Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

A newly envisioned, perfectly crafted and fully functional banana phone has come to exist. It seems the human race are running out of ideas, so new novelty are been made to continue the competition. Banana Phone is a stunning "Banana-Like" shaped mobile handset that connects to your smartphone wirelessly. This may look ridiculous, but it is awesome!. Imagine the fun, the all-eyes-on-me thing when you call your family and friends with a BANANA!. This new Banana phone, is a kind of device you can envision when you are consuming lots of beverages.

Banana Phone can't actually make calls on its own, so don't throw away your Android or iPhone yet because you will need to pair or connect it with an existing smartphone via Bluetooth. In other words, your iPhone or Android device should be placed in your pocket while moving around with Banana phone. The new Banana phone isn't a joke, as it offers some pretty smart features. You will be able to interact with voice assistant (Siri and Google Assistant) and make calls by asking them via the banana phone.


Banana Phone offers handy multi-function buttons, a Microphone, a Speaker, Charger and LED indicator. Banana Phone is quite appealing, so i will suggest you don't use it around the primates in the Zoo especially the Gorillas. But if you have a monkey pet at home, it will be so much fun giving her a banana phone. Speaking of which, Banana Phone reminds me of a popular childrens song that was released in 1994 by Raffi and Michael Creber. You do wish to own a pair of Banana phone after watching that hit.



Banana Phone inspires people to talk more and smile more. This yellow fruit (Banana Phone) will likely be available on the month of September 2017. The device will feature a 10 hours talk time and about 70 hours in idle mode. Banana phone can easily be pre-ordered at indiegogo for $40, and it's worth your money. Purchasing the Banana Phone can help to save the endangered mountain Gorillas through conservation, as 1% of all the sales made will be used for Gearing up 4 Gorillas. Now if you're ready to go Yellow, pre-order the Banana Phone now!.

Android O

OMG! Google has released the developer preview of Android O, this is actually the first preview, so since it's still in its early days, usual caveats should apply. The OS has not been finished, so you will expect some bugs, making it unusable as daily driver. However Google has promised to release more features and there will still be plenty of stabilization & performance work. But not to be discouraged, you also should know that the newest developer preview of Android O is actually booting. The developer preview of Android O isn't on beta preview, as Google will open the Beta program testing for Android O, with new tweaks and changes.
Also Read: How To Install Android 8.0 Oreo Concept Boot Animation On Your Phone.

Developer Preview

Android O developer preview includes an updated "SDK" with system images for testing on the official Android Emulator and on Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Pixel XL, Nexus 5X and Nexus Player. If you are building for wearables, there is also an emulator for testing Wear 2.0 on Android O. This initial developer preview release, is for developers only and it's not intended for daily or consumer use. So if you want to taste it, then you can manually download and flash it. Downloads and instructions are here.

Android O
Thanks!! Santosh Salve

Android O Features

Earlier on, we mentioned Android O (8.0) possible features based on the concepts envisioned by an indian designer. While this features are likely not to be accurate, Android "O" has introduced a number of new features and APIs that's essentials. So here's just a few new things the first Developer Preview offers.

1. Background Limits

Device Interface Performance & Battery life has continue to be one of the priority for Google on Android O. Thus to make it possible, Android O added an additional automatic limits on what apps can do in the background. These are in three main areas: implicit broadcasts, background services, and location updates. Note that the changes will make it easier to create apps that have minimal impact on your device and battery. Overall, background limits represent a significant change in Android, so every developer is expected to be familiar with them.

2. Notification Channels

Android O also introduces a notification channels, that provides a unified system to help users manage notifications with app-defined categories for notification content. This will give developers a users fine-grained control over different kinds of notifications, and so users can block or change the behavior of each channel individually, rather than managing all of the app's notifications together. Android O also adds new visuals and grouping to notifications that make it easier for users to see what's going on when they have an incoming message or are glancing at the notification shade.

Android O notification channel

3. Autofill APIs

Android users already depends on a range of password managers to auto-fill login details and repetitive information, which makes setting up new apps or placing transactions easier. Now Android O will make this work more easily across the ecosystem by adding platform support for autofill. Users can select an auto-fill app that's similar to the way they select a keyboard app. The autofill app stores & secures user data, such as password, user names, and even address.

4. PIP For Handsets and New Windowing Features 

Androis O bring a Picture in Picture (PiP) display that's available on phones and tablets. This can allow users to continue watching a video while answering a chat or hailing a car.  Android apps can put themselves in PiP mode from the pause or resuming state if the system supports it. You can can even specify aspect ratio and set a custom interactions such as play or pause. New windowing features will include a new app overlay window for apps to use instead of system alert window, and multi-display support for launching an activity on a remote display.

5. Font Resources In XML

Fonts are now a fully supported resource type in Android O. Apps can now use any fonts in XML layouts as well as define a font families in XML, by declaring the font style and weight along with the font files.

6. Adaptive Icons

Android O also brings an adaptive icons that helps you to integrate better with your device's UI. You can easily create adaptive icons which the system displays in different shapes, based on a mask selected by the device. The system also animates interactions with the icons, and then in the launcher, shortcuts, settings, sharing dialogs, and in the overview screen.

the adaptive icon for Android O

7. Wide-gamut Color For Apps

Developers of imaging apps can now take advantage of new Android devices that have a wide-gamut color capable display. To display wide gamut images, apps will need to enable a flag in their manifest (per activity) and load bitmaps with an embedded wide color profile (AdobeRGB, Pro Photo RGB, DCI-P3, etc.).

