Saturday, February 29, 2020

Dirac’s Android app seeks to improve the audio quality of your existing headphone

If you’re deeply interested in the audio quality on your smartphone, Dirac is probably a name you’ve heard before. We’ve covered the company a few times here on XDA. Dirac is a Swedish audio research company that develops audio software used by many OEMs. There’s a decent chance you’ll find Dirac’s technology in the device you own. Their latest product is all about utilizing your headphones to their maximum potential.

What is it?

The new product is an Android app that is intended to optimize the sound profile on your specific set of headphones. Something you may not realize is headphones apply their own processing to accentuate certain aspects of music. Manufacturers do this to highlight the capabilities of their headphones, but this can create audio that musicians and/or DJs don’t like. A similar thing happens with TV manufacturers. Some TVs will artificially change the refresh rate of movies, which annoys directors and actors because it’s changing the way the content was intended to be enjoyed. That’s where Dirac’s new product comes in. The company says their app applies an audio profile that “reveals” the music as it was intended, removing all of the headphone processing and “purifying” the experience.

Dirac sent us a test kit with a Pixel 3a and the Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones to try out this new product. There are a few reasons why I couldn’t use my own phone and headphones. First, Dirac’s engineering team creates individual sound profiles for specific headphones, so I couldn’t use my existing ones. Dirac creates these profiles by measuring the audio produced by the headphones in their stock configurations and then equalizing it against their own target curve, which they say they’ve tested extensively to produce the best audio. Thus, this is not a simple one-size-fits-all equalizer app for headphones.

Next, the reason I couldn’t simply download the app onto my own phone is a little more complicated. Currently, Dirac has to integrate the app into the audio framework of the OS in order to be able to apply the audio profiles. The app needs to be integrated into the software in order to be able to work with any music being played on the device. To work without that deep integration, Dirac needs partnerships with streaming services so the audio is processed on their end before being streamed to your device. This could be remedied if a future version of Android introduced an equalizer API that the app could hook into.

Using the app

The Dirac app is currently limited to a few devices, including the aforementioned Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones. The company plans to support over 100 headphones when the app is launched.

Using the app couldn’t be simpler. Once your headphones are connected, simply open the app, swipe up to begin, and choose your headphones from the list. You will then be asked to tap a button that reads “Yes, boost my headphones.” From there, you will see a progress bar fill up as the app applies a fit correction filter, adjust the hi/mid/low balance, and “[initialize] spaciousness.” Once completed, you simply tap “Let’s go” and the next screen will take you to your media player, which is Spotify in my case. Dirac’s app works with whatever audio is being played on your device, though.

dirac app dirac app dirac app dirac app

The Dirac app puts a toggle switch in the notification shade so you can easily hear the difference it makes while listening to music. There is a bug in the current build of the app I tested that makes it so you hear very little difference when toggling the switch, but restarting the app fixes it. Once again, keep in mind this is only demo software.

How does it sound?

So the big question is does music sound better with the Dirac experience? In short: Yeah, it makes a pretty big difference. It reminded me of when you hear music coming from inside a car and how much clearer it sounds when the window is open. The Beats Solo 3 sound pretty good on their own, but with Dirac’s processing enabled, the music sounds “cleaner.”

Admittedly, I’m not much of an audiophile, but there are a few key characteristics I noticed. Dirac provided a playlist with songs to show off the abilities of the processing. Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” is a great example of how the app can improve vocal tracks. Eilish has a very unique way of singing, and her voice can sometimes get lost in the background. With Dirac enabled, however, her voice becomes much more clearly defined. You can hear the nuance in her delivery.

The Dirac optimizations don’t always make a positive difference, however. In songs that feature heavy bass, the bass becomes even more pronounced, and it can distort and mask other parts of the song. For the most part, I would say the app made the music sound crisp and full, but it definitely works better with some genres than others.

In the case of the Beats Solo 3, I don’t think the music sounded bad without Dirac’s optimizations. These are good quality headphones, but Beats products are known for having a signature sound. As someone who doesn’t analyze sound quality very closely, I would probably be happy with the sound without Dirac’s optimizations. But once you hear the improvements, it’s hard to go back.

When can I use it?

dirac beats solo 3

As I’ve already touched on, there are a few things holding Dirac back from being able to offer this app to everyone. The first challenge is supporting as many headphones as possible. Popular headphones such as the Beats Solo 3 and Apple AirPods will obviously be supported, but it will take time to add the plethora of other more obscure options out there.

The biggest challenge, however, is getting the app onto phones. Dirac is in talks with the “world’s largest smartphone and music streaming companies” to get the app integrated into their products. The company says they are slated to announce their first partnership in Q1 2020 (which ends March 31). Hopefully, we’ll know more about a launch timeframe with that announcement.

If Dirac can get their software integrated into smartphones and streaming apps and they support enough headphones at launch, this could be a popular tool for consumers (and maybe audiophiles). The idea of purifying the listening experience and hearing music the way it was intended to sound has always been the gold standard. This is why people spend hundreds of dollars on high-end headphones. We hope to see Dirac’s app do that for more people in the future.

