Posts

Android Auto is going wireless at CES with new Kenwood head units

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Since it was launched back in 2014, Android Auto has been a pretty great addition for cars. Having to plug your phone in though has been a personal pet peeve of Scott, our resident AA junkie – but that will change at CES when JVC/Kenwood unveil the first wireless Android Auto head units. JVC/Kenwood has … The post Android Auto is going wireless at CES with new Kenwood head units appeared first on Ausdroid . Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly, OS,

The Pixelbook is being used to test Google's Fuchsia OS

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... For over a year , Google has been developing an operating system named 'Fuchsia,' designed to run across a wide array of devices. The company hasn't said anything publicly about it , but it is entirely open-source, so development on the project has been transparent. Simply put, we can see what Google is working on, but we don't know what it will actually be used for. According to Fuchsia's documentation , the Acer Switch Alpha 2 and Intel NUC are officially supported 'target' devices. This means that Fuchsia has been verified to work on those devices, and they are most likely the top devices used for testing. A page about installing Fuchsia on the Google Pixelbook was  recently added , which explains the process of placing the laptop in developer mode and booting from a USB drive. Does this prove the Fuchsia will someday replace Chrome OS? Definitely not. However, it does mean that Google wants to make sure the OS works

Huawei P20 series designs show up on Weibo, with triple cameras

Huawei P20 series designs show up on Weibo, with triple cameras Pictured above is the Huawei P20, according to a leak on Weibo, and it features the three cameras which had been rumoured earlier . From what we understand, the P20 series should feature three cameras which combine for a whopping 40MP of image quality, and "5x Hybrid Zoom". This sounds pretty incredible, and in theory it should be pretty good, but whether it is in practice is something yet to be seen. The designs for all three leaked models look similar, though you'll notice the camera placement varies by model: We understand from these designs that the P20 and P20 Plus will be fairly similar, with front-mounted fingerprint sensors below the screen, whereas the P20 Pro will feature a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and likely a bezel-less full-screen display with a notch up the top to house the sensors. Rumours indicate that the P20 and P20 Plus will feature the same Kirin 970 processor a

December 31, 2017 - Samsung Firmware Daily Updates

New firmware for your Samsung Galaxy S6 are here today. Select the right update for your model, download it and take a look at our tutorial on how to flash ROM updates manually with Odin 3 before beginning. Enjoy. Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F) - (7.0) - United Kingdom (Vodafone) Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F) - (7.0) - Netherlands (Vodafone) Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F) - (7.0) - Romania (Vodafone) Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F) - (7.0) - Slovenia (si.mobil) Galaxy ON7 (SM-G610F) - (7.0) - Nep [... Read More] Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly,

The iPhone Continues to be the Number One Best Selling Tech Product

Just as last year, Apple's iPhones have managed to hold the number one spot as the bestselling tech product of the year in 2017 as well. In fact, the iPhone has performed significantly better than last year, as is made evident by their astounding sales numbers. Apparently, Apple has sold more iPhones in 2017 than four of the other tech products on the list from 2nd till the 5th combined. Although we still have a day left in the year, it is being estimated that by the end of 2017, [... Read More] Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly,

The Final Beta Oreo Update is Now Out for Samsung Devices

Just as always, Samsung had started rolling out beta updates of the latest Android 8.0 Oreo OS to select devices and users who signed up for the Galaxy Beta Program a few months back, but that time is about to come to an end now, as the fifth and very likely, the final beta update is out now. The OTA update comes in at a fairly large but expected size of 613MB and The Android Soul reports the firmware version to be ZQLE. While it most probably marks the end of the Oreo beta updates [... Read More] Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly,

Android 8.0 Oreo rolling out to Xiaomi Mi A1

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The Mi A1 was the first Android One device from Xiaomi, meaning it ran completely stock Android. It turned out to be an excellent phone , and Xiaomi promised it would receive Oreo before the end of 2017. It looks like the company just barely delivered on that promise, because Android 8.0 is now rolling out to the device. We're ending the year with an O! #MiA1 users, stay tuned as we're rolling out your long-awaited update in batches but make sure you're already on the latest December update (7.12.19) to receive Android O! pic.twitter.com/GhRtDnyJn4 — Mi (@xiaomi) December 31, 2017 The update is gradually rolling out, which probably means many phone owners won't get it before the end of the year (considering that's... tomorrow). Still, Xiaomi did deliver on its promise, if only by a vary narrow margin. Similarly, OnePlus promised to update the OP3 and 3T to Android Nougat by the end of last year, and the update started rolling out on December 31

