Monday, April 1, 2019
Google is no longer selling the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were launched back in October 2017, providing the next iteration in Google’s hardware platform to show off all of its software accomplishments. Both the devices sported flagship-grade hardware that allowed them to age well to this day. The devices were succeeded by the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, once again following the same basic philosophy as above.
Pixel 2 XDA Forums Pixel 2 XL XDA Forums
Google has now stopped listing the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL on the official Google store. It is common for OEMs to stop producing older devices after a certain point and divert resources completely towards newer models, and Google has finally reached that point. The “Phones” section of the Google Store now only lists the Pixel 3, Pixel Stand, Pixel Buds, cases, and other accessories. You can find the devices mentioned in the “Find the right Pixel for you” section alongside the original Google Pixel and Pixel XL, but you can only purchase the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL made for a compelling purchase decision, especially if you wanted the best camera available on an Android device. The devices continue to remain relevant to this day, as Google also blessed them both with Android Q Beta 1. The devices will also get at least 3 years of Android version updates and Android security updates, i.e. at least up to October 2020. But the phones are no longer being officially sold through the Google store, so you should consider getting the newer Pixels instead.
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Ahead of Inbox’s death, Google announces that Gmail will get email scheduling
Inbox by Gmail is no more as we have now crossed over the March 2019 timeline that Google had set to discontinue Inbox. Gmail has been one of Google’s signature products, the one that lent its identity among the eyes of the consumer. Google has been working on migrating over some of Inbox’s popular features to Gmail, and while those may still be coming, Gmail is getting some new features that will help lessen the pain that Inbox fans are feeling right now.
Starting off the list of upcoming features is Smart Compose, a feature that was launched as a Pixel 3-exclusive but eventually saw a much wider rollout. Smart Compose is now getting smarter, as Google is now including four more languages, namely Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese, to the AI-powered predictions. It will also begin personalizing suggestions based on your unique writing style. Smart Compose will be able to suggest a subject line for your emails based on the contents of the body. The feature is also slated to make its way to iOS soon.
Gmail is also getting the ability to schedule the delivery of emails, which is a simple yet powerful addition. This way, you can be more appreciative of people’s working hours and downtimes, and choose an appropriate time to deliver your email for the most beneficial impact.
Lastly, Gmail is also getting dynamic email functionality. This allows emails to remain up-to-date with information in case they consist of comment threads or other such content. You can also take action directly from within the email itself, like reply or resolve the updated comment thread. Businesses have already begun adapting their communications to utilize dynamic emails and be more actionable and relevant. You can look forward to dynamic emails from services like Booking[dot]com, Despegar, Doodle, Ecwid, Freshworks, Nexxt, OYO Rooms, Pinterest, and redBus.
Source: Google Blog
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JioSaavn, Gaana cut annual subscription rates by 70% to counter Spotify, YouTube Music in India
Spotify’s launch in India set the gears of the country’s music streaming industry into motion, inspiring YouTube to launch YouTube Music in the country. But Reliance Jio, which had disrupted the domestic telecom market and led to an onset of super affordable 4G and VoLTE services in India, is looking to mobilize music streaming in a similar way. The prices of its music service JioSaavn have been slashed by 70% from ₹999 to ₹299 annually.
This substantial price cut is likely to shake up the foundations of Spotify’s and YouTube’s music streaming business in the country. This is because JioSaavn’s new annual price (₹299) is even less than what Spotify charges every quarter (₹389) in India. Alongside JioSaavn, another Indian music streaming service provider – Gaana.com – has followed the suit and cut down its annual tariff from ₹1198 to ₹299. On top of that, Gaana also has a special Students’ Pack that costs only ₹148.
Besides the annual subscription, users can also subscribe to monthly plans of both – JioSaavn Pro and Gaana Plus – at just ₹99. Gaana Plus users can also buy a quarterly subscription for ₹199. In contrast, listeners must pay ₹129 for a monthly subscription of Spotify or ₹99 per month for YouTube Music, which has none other than a monthly plan. As part of their introductory offers, Spotify and YouTube Music are only offering a free trial to Indian users for one and three month(s) respectively.
With its entry in India, Jio brought down other telecom operators to their knees by offering attractive combos including data and voice services at nearly a tenth of the previous prices. This instigated a tariff war in India and also compelled other operators to offer services at prices comparable to Jio’s tariffs, if not necessarily lower. Now, with the new prices by JioSaavn and Gaana, India looks poised to become a turf for another tariff war and this time it can be streaming and entertainment services. The trend has already started to emerge with Netflix launching its cheapest plan in India.
So, we wait to see whether Spotify’s much-hailed recommendations system and YouTube Music’s strong backbone would save them from being slayed at the hands of the expectations of India’s price-conscious consumer or not.
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Pixel Stand can now be used with custom ROMs on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL
Giuseppe Maggio, more commonly known as Jertlok, has followed up on his reverse-engineering of Active Edge by bringing Google’s Pixel Stand functionality to custom ROMs. Owners of the Pixel 3 (Blueline) and Pixel 3 XL (Crosshatch) who also have a Pixel Stand no longer need to hold off on using custom ROMs because they can’t enjoy basically turning their phones into Google Home Hubs while they charge. They can get all the benefits of Google Assistant and seeing their Google Photos on the Ambient Display by downloading Dirty Unicorns builds right now (the Blueline one is currently under the RC tab while the Crosshatch one is under Weeklies) to try it out. Meanwhile, developers of other custom ROMs can cherry-pick the commits (while giving proper attribution of course) from the Dirty Unicorns Gerrit.
This is a small preview of the pixel stand support working on AOSP, and to be precise DirtyUnicorns
And so, this is another thing to add in my reverse engineering collection.
I love to work on these stuff. pic.twitter.com/fXDure0Hpp— Jertlok (@Jertlok) March 24, 2019
Looks like it's done! pic.twitter.com/3astatfA4A
— Jertlok (@Jertlok) March 24, 2019
Remarkably, Jertlok reverse-engineered Google’s proprietary Pixel Stand functionality without actually owning a Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, or a Pixel Stand. Despite having developed “blindly” as the lingo goes, the code he developed was merged into the Dirty Unicorns repo and has already been released in a weekly build. This means that the code is stable and was deemed worthy of public release by the notoriously stringent quality-control standards of the DU team. It’s just unfortunate that said team is breaking up when the Android Pie era runs its course. Hopefully, Jertlok will still be finding ways to bring Google’s best Pixel-specific features to custom ROMs during the Android Q (Quiche?) era.
Source: Jertlok (Twitter) Via: PiunikaWeb
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SQLite Database Editor is a free Android app to read and edit SQL databases
There are many reasons why you might want to read or edit an SQL database, but normally you have to go through this process on a computer. While this is the most logical and comfortable option, sometimes you’re in a hurry or, for whatever reason, you don’t have access to one. If you need to quickly check one out, there are options to do it right from your phone. One of those options is SQLite Database Editor. The concept is simple: the app allows you to read and edit SQL databases right from your phone, and if you’re a root user, you can even modify databases in the system memory, including app databases and more.
It’s available in our forums and it’s developed by XDA Junior Member supertommino. Check it out now!
Check out SQLite Database in the Apps and Games forum
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Dive into Data with this Microsoft & Oracle SQL Certification Training, Now $39
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This bundle covers Oracle 12c Database and Microsoft’s SQL Server in depth. Through hands-on video lessons, you discover how to install and maintain the two systems. The courses also show you how to code custom databases, backup your data, automate tasks and run complex analysis.
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