The post Dirac’s Android app seeks to improve the audio quality of your existing headphone appeared first on xda-developers.

Download: Xiaomi Mi A3 and Redmi Note 8 Pro receive Android 10 updates

The Mi A3 and the Redmi Note 8 Pro are amongst Xiaomi’s highlight devices for 2019. While the Redmi Note 8 Pro carries Xiaomi’s mid-range portfolio on its shoulders, the Mi A3 takes charge of Android One duties, giving users an option to officially use Google’s Android instead of MIUI on a Xiaomi device. Despite their importance in Xiaomi’s lineup, the devices have oddly lacked behind when it comes to Android 10 updates. But now, the wait is finally over, as both, the Xiaomi Mi A3 and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro are now finally receiving their official Android 10 updates.

Mi A3

The Xiaomi Mi A3’s Android 10 update was promised for mid-February 2020, but we recently reported that the update was delayed because of the effects of the novel Coronavirus. The health emergency imposed by COVID-19 is a genuine issue, and we can’t really blame Xiaomi for this delay. Xiaomi had mentioned that there is no new date decided for the update, but surprisingly, we now have access to the official Android 10 update for the Mi A3!

Device codename: laurel_sprout_global
Version: V11.0.7.0.QFQMIXM
Size: 1.3GB
MD5: e4332e88a71514d879d7e0d942850967
Download: V11.0.7.0.QFQMIXM
Changelog:

  • Other
    • Optimization: Increased system stability
    • Optimization: Reduced system lag

Mi A3 XDA Forums || Buy Mi A3 from Amazon.in

Kernel sources for the Android 10 update have been around for a while now. For installation instructions, please refer to relevant threads in the forums.


Redmi Note 8 Pro

Alongside the Mi A3, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is also receiving its official Android 10 update, coming in the form of new MIUI 11 builds. Android 10 is available for the regions of EEA and Russia, but we’re expecting to see the update roll out to more regions, including India, in the near future.

Device codename: begonia_ru_global
Download: V11.0.2.0.QGGRUXM

Device codename: begonia_eea_global
Download: V11.0.2.0.QGGEUXM

Redmi Note 8 Pro XDA Forums || Buy Redmi Note 8 Pro from Amazon.in

For installation instructions, please refer to relevant threads in the forums. Generally speaking, we would not advise flashing builds of different regions on your phone, especially on devices like this one. We will update the article with more details when the builds for India and Indonesia roll out.


Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer yshalsager for the download links!

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Xiaomi needs a better way to unbrick its devices instead of Authorized Mi Accounts

Over the years, Xiaomi has become the golden boy of the Indian smartphone market. From being just a starter entity in 2014 to becoming the leading smartphone OEM in the market for several quarters in a row in 2019, it’s certainly been a wild ride for Xiaomi. We here at XDA-Developers have witnessed the company grow from the urban regions of China and move towards conquering markets in Southeast Asia and more recently, make headways into parts of Europe too. Xiaomi has also matured as a smartphone OEM — practices that were previously shoddy and questionable have matured and evolved into better practices as the company figured its way around. And while there’s definitely always room to improve for even the best of entities, Xiaomi is at a good spot as a smartphone OEM right now, one where they can be proud and humble at the same time.

In this article, we’d like to highlight one area where we feel Xiaomi can improve in 2020: making it easier to unbrick its devices. To give you a complete picture, it is necessary to take a few steps back to see what the current situation is, what were the problems that caused us to land where we are right now, and whether the same solutions that served Xiaomi back then remain the best solutions to serve the company in 2020.

The Reseller-Spamware menace in 2016

Back when Xiaomi was younger, in 2011-2015, several of its devices shipped with locked bootloaders that were trivially easy to unlock. This was generally a great thing for the sparsely populated development community back then, and it helped offset the disrepute Xiaomi’s then-frequent GPL violations brought in that era. The ease of modding these Xiaomi devices, and the fact that some of them provided value-for-money in a previously unseen manner, helped the company build up its popularity and build for itself its own Mi Community extending beyond just MIUI as software to Xiaomi as hardware and software.

As Xiaomi devices grew popular, their demand increased manifold in regions where Xiaomi was not ready to enter. Resellers took this opportunity to purchase Xiaomi devices from China and resell them unofficially outside of China. Phones from China did not (and still do not) ship with Google Mobile Services, so these resellers had to flash Google Apps onto the phones before selling them overseas. MIUI China also only bundled English and Chinese as available languages, so some resellers had begun resorting to flashing custom ROMs with wider language support to trick customers into thinking that the phone they purchased had a genuine “MIUI Global” ROM on it. As we know, custom ROMs aren’t perfect either, so customers were often stuck with buggy builds that would not be updated any more.

Over time, several of these unofficial resellers also resorted to injecting adware and spamware into the firmware to make some money beyond the sale of the device. Consequently, there was a period in 2016 when complaints had begun pouring in of Xiaomi devices coming preloaded with malware — which were the doing of these resellers and not of Xiaomi. The easiness of modding these devices was being exploited by these resellers, and Xiaomi was forced to put its foot down since its reputation was actively being harmed in the eyes of consumers.