The most (and least) popular devices used to browse Ausdroid in 2017

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Inspired by this post on Android Police, we decided to trawl through our Analytics to figure out which devices had been most popular amongst readers of Ausdroid, and those devices which barely rated a mention.  Why do this? I was interested to see if there was much difference doing this for an Australian audience as … The post The most (and least) popular devices used to browse Ausdroid in 2017 appeared first on Ausdroid . Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly, OS,

2-for-1 deals on Google Home Mini set to kick off tomorrow for 1-day

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Missed out on a Google Home Mini for Christmas? Now's a good chance to get one, or even two if you really want to kit out your house. The discounted $53($54/$55) price tag on Home Mini ends at midnight tonight, but you'll be able to get a good deal at least for January 1st. While … The post 2-for-1 deals on Google Home Mini set to kick off tomorrow for 1-day appeared first on Ausdroid . Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly, OS,

Telstra predicts we’ll be spending a lot of time on our phones this New Years Eve

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As we prepare to say goodbye to 2017 tonight, Telstra techs will be hard at work ensuring their network is up for the challenge, and what a challenge it's expected to be with more than 1500 TB of data expected to be downloaded. Executive Director, Network and Infrastructure Engineering, Channa Seneviratne, said Telstra is predicting … The post Telstra predicts we'll be spending a lot of time on our phones this New Years Eve appeared first on Ausdroid . Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly, OS,

Alleged Huawei P20, P20 Plus, and P20 Pro designs leak out, triple cameras everywhere

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In the last three years, Huawei released P8, P9, and P10 series of smartphones, so we're now expecting the company to introduce a P11 family. However, this might not happen. According to a few leaked images originating from China, Huawei's next generation P-series handsets should be called P20.   Said images show schematics that allegedly reveal the overall design of three new Huawei P20 smartphones - a regular P20, a P20 Plus, and a P20 Pro. Apparently, all three handsets will offer triple rear cameras (though positioned differently). According to a previous report, Huawei's upcoming triple ... Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly,

Do you need a smart band or a smartwatch?

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The world of wearable devices is vast and complicated: there are all types, sizes, colors and prices. I'm most often asked about the difference between smart bands and smartwatches, and which is better. In this article, I'll explain the differences to help you decide which is right for your needs. Jump to section: What are smart bands? Connected bracelets or smart bracelets are called smart bands. In most cases, they have a simple form and their main function is to track and analyze your movements during the day. That's why, most smart bands have a pedometer, and sometimes also an optical heart rate sensor and various other sensors. Smart bands are closer to the concept of a bracelet than a watch, but there are some smart bands with displays that can tell you the time and various other useful tidbits of information. An example of a smartband with a clo

Telegram version 4.7 brings multiple accounts and quick replies

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The Telegram developers are ending 2017 with a bang, launching a new update for the messaging app which brings new features including multiple accounts and quick replies. In Telegram 4.7, iOS users are catching up to Android with theme support, but as we already have that we want something new and so we get multiple … The post Telegram version 4.7 brings multiple accounts and quick replies appeared first on Ausdroid . Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly, OS,

Google is working to make OTA updates even smaller with Brotli compression

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When you're dealing with 2 billion active users, there's a lot of data being sent out with software updates and making those updates smaller benefits everyone. To this end, Google is bringing Brotli compression to OTA updates, making for smaller, faster updates. The change to compression on OTA updates was found by XDA-Developers, who have … The post Google is working to make OTA updates even smaller with Brotli compression appeared first on Ausdroid . Labels: Feed, Android, Web, Feedly, OS,

Welcome 2018 with the New Year’s Eve Xperia Theme

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Sony Mobile has launched a New Year’s Eve Xperia Theme into the Google Play Store. The theme uses rotating wallpapers showing fireworks across various cities including London and Paris. The free Xperia Theme is well worth a download – we hope you all have a great time celebrating in the New Year. Thanks Tadija!

