode in the camera app lets you identify images, scan QR codes, change scene modes automatically, and more.

There’s still no word on when the Android 8.1 Oreo update will roll out, unfortunately. The Oreo update is supposed to bring ARCore support for the V30, so if you’ve received the update do let us know if the augmented reality platform works on your device. You can download ARCore from the Play Store below if your device is marked as supported.

ARCore (Free, Google Play) →

Note: I personally think that the LG V30S ThinQ is a ridiculous name, and that the term “AI” has been bludgeoned to death by every smartphone manufacturer on the planet.

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Wear OS Developer Preview brings Android P platform features, now available for Huawei Watch 2

Google’s wearable operating system hasn’t been a huge success so far. When it launched in 2014, there was a lot of hype around wearables, and we saw plenty of manufacturers release Android Wear-powered smartwatches. In the years since, however, we have seen a decline in interest by vendors in building new smartwatches for Google’s wearable operating system. To help combat this, Android Wear was re-branded as “Wear OS by Google” a few weeks ago. Now, the first Android P-based Wear OS Developer Preview has been launched, bringing Android P platform features to wearables.

Updated system images on the official Android Emulator are now available. Users can manually download and flash a system image for the Huawei Watch 2 Bluetooth and Huawei Watch 2 Classic Bluetooth. Google states that this initial release is intended only for developers and is not intended for daily or consumer use. As such, it’s only available via manual download and flashing.

The first Wear OS by Google Developer Preview brings restrictions related to non-SDK methods and fields. Android P has started restricting access to non-SDK methods and fields to improve app compatibility. Google states that developers should make plans to migrate away from them. The company also wants developers to let it know if there is no public equivalent for a particular use case.

Since the start of the year, Wear OS has switched to a dark UI system theme with a dark/black background for the notifications stream and system launcher. Now, the dark UI system theme is the default in order to make it easier to glance at wear apps. Google advises developers to check the accessibility of their app’s UI after this change.

In another change, apps will no longer be allowed to run in the background unless the watch is on the charger. This will be done to improve power. Google states that developers should note Wear OS is “going further” with Android’s app standby feature than some other form factors. The exceptions to this include watch faces and applications the user has currently selected. The company adds that this feature will be rolled out gradually in the developer preview and developers should remove background services in their apps.

Finally, Wear OS developer preview turns off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular radios when the watch is detected to be off the body for an extended period of time to improve power. This feature will be rolled out gradually as well, so it may not be immediately visible. Developers can disable this feature via ADB if it causes challenges to their development process. Also, the device will no longer connect to Wi-Fi when disconnected to Bluetooth for the same purpose of improving power. The exceptions to this include if an app is requesting a high bandwidth network or if the watch is on the charger.

Google states that it expects to provide several updates to this preview before the final production release. Users are also advised to refer to the release notes for known issues before downloading and flashing their device.

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Source: Google

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Chrome OS prepares to support ARCore for augmented reality apps

ARCore, Google’s augmented reality development platform for Android, is software-based. Unlike the Mountain View company’s ill-fated Project Tango, it doesn’t require special hardware or sensors in order to map the depth of surroundings and project digital objects onto real-world surfaces. As a result, it’s compatible with a growing range of devices. (ARCore for All, an open source project, even gets ARCore up and running on technically “unsupported” devices like the OnePlus 3T.) Now, Google appears to be preparing to bring ARCore to a new platform: Chrome OS.

A new commit in the Chromium Gerrit, the code review website for Google Chrome and Chrome OS, explicitly mentions a refactor to add “support [for] ARCore.” Specifically, it describes a process for creating ARCore devices through WebXR API, a web framework for virtual reality (VR) and AR content (and the successor to WebVR). XRSessionCreationOptions provides a session description for a subsequent XRSession object, which acts as a middleman for XR hardware components such as orientation sensors and cameras, providing features such as polling the device pose, getting information about the environment, and rendering images.

Support in Chrome OS probably isn’t intended for Chromebooks in laptop form factors, as you might well imagine. Unlike Snapchat’s Lens technology and Facebook’s Camera Effects and AR Studio tools, ARCore can’t track facial features or model head movements; it uses a combination of motion tracking, flat surface detection, and light estimation to anchor virtual objects to vertical and horizontal planes. For that reason, ARCore is likely bound for Chrome OS devices with tablet form factors such as the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, which was announced this week, and the rumored Samsung Nautilus detachable Chromebook.

In fact, a comment left on another commit adding a new Chrome OS device with the code name “Atlas” hints at ARCore support for Chrome OS tablets.

In any case, support for the augmented reality platform in Chrome OS dovetails with the impending addition of native video recording (using MediaRecorder APIs and HW VEA) to the platform, a commit for which we uncovered in January. And it’s yet another blurring of the lines between Android and Chrome OS. Recently, Google introduced Android-inspired features such as a touch-friendly launcher, lock screen notifications, the Google Assistant, and a split-screen mode to the browser-based operating system.