Mi Unlock Tool for Bootloader Unlock

In early 2016, Xiaomi made a pivotal change to its bootloader unlock process. Starting with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, unlocking the bootloader required manual approval from Xiaomi. The new unlock method relied heavily on the Xiaomi Mi Unlock Tool and Mi Account, and unlock requests were allegedly manually approved. Response to bootloader unlock requests could take anywhere between 3-21 days, and even 60 day wait times were reported in some instances. Adding a wait time to the bootloader unlock process was effective in slowing down the operations of third-party retailers, but it was also understandably annoying for enthusiasts who wanted to unlock the bootloader to root their device, flash custom ROMs, and flash custom kernels.

Current wait time for bootloader unlock is 168 hours / 7 days

Despite these restrictions, there were still ways determined resellers could flash unofficial software onto Xiaomi devices, without even needing to unlock the bootloader in the first place. This was made possible through the EDL mode on Qualcomm-based devices and Download mode on MediaTek-based devices.

The Problem: EDL Lock Down

EDL stands for Emergency Download Mode, and it’s an alternative boot-mode on all Qualcomm devices, existing even lower than the standard bootloader. This boot mode, as well as Download Mode on MediaTek devices, are commonly used in service centers to unbrick devices. And this precisely is where problems exist for Xiaomi in 2020.

Back then, resellers had found that utilizing EDL-based flashing techniques would allow them to bypass the wait times associated with Mi Unlock Tool. This then forced Xiaomi to lock down the EDL mode and Download mode on its devices. Once locked down, this mode can only be accessed by a “programmer” that has been authorized by Xiaomi, essentially meaning that EDL mode cannot be used unless you have an “authorized Mi Account.” And to further ensure resellers have one less avenue to exploit, Xiaomi made it so that devices that aren’t Global-version devices could not boot a Global MIUI ROM (with the warning message “This MIUI can’t be installed on this device”). The same story extends to MediaTek-based devices too — MediaTek utilized a special SP Flash Tool for flashing images, but on Xiaomi-MediaTek devices, you cannot flash images using SP Flash Tool since you still need an authorized Mi Account.

This locking down served its purpose for Xiaomi: it did cut down malware reports on devices purchased from resellers, as they had no profitable way to load a different ROM. However, as collateral damage, this also eliminated the very methods available to enthusiasts to unbrick their Xiaomi device, regardless of SoC. As it currently stands, if you brick a Xiaomi device, and the only way to revive the phone is to flash images in EDL mode, then you need access to external help — there’s no other way. When you reach this stage, you have to take your device to a Xiaomi Service Center to get it unbricked. There are some further nuances to this too, which we’ll cover in a bit.

The case of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro

The EDL-lockdown problem we enunciate above affected only a small margin of customers from Xiaomi. After all, if your device functions properly, you’ll never run into this issue. It is only when you brick your device that you figure out such a restriction exists. Most average customers are unlikely to undertake actions that would brick their devices, unless Xiaomi rolls out a faulty software update, in which case, they would have no option but to go to a service center.

The problem is aggravated for the custom development community, whose interests we represent. Custom ROM enthusiasts have to keep in mind several things when opting to unlock the bootloader on their Xiaomi device, including but not limited to Xiaomi’s weird Anti-Rollback Protection that will hard brick your phone into the locked-EDL state. Through trial-and-error, the community essentially figured out the actions that they need to stay away from in order to avoid a hard brick on Xiaomi-Qualcomm devices.

But they couldn’t do so for Xiaomi-MediaTek devices since Xiaomi hadn’t done any notable releases for this combination outside of China in a few years. The aforementioned problems, thus, have complicated development for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro with its MediaTek Helio G90T.

If you might recall, Xiaomi gave us 5 units to give to custom ROM and kernel developers in order to foster a development community around the device. Xiaomi was finally adopting a MediaTek SoC, and that too, in one of its best-selling device lineups. This was the perfect opportunity for MediaTek-based custom development efforts to finally gather steam, so both us and the community were excited to see where this would lead. Perhaps MediaTek could emerge as a viable alternative to Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs in the context of aftermarket development? The potential certainly existed.

On this end, Xiaomi promised that it would release kernel sources for the device, and it did, albeit these were improper releases at the time but to Xiaomi’s credit, the issues with the sources have since been fixed. Of the 10 units originally promised to us for developers, 5 were received by developers based in India. Unfortunately, the 5 units marked for developers outside of India could not be delivered due to logistical difficulties. Despite the setbacks, the Redmi Note 8 Pro was still in a decent position because of the potential it had. The device got unofficial TWRP builds in no time and it even received Xiaomi.eu (custom ROM) builds for a debloated MIUI experience.

But then things started going downhill. The developers who have been developing for the Redmi Note 8 Pro have found that the device tends to get bricked for a fair few reasons. Some have had their phone bricked when they were flashing to the recovery partition from within the recovery, while others have found that installing a stock ROM through fastboot on an unlocked bootloader also bricks the device. We would like to point out at this stage that such bricks on new devices are an expected part of the development process, as things tend to be different across devices and there is a fair amount of trial and error involved in figuring out what to do and what not to do on a certain phone.