YouTube Music app crosses 50 million downloads on the Play Store

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Of all the streaming music services, I find YouTube Music the most puzzling. This is undoubtedly because I am not a millennial, and by that I mean I am old and irrelevant. YouTube Music clearly doesn't need me to understand its appeal, because its Android app just passed the 50,000,000 installs threshold on the Play Store . The app and the YouTube Music service are free, just like YouTube itself, but a subscription to YouTube Red/Google Play Music will unlock the premium features that make the service truly shine for its core audience, such as ad-free content, continuous audio when the app is in the background, and offline playing. YouTube Music is aimed squarely at the generation of listeners who have come of age discovering and consuming music through YouTube, a concept that is almost entirely alien to me, but is as common today as listening to a radio station was twenty years ago. And if there's any doubt as to what age group Google is trying to appeal to her

Android Oreo beta for OnePlus 5T now available

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Available to flash right now. So far, OnePlus has released Oreo updates for the 3, 3T , and 5 . The company teased that its new 5T would be seeing similar treatment a couple days after Christmas, and now we have our first Open Beta of OxygenOS that's based on Android 8.0. Since this is the first Open Beta that OnePlus has released for the 5T, you'll need to follow the instructions for flashing the new software onto your phone. Once you do this and get it up and running, you'll be enrolled in the beta and receive over-the-air updates for any new versions that are released. With the new software on your 5T, you'll find all of the following items: Optimized the app shortcut style Combine icon options with app shortcuts Now able to upload photos to Shot on OnePlus Added Picture in Picture Added Auto-Fill Added Smart Text Selection New Quick Settings design Updated Android security patch to December The OxygenOS Open Beta is perfectly u

Huawei Museum winner photos now showing in Times Square

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Earlier this year,   Huawei launched a new contest called the Emergent Project as part of the smartphone company's online photography community, the Huawei Museum . Earlier this month, the winners of the contest were revealed, and their images have been on display on a massive electronic billboard in New York City's Times Square. If you remember, the photos that were eligible for this contest had to be taken with a camera included with a Huawei or Honor-branded smartphone, including the Mate 10 , the P10 Lite , the Honor 9 , and even the newly launched Honor 7X ,  Contest entries could even use the camera inside the  Nexus 6P , since that 2105 Google-branded phone was also made by Huawei. Huawei Museum community members help select photographs that are uploaded to the Facebook group to be featured across Huawei's social media pages. The company created the Huawei Museum online community in part to help promote the its smartphone camera hardware and technology, som

OnePlus releases 'Switch' app for migrating to a new device

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Google has offered its own basic device backup/restore tool as part of Google Play Services for years, and an actual migration tool is present on Pixel devices (which allows for USB transfer from iPhones, among other improvements). OnePlus has now released its own migration tool, simply titled 'OnePlus Switch.' The app can be installed on any Android device running Lollipop (5.0) or higher, but a OnePlus device is required as the target. OnePlus says it can transfer contacts, SMS messages, call logs, calendars, photos, videos, audio, and apps (but no app data).   By comparison, the auto-backup feature offered by Google copies your apps (with data if the app supports it) and device settings, and only works on Android 6.0+. If you have a Pixel device, Google's auto backup also works for call history, local contacts/calendar, photos/video (through Google Photos), and SMS messages. OnePlus says that Switch is in beta right now , and a stable version is expecte

The most (and least) popular devices used to browse Android Police in 2017

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Last August, I published a list of the most and least popular smartphones and tablets used on Android Police. That post was surprisingly popular - and I've had repeated requests for a follow-up. Now that well over a year has passed, I think the time is right for a new installment, and one spanning a far greater time period than the month-long data set I used to compile the last version. This time, I'll be showing you which devices were the most popular across the whole of 2017. And, of course, I'll show you some of the outliers, to give you a sense of how some devices have fallen (or never grown) from the ranks. Methodology A quick note on methodology. This data is compiled using Google Analytics, which allows you to sort traffic by mobile device. For devices that have a different browser user agent for every SKU, I will combine those SKUs as best I can to provide a more accurate picture of that phone's popularity. (This is particularly an issue with Sa