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Google is finally fixing an issue that bricked some Pixel 2 devices with Android 8.1 Oreo update

Every month, Google releases a new security patch update for support Nexus and Pixel devices. You have the option to either wait for the OTA update or to manually flash the update via fastboot. Shortly after the release of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google released the first Android 8.1 Oreo Developer Preview. Rather than wait for the OTA to roll out, some people decided to flash the factory image for the release. After all, if it works for security patch updates it should be fine to do so for major OS upgrades, right? Unfortunately, some users of the Google Pixel 2 quickly discovered that flashing the update via fastboot was a mistake. Flashing the Android 8.1 Oreo Developer Preview caused some users’ devices to be soft-bricked, and now, 5 months after this incident, Google is finally putting in place checks to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Back in October, some tech journalists such as Ron Amadeo from ArsTechnica, Steven Hall from 9to5Google, and our very own Daniel Marchena discovered that their phones were not properly flashing the Oreo 8.1 factory images. For some users, this caused their device to no longer boot. After a few hours, Google caught wind of the issue and temporarily pulled the factory images. Besides a vague mention of an issue with the bootloader, not many details were shared about what was going on. Two fixes for the issue involved updating the fastboot binary on the PC and/or to extract the factory image and flash every partition manually.

But now we know exactly what caused the problem, and what Google is doing to fix it. In a new commit to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), Google acknowledges that the Android 8.1 Oreo release for the Pixel 2 was “a bit of a disaster” because users with an outdated version of fastboot would “blindly flash too few partitions.” This is what caused the early Pixel 2 bricks, apparently. The commit adds a new feature to the fastboot protocol that lets a text file specify when a device has a partition that must be flashed too, which should hopefully prevent another situation like this occurring again.

So that’s the end of the Pixel 2 failed update saga. There was never anything wrong with the factory image themselves, but rather people using outdated fastboot binaries. Lesson learned: update your files before you try flashing a new OS upgrade over fastboot!

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Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 Android 8.1 Oreo stable update rolling out in select markets

The Nokia brand made a comeback in smartphones last year as HMD Global acquired the rights. The company released the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and the Nokia 3 as its first ever Android smartphones. The phones were followed by the flagship Nokia 8 and the low-end Nokia 2. At Mobile World Congress this year, HMD Global released its new device portfolio which includes the Nokia 6 (2018), the Nokia 7 Plus, the flagship Nokia 8 Sirocco, and its first Android Go phone in the form of the entry-level Nokia 1.

HMD Global has had a good track record when it comes to rolling out software updates. All of the company’s phones have shipped with stock Android and it has committed to using the Android One platform. The Nokia 8 received Android 8.0 Oreo last year, and later went on to receive the Android 8.1 update. The Nokia 6 and the Nokia 5 have received stable Android 8.0 Oreo updates, and an official beta program is underway for the Nokia 3’s Android Oreo update.

Now, the company has started rolling-out the stable Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6. The Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Nokia 5 is available in India, Indonesia (TA-1053), and Tunisia (TA-1053). On the flip side, the Nokia 6’s Android 8.1 update is currently available in India.

The update brings the March security patches and a new settings menu, according to the changelog. It also contains “battery saving navigation buttons,” a revamped power menu, and Bluetooth battery percentage.

The Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6 were both launched at MWC 2017. The Nokia 6 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 system-on-chip, 3GB/4GB of RAM with 32GB/64GB of storage, 5.5-inch Full HD (1920×1080) IPS display, 16MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery.

The Nokia 5’s list of specifications includes the Snapdragon 430 system-on-chip, 2GB/3GB of RAM with 16GB of storage, 5.2-inch HD (1280×720) IPS display, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, and a 3000mAh battery. Both phones shipped with Android 7.1 Nougat.

It’s good to see the Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6 receive stable Android 8.1 Oreo updates. Android 8.1 is a small update over Android 8.0, but the speed of the update roll-out means that the phones now belong to the few budget and mid-range devices that run Android 8.1, instead of an older Android version. We applaud HMD Global for its fast roll-out of software updates and hope the good run of form continues.

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Source : NokiapoweruserSource 2: Nokiapoweruser

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Google Home, Home Mini, and Home Max can now pair with Bluetooth speakers

Google Home devices have a feature that allows them to connect with each other and play audio in sync. This is great if you have a few Home devices spread out through your house. It’s an easy way to get whole-home surround sound. Today, Google has announced a feature that expands upon this functionality with non-Home devices. You can now connect Home devices to Bluetooth speakers.

The Google Home Mini is used as an example of why you might want to do this. On its own, the Home Mini might not be loud enough. Connect a Bluetooth speaker and suddenly you have better audio quality. Google says you can also add connected speakers to Google Home groups for multi-room audio. Putting the speaker in a group means the audio will play from the Home device and Bluetooth speaker.

Connecting a Bluetooth speaker can be done in the Google Home app in the device settings section. Set the Bluetooth device as your default speaker. In this mode, the audio will only play through the connected speaker. Use the Group feature to play audio on all devices at the same time. Keep in mind the Home device is still the brains behind the operation. Connected speakers will not extend the listening ability of the Google Home.

Google Home (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: Google Blog

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