Bricked Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro

A bricked Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro. Only the notification LED shines brightly when plugged in, while the rest of the device remains unresponsive all the time.

Bricks are normal, more so in the initial development process of a device with a new SoC. What is abnormal is Xiaomi’s EDL-mode lockdown.

Normally, bricked MediaTek devices can be revived using MediaTek’s SP Flash Tool. On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, however, MediaTek’s SP Flash Tool fails to flash the device. Xiaomi ships a modified version of SP Flash Tool with their MiFlashPro software suite, and attempting to flash using this modified SP Flash Tool from Xiaomi opens up a window which requests for Mi account credentials. If you input your standard/regular Mi Account credentials, the flash will fail with the error “Unauthorized for this operation.” You have now hit the “Authorized Mi Account” wall that we highlighted in earlier parts of this article.

Error message on flashing through Xiaomi's modified SP Flash Tool

This means that every time you brick your Redmi Note 8 Pro, you have to visit a service center and get your device unbricked. The annoyance level increases manifold as bricks can occur even if you are trying to flash a “fastboot ROM” — which is a very common practice on other Xiaomi devices. There is an alternative for certain older Xiaomi-MediaTek devices, wherein users could use a modified Download Agent file and modified Authentication file to bypass the account permission requirement — but such methods do not exist yet for the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

The fallout of this “brick-gate” is that developers have turned away from developing for the Redmi Note 8 Pro (begonia). Xiaomi.eu devs have long since dropped support for the device because the ease of bricking the phone coupled with the difficulty in its unbricking makes for a horrible combination. Other development works have also slowed down to a crawl, as developers end up with bricked devices too often, forcing them to visit a service center. For some, a visit is not possible, so the developers are left with what essentially is a very fancy paperweight. It is also worth pointing out that there is a thriving grey market of Authorized Mi Accounts — you pay amounts varying from ₹300-₹600 to have a person with an Authorized Mi Account remotely flash your device; Xiaomi, of course, gets nothing in this transaction. Even worse is that users who do end up with a bricked phone are not always properly assessed for their solution, so the company’s service center has ended up replacing the motherboard under warranty even when the phone could have been fixed with a much simpler and less expensive solution.

Do we still need EDL Lockdown?

At least for the Redmi Note 8 Pro, developers suggest that the situation may not be easily fixed by merely releasing a newer modified version of SP Flash Tools. Instead, these developers suggested that Xiaomi remove the need for authorized accounts for flashing through their existing SP Flash Tools. The Redmi Note 8 Pro finds itself in an unsustainable combination of easy-to-brick plus difficult-to-revive, and this really limits the potential of an otherwise great device. It also spells doom for further Xiaomi-MediaTek devices, as after this saga, it’s going to be even more difficult to convince top community talents to develop for this OEM-SoC combination. The Redmi Note 8 Pro incident and its plausible solution bring us to the question: Does Xiaomi still need to lock down EDL or Download Mode in 2020?

Since the lockdown, Xiaomi has expanded to many more regions, especially in Europe and Southeast Asia. This has brought down reselling Xiaomi phones as a lucrative business opportunity since consumers in several more regions can now officially purchase a Xiaomi smartphone with the added benefits of lower pricing and warranty. Xiaomi themselves would be the best assessor for this metric, but it’s obvious that the situation has drastically changed in 2020 as compared to 2016.

What also has changed is the overall smartphone market. We now have more value competitors in the market, especially in important regions such as India. With devices evolving beyond the battle of the spec sheet, OEMs now have to focus on the overall “experience” of using a smartphone to distinguish themselves from the competition. We have seen more community-based endeavors from OEMs such as ASUS and Realme, and we are hoping to see even more such efforts in 2020. Xiaomi risks losing its own advantage in this space — lack of development efforts on the Redmi Note 8 Pro incites little confidence for further Xiaomi-MediaTek combination phones on this end, which would push developers and the follower communities around them to migrate to the next best option. Realme isn’t there just yet in this narrow context, but nothing stops them from adapting their strategies to make the most of this situation. Xiaomi is also looking to move upwards in pricing in regions like India by re-introducing its Mi-series, but without a healthy developer community, which necessitates an easy way to unbrick their devices, it rubs against OnePlus which has been pioneering efforts in this space.

And finally, it also comes down to cost. As we saw with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, not all service centers are equipped with the skill required to distinguish a fried motherboard from a software-bricked device. Removing the EDL lockdown will enable several tech-savvy customers to give EDL flashing a chance before approaching the service center. If Xiaomi has to replace these motherboards (when these phones could simply have been flashed and revived) under warranty for new phones, it definitely impacts their balance sheet. Granted, such an impact would be minuscule in the larger scheme of operations, but when you have razor-thin margins, every honest penny counts, right?

We hope Xiaomi explores other alternatives in the greater interest of the development community. Until then, we hope that you don’t brick your device.