8. Connectivity

Android O, has supports for high-quality Bluetooth audio codecs such as LDAC codec. New Wi-Fi features will be added as well, like the Wi-Fi Aware, which was formerly known as Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN). On devices with the appropriate hardware, apps and nearby devices can discover and communicate over Wi-Fi without an Internet access point.

9. Keyboard Navigation

Android O is focused towards building a more reliable, and predictable model for "arrow" and "tab" navigation that aids both developers and end users. This is an advent of Google Play apps on Chrome OS and other large form factors.

10. AAudio API for Pro Audio 

AAudio is a new native API integrated in the Android O, this feature has already been designed specifically for apps that requires high-performance and low-latency audio. So apps using AAudio will read and write data via streams.

11. WebView Enhancements

Android O, enables multiprocess mode by default and adds an API to let your apps handle errors and crashes, this will help to enhance security & improve app stability.

12. Java 8 Language APIs and Runtime Optimizations

Android O now supports several new Java Language APIs, including the java.time API. In addition, the Android Runtime is now faster than ever before, and it also brings improvements of up to 2x on some application benchmarks.


Final Words

Android O unveils plethora features, and also fixes and enhancements to Android O release have been accelerated. Sony mobile contributed more than 30 feature enhancements including the LDAC codec and 250 bug fixes to Android O. Now we are anticipating on the Android O name and it's official release. Till then, simply tell us what you feel about this build.

Source via Android Developers.


The Mobile World Congress 2017 which was held in Barcelona last month has been wrapped up with several Android phones such as the LG G6 and Blackberry Keyone been released afterward. If you had been able to watch the MWC event live, you'd notice that Samsung didn't announce an update on the upcoming Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. But the company confirmed when the flagship is going to be unveiled. (We'll look into that as this article unravels). The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus teases are perhaps over after all, as the past few months have been filled with several concepts, renders or stunningly leaked images of the "flagship". We've previously highlighted the rumor specs, features, release date and price of the Galaxy S8, but that seems to be just a rumor (which makes sense).

While many have been anticipating for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, there has been a lot of pandemonium and conflicting reports about the upcoming flagship device from Samsung. Prior to this, a lot of Samsung consumers or enthusiast are however bound to be confused on what actually they're to expect. Thus in other to clarify your thoughts, we decided to write this article and once you're done reading it, you'll know exactly what to expect from Samsung concerning the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. They're probably what we know so far.

Design

Samsung will be launching their flagship in a couple of weeks from now, and we're meant to expect two models of Galaxy S8 which are; the 5.7-inch Galaxy S8 with a full rectangle, and a 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 with a rounded display corners as seen in the LG G6. This is surprising, a good news and a bad news as well. So if you're not a fan of rounded corners, then you're left to choose the 5.7 inch Galaxy S8. And if rounded display delights you, then the bigger Galaxy S8 will meet your needs.


The two upcoming Galaxy S8 will feature a bezel-less design, this isn't a new stuff as the phone trend in 2017 are shaping up to be small both from top to bottom bezels. Now with the minimal bezels, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will ditch its home button and replace it with on-screen navigation buttons which may possibly be customizable and may adapt to suit different native apps. Samsung seems to have made a significant leap in terms of design, as the on-screen nav bar will bring Samsung up to speed with other Android phones.


Traditionally, Samsung has placed their fingerprint sensor on the home button, but since they won't be any physical home button, the company will have to find a new spot for it. Obviously, they've already chosen the best possible place for it. The fingerprint sensor has been relocated to the back/rear alongside the camera and this might take some time for you to blend with it since the position is rather high when compared with other Android phones.

Hardware

The hardware improvements on the two Galaxy S8 are what we should give an in-depth look at. As we've already known, the upcoming Galaxy S8 will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, making it the first flagship to feature that kind of processor. Even the new LG G6 and HTC U Ultra don't bring this. Other variants of the Galaxy S8 are going to be powered by Samsung’s Exynos 9 series, Exynos 8895 octa-core 64-bit processor with a Mali-G71 MP20 graphics processor and a 5CA LTE modem. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus will feature a 3000mAh and 3,500mAh battery respectively.


This will be coupled with 4GB of RAM & 64GB of storage memory. The Galaxy S8 is also expected to feature a removable microSD card slot, USB Type-C port, IP68 water and dust resistance certification, an iris scanner, wireless charging and 4G LTE. The Galaxy S8 may very well be the first smartphone to feature Bluetooth 5.0 support. Apart from this, the Galaxy S8 will reportedly have a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and dual-pixel autofocus as well as an 8-megapixel front camera.

Software and Interface

As usual, the Galaxy S8 and S8 plus will respectively, be running on the Android 7.0 nougat with Samsung's own skin or experience. From the web, a new Galaxy S8 icon pack and launcher have surfaced and they're pretty cool with high-quality attraction. The icon pack and launcher were discovered inside the latest version of Samsung’s Smart Switch application and they probably gave us a clue on what to expect on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 plus Interface.


Bixby

We've seen Google's Assistant, Apple's Siri & Microsoft Cortana in action, and now the Galaxy S8 is expected to feature a new AI (artificial intelligence) called "Bixby". The AI will support 8 languages and for now, we actually don't know how it functions but certainly, it'll be a great rival. Also, Bixby reportedly will have its own physical button located on the left-hand side of the units on Galaxy S8 and this is where it can be triggered.


Release Date and Price

The Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are due to be released on March 29 and pre-orders will commence on April 10 followed by the global release on April 21. However, the plans seem to have been changed since a report surfaced claiming that Galaxy S8 release date has been pushed back one week to April 28, so it’s unclear which of the two it’s going to be. As for the price, you've to make a budget of 799 euro and 899 euro respectively. The price seems a bit high, but they're certainly worth it. Recently, Samsung has been