A Ray of Hope for the Redmi Note 8 Pro

Development has been slow for the Redmi Note 8 Pro because of the reasons we mention above. But in the time gap between writing this article and publishing it, there has been a glimmer of hope for the Redmi Note 8 Pro: something that suggests that the device just got very lucky. A factory firmware for the device was leaked recently, and developers discovered that the firmware had a lot of security checks disabled. The firmware still has the EDL-lockdown that we talked about, but it exposes other surfaces that allow a computer to communicate with a bricked device. This means that if you have this factory firmware installed, you essentially become “anti-brick” (so far): if you do end up bricking your device, this installed factory firmware will not ask for an Authorized Mi Account, and thus, allow you to unbrick yourself.

There are a lot more nuances to this, so we recommend reading the thread over in the forums for this. One of the nuances is that you cannot unbrick an already-bricked phone; you should have installed this “anti-brick” firmware before you brick. Unfortunately, this isn’t a prediction that one can make beforehand, so the situation for a bricked phone user will continue to remain the same. There is also no guarantee that other Xiaomi devices will get this lucky.

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Realme Band with color display, IP68 rating, Cricket mode launching in India on March 5

The Indian fitness band market will soon heat up once again as Realme is all set to announce its first-ever fitness tracking wrist band in India. There were multiple leaks and rumors surrounding the Realme Band and now the company themselves have confirmed that they will indeed be launching the new Realme Band at their next launch event — taking place in New Delhi on March 5th. The event page for the Realme Band has gone live on Realme’s website which has, in turn, revealed the design and some key details of the fitness band.

Realme Band

As per the Realme’s event page, the band will feature a large color display with a circular touch-sensitive button at the bottom. It will be available in at least three color options: Yellow, Black, and Olive Green. It will feature heart rate monitoring along with 9 sports modes to track activities such as biking, hiking, walking, running, spinning, hiking, and more. It even has a Yoga mode and Cricket mode which Realme says they have designed specifically for the Indian market.

Moreover, the band is IP68 certified for water-resistant and will also support sleep tracking and show notification previews for incoming calls and IM apps and reminders. We also see a preview of a landscape mode, and the Band will charge directly through a USB Type-A port.

The company hasn’t revealed the pricing of the band but we can expect it to be very competitive to the likes of the Mi Band 4 and Honor Band 5. Realme’s launch event is scheduled to take place on March 5th at 12:30 pm IST where the company will unveil the Realme 6, Realme 6 Pro as well as the new Band.

As for availability, the Realme Band will go on sale on the launch day itself from 2 pm to 4 pm (IST) via flash sale, as recently revealed by Realme’s Twitter handle.


Source: Realme India

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Friday, February 28, 2020

Huawei is testing its own Search app for its smartphones

Since the middle of 2019, Huawei and its subsidiaries have been on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Entity List, which has prevented them from licensing Google Mobile Services for new devices. For the first few months, Huawei shifted its international smartphone release strategy to focus on releasing essentially rebranded versions of its existing, precertified devices. Behind the scenes, Huawei has also been working on AppGallery, its alternative the Google Play Store, and Huawei Mobile Services, its alternative to Google Play Services. With the recent launch of the Honor View30 Pro and the upcoming launch of the Huawei P40 series, Huawei will need to convince potential customers that they can live without Google apps. One of the most basic applications missing on Huawei’s Google-less devices right now is a dedicated search app, but that might be changing soon as Huawei is now beta testing the Huawei Search app.

Redditor /u/beingnull informed us that Huawei is recruiting users in the UAE to test the new Huawei Search application. The APK file is attached to the forum post, so XDA’s Max Weinbach loaded it on his Mate 30 Pro to give it a spin. Unlike the Google App which not only provides access to the Google search engine but also to Google Assistant, Google Lens, Google Podcasts, and more, Huawei Search is a basic search app that just lets you input a query to search the Internet for webpages, videos, news articles, or images. There is a shortcut to see the current weather, which brings up a widget of the current 24-hour forecast powered by Huafeng-AccuWeather, a joint venture that apparently sources forecast data from the China Meteorological Administration. There are also shortcuts for “sports,” “unit conversion,” and “calculator.” In Settings, the user can see their search history (or toggle it off), give feedback, change their search region and language, toggle safe search, or change the app’s search scope, which controls what Huawei applications the Huawei Search app can also search through. Oh, and the app supports EMUI 10’s dark theme.

Huawei Search Huawei Search main page Huawei Search dark theme Huawei Search settings

According to the User Agreement for Huawei Search, the service is operated by Aspiegel Limited, Huawei’s subsidiary based in Ireland. Huawei shifted much of its mobile software services to Aspiegel in 2019 to ease concerns over the company’s handling of user data. The User Agreement states that users “must have a Huawei ID” to use the service and that the service is “only available in the Huawei Device as an app or embedded search filed in Huawei services, such as Assistant (i.e. Search is not publically available in the web).” Interestingly, we discovered that Huawei Search can be accessed in any web browser by navigating to this URL. Huawei’s app may just be a WebView wrapper for this page.

One of the questions we sought to answer is what search engine powers Huawei Search. We couldn’t match search results from Huawei Search with results from Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Ask, or AOL. In the Privacy Statement, Huawei says the user has the “right to request delisting of a search result” which is in accordance with GDPR. That Huawei is able to delist search results suggests that Huawei Search may not be using a third-party engine, but we aren’t entirely sure if this is the case. For now, the app seems pretty limited in what it can do, and the service itself seems to only be intended for use on Huawei’s smartphones. It would be premature to say that Huawei Search is an alternative to Google search or Microsoft Bing, but there’s a possibility that this service could evolve into a decent competitor down the line.

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This is the Samsung Galaxy A11, the successor to the best selling Android phone of 2019

The tech world talks a lot about big flagship smartphone launches, but flagships aren’t the phones that most people end up buying. In fact, most people aren’t even buying the mid-range phones that we occasionally talk about. The real best-sellers are the budget phones, a good example of which is the Samsung Galaxy A10, which we just learned was the best-selling Android phone of 2019 according to Canalys. The Galaxy A series has been a huge success for Samsung as they try to keep up with value-oriented brands like Xiaomi and Realme. Now, we’re learning that Samsung is preparing to launch the successor to that device, the Galaxy A11.

There are a couple of recent leaks with information about the Galaxy A11. Frequent Twitter tipster Ishan Agarwal shared some specifications with 91Mobiles, claiming the device will feature a 6.4-inch LCD, a 13MP primary camera, an 8MP front camera, a 4,000mAh battery, and Android 10. That 13MP camera will be one of three rear cameras, but the specifications of the other two cameras are unknown.

Image credits: AndroidHeadlines

We can also see a leaked photo (via 91Mobiles) and a render of the Galaxy A11 (via AndroidHeadlines), which reveal some extra details. The biggest change from the A10 to the A11 is the apparent inclusion of a fingerprint scanner on the rear. We can’t tell from the images if the A11 will have a USB Type-C port or a microUSB port like its predecessor. We also expect the Galaxy A11 to have a 3.5mm headphone jack like the A10 given it’s going to be a budget-oriented phone. That’s all we know about the device right now, though.

The Galaxy A10 launched exactly one year ago, so we can expect the Galaxy A11 to be announced soon. The Galaxy A41 also leaked earlier today, so it’s likely we’ll see Samsung unveil a slew of new Galaxy A series devices at once.


Source 1: 91mobiles | Source 2: Android Headlines

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Samsung’s budget Galaxy A41 leaks with 48MP triple camera, headphone jack, and Infinity-U display

The Samsung Galaxy A40 launched about a year ago, and it looks like its successor is coming soon. 3D CAD renders of the Galaxy A41 have leaked courtesy of @OnLeaks, and we’re also getting our first glimpse at some specifications. The Galaxy A41 makes some key improvements and shares a similar rear camera bump design with Samsung’s 2020 flagships.

The Galaxy A41 has the same Infinity-U notch as the A40. That notch sits atop a flat 6-6.1-inch display and houses a 25MP camera. The rear camera setup is where things really differ from the A40, though. The Galaxy A41 has triple rear cameras with the primary camera coming in at 48MP. One of the other cameras is said to be a 2MP macro camera. The design of the camera bump is very similar to what we’ve seen in the Galaxy S20 series.

samsung galaxy a41 samsung galaxy a41

Samsung is sticking with the 3.5mm headphone jack on the Galaxy A41. It also has a USB-C port for charging. We can’t see a fingerprint scanner in any of the renders, which means it could have an under-display scanner. The SoC is unknown at this time, but the A40 had the Exynos 7885, so we should see something a tick better than that. A Geekbench listing that’s allegedly from the SM-A415F, which is supposedly the model name for the A41, shows that it could have the MediaTek Helio P65 with 4GB of RAM and Android 10, but take this with a grain of salt since it’s uncorroborated.

As mentioned, the Galaxy A40 launched around this time last year, so expect to see the official announcement of the Galaxy A41 sometime soon.


Source 1: Pricebaba | Price 2: GalaxyClub

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Google Contacts can now back up and sync contacts saved to device storage

Google Contacts is Google’s first-party contacts app on Android. The app is the default Contacts app on Pixel and Android One phones, and can be downloaded for other phones via the Play Store. Over the years, it has become a feature-rich app, and its design is in conformity with Google’s Material Theme guidelines. It has a dark theme, too. Google has now addressed a feature gap of the app. It wasn’t able to backup and sync contacts that were saved to a phone’s device storage instead of being saved to a Google Account. Now, thanks to a server-side switch, it can – at least on some phones.

The background: On Android, there are three ways of saving a new contact in most contacts apps. You can either save them on your Google account, or you can save them on your phone’s internal storage. The final option is to save them to the user’s SIM card in the phone. The option of saving contacts to a Google Account has been better until now as it ensures that contacts are backed up and synced online, so the chances of losing them in the event of a hardware failure or factory reset are negligible. Contacts saved to a phone’s internal storage, however, would have been lost until now if a phone stopped working, or if it was factory reset.

Last year, Google added a feature to Google Contacts that let users move individual contacts from their phone’s storage to their Google account without doing a full export or import. Now, the app can read and sync contacts that are saved to the user’s device automatically, so users won’t have to worry about manually moving them to their Google account.

There is a catch, though. This feature will work on only some phones, for now. On the Google Pixel, it’s actually not possible to save contacts to internal storage in the first place, as they can only be saved to a Google account. On phones from other device makers, though, it’s common to find an option to save to internal storage when creating a new contact. This is the information that Google Contacts will now back up.

Google Contacts Google Contacts Google Contacts

Android Police was able to get this feature with the latest Google Contacts APK to work on a Samsung Galaxy S10+, where the Contacts app showed a popup asking if the user wanted to sync device contacts to their Google account. This means the feature is optional—users will have to manually enable it. (It also doesn’t work with either G Suite accounts or a child’s account.) In addition, there is a settings section named “Contact sync settings” where the user can change this sync setting. It’s present on the Pixels even though they don’t actually allow users to save contacts to internal storage. The feature hadn’t rolled out for Android Police on a OnePlus 7T Pro despite using the same version of the app, which means it’s likely a server-side change. The option to move a contact from a Google account to a phone’s internal storage was available on the second device, though. This means that it hadn’t got the new functionality yet, which would have superseded the older feature.

Google notes in its support page that this doesn’t affect contacts saved on a user’s SIM card or on other cloud services such as Microsoft Exchange/Yahoo, as Google Contacts still won’t sync them to a user’s Google account automatically.

Users can download the latest version of Google Contacts from the Play Store or from APK Mirror. It’s fair to expect Google to complete the feature roll out in the coming weeks.

Contacts (Free, Google Play) →


Source: Google | Via: Android Police

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10 High-Tech Chargers to Maximize Your Space and Productivity

Every new device you purchase comes with some form of charger. However, such accessories are not always the most efficient or convenient forms of power delivery. If you would like to charge faster and save space, these options at the XDA Developers Depot are definitely worth your attention — now with up to 71% off MSRP.

Naztech Fast Multi-Port Wall Charger

Drawing power from a single wall socket, the Naztech charger offers two AC outlets and four USB ports. IntelliQ smart chips deliver the correct amount of power to each device, while the OmniProtect feature prevents short circuits and overcharging. Normally priced at $39.99, the charger is now only $25.

Naztech Wireless Power Hub 5

With four USB ports and a built-in charging pad, this compact hub can power all your devices. Compatible with Qi-enabled devices, the pad can fill your iPhone or Android phone at twice the speed of regular Qi chargers. Usually priced at $54.99, the Power Hub 5 is now only $44.99.

Naztech Ultimate Power Station

Drawing up to 50W from a single outlet, the Ultimate Power Station can charge six devices at the same time. Along with a wireless Qi charging pad and five USB ports, it has a built-in 4,000mAh battery for charging on the move. Normally $59.99, the Naztech charger is now $49.99.

3-in-1 Qi Wireless Charging Stand

Perfect for any nightstand or desk, this elegant charging stand helps to clear the cable clutter. It provides an upright charging pad for any Qi-enabled phone, plus docks for your Apple Watch and wireless earbuds. The stand is currently 40% off MSRP at $29.95.

POWERSLIM6 6,000mAh Power Bank: 2-Pack

At just 0.33 inches thick and 5.3 ounces in weight, the POWERSLIM6 lives up to its name. This portable power bank has dual USB charging ports and a capacity of 6,000mAh — enough to charge most smartphones twice over. Order now for $39.99 to grab a two-pack, worth $140. 

SURGE DUO Dual USB & Dual Surge Charging Station

If your desk is always covered in cables, you might want to invest in this desktop hub. The SURGE DUO offers quick access to two USB ports and two AC outlets, with individual switches to control the power. Normally priced at $49.99, the charging station is now only $18.99.

PowerStick: 2,200mAh Rechargeable Battery

The PowerStick is easily small enough to fit in your pocket. However, this power bank holds the equivalent of 150% charge for a phone or tablet. Available in three colors, the battery offers good durability thanks to a rubberized shell. Worth $25, the PowerStick is now just $14.99

HyperCharger PRO V.2 All-in-One Charger

With built-in Apple Lightning, micro-USB, and USB-C cables, the HyperCharger PRO V.2 can power almost any portable device. It weighs only 5.5 ounces, but the charger has a capacity of 8,000mAh and 25W of output power. You can grab one now for $24.99, saving 50% on the standard price. 

HyperCharger X Wireless Charger: 2-Pack

This sleek power bank doubles as a 7.5W wireless charging pad, with a 15W USB port for older devices. The HyperCharger X is about the same size as an iPhone X, but it contains a 6,000mAh battery for charging on the move. Order now for $34.99 to get a two-pack, worth $60.

iPM Smart Home Power Strip

It might look like an ordinary power strip, but this smart home accessory from iPM works seamlessly with Alexa and Google Assistant. This means you can control the power supply to any plugged-in device using voice commands or smart schedules. Normally priced at $49.99, the iPM Power Strip is now only $19.99.

Prices subject to change

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[Update 3: 512GB S10 Lite for India] Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite

Update 3 (02/28/2020 @ 9:35 AM ET): Samsung is launching a 512GB storage variant of the Galaxy S10 Lite in India.

Update 2 (01/23/2020 @ 2:40 AM ET): After the Note 10 Lite, Samsung has also launched the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite in India.

Update 1 (01/21/2020 @ 3:45 AM ET): Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note 10 Lite in India. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on January 3, 2020, is preserved as below.

We’ve been tracking the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite for a while now. The first rumors of Samsung working on “Lite” versions of the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 popped up back in October. Since then, information and leaked renders have slowly trickled in, but today Samsung made both devices official ahead of CES.

Galaxy S10 Lite Galaxy Note 10 Lite
Display 6.7-inch Full HD+
Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O Display
2400×1080 (394ppi)
6.7-inch Full HD+
Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display
2400×1080 (394ppi)
* Super AMOLED Plus display creates ergonomic design with thin and light display panel by adopting flexible OLED technology.
* Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
Camera Rear Triple Camera
– Macro: 5MP, F2.4
– Wide-angle: 48MP, Super Steady OIS AF F2.0
– Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2
Triple Camera
– Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2
– Wide-angle: 12MP, Dual Pixel AF F1.7 OIS
– Telephoto: 12MP, AF F2.4 OIS
Front 32MP, F2.2 32MP, F2.2
Body 75.6 x 162.5 x 8.1mm, 186g 76.1 x 163.7 x 8.7mm, 199g
AP 7nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8GHz + 2.4GHz + 1.7GHz) – Snapdragon 855 10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Quad 2.7GHz + Quad 1.7GHz) – Exynos 9810
Memory 6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage 6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage
* May differ by model, color, market and mobile operator.
* User memory is less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software used to operate the device features. Actual user memory will vary depending on the operator and may change after software upgrades are performed.
Battery* 4,500mAh (typical) 4,500mAh (typical)
* Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4,370mAh. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
OS Android 10.0

The Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are actually very similar, which is a little weird. The regular Galaxy S10 and Note 10 are quite different, but the Lite versions have a lot in common. Both devices feature triple rear cameras, 32MP front cameras (in hole punch), 6/8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 6.7-inch AMOLED Full HD+ displays, in-display fingerprint scanners, and 4,500mAh batteries.

Galaxy Note 10 Lite

That’s a lot of the key specifications, but there are a few things that differentiate these two phones. The most obvious difference is the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has the S Pen. Samsung barely mentions it in its announcement, but the fact that you can get the S Pen in a more affordable device is pretty cool. Another big difference is the processor. The Note 10 Lite features Samsung’s Exynos 9810 chipset, while the Galaxy S10 Lite has the newer Snapdragon 855 SoC.

Galaxy Note 10 Lite XDA Forum || Galaxy S10 Lite XDA Forum

As mentioned, both devices feature triple rear cameras, but the specifications are different. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a 12MP main, 12MP Ultra-Wide, and 12MP telephoto. The Galaxy S10 Lite features a 48MP main, 5MP macro, and 12MP Ultra-Wide. The cameras are also positioned slightly different with the Note 10 Lite having a square bump and the S10 Lite is more of a rectangle.

Galaxy S10 Lite

One small difference is the display panel. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite’s display is Super AMOLED, while the Galaxy S10 Lite’s display is Super AMOLED Plus. The color options are different as well, with the Note 10 Lite being available in Aura Glow, Aura Black, and Aura Red, and the S10 Lite being available in Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue.

Samsung did not share the exact release date of either phone just yet, but the Galaxy Note 10 Lite will cost €599 and the Galaxy S10 Lite will be €649. The S10 Lite has slightly better specifications, but it doesn’t have the S Pen. That’s really what the choice comes down to. What do you think of Samsung’s Lite phones?

Source: Samsung


Update 1: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite launched in India

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite has been launched in India and will be available in Aura Glow, Aura Black, and Aura Red colors. The phone will cost ₹38,999 (~$548) for the 6GB variant and ₹40,999 (~$576) for the 8GB variant. Pre-bookings for the device begin from January 21 at 2 PM IST, while sales begin from February 3 across major retail stores, online stores, and Samsung.com. You also get a 3.5mm wired earphone from Samsung included in the box.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite: Hands-On


Update 2: Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite launched in India

Following the launch of the Note 10 Lite, Samsung has also launched the Galaxy S10 Lite in India. The S10 Lite will only be available in a singular 8GB + 128GB configuration, at a price of ₹39,999 (~$561) for any of the colors: Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue colors.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite: Hands-On

Pre-bookings for the S10 Lite begin from January 23 across Flipkart, Samsung.com, and leading retail stores. The phone goes on sale on February 4. Pre-bookings also get a one-time screen replacement at ₹1,999 covering accidental screen damage within 1 year of purchase, as well as an additional ₹3,000 cashback with ICICI Bank Credit Cards.


Update 3: 512GB S10 Lite for India

Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 Lite in India last month, but it was only available with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A new variant with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is now being launched in India as well. This model will be available on March 1 for ₹44,999 (~$620) in the same color options as the 128GB model. Samsung is offering an upgrade bonus of ₹5,000 if you trade in your old phone.

Source: NDTV Gadgets

The post [Update 3: 512GB S10 Lite for India] Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite appeared first on xda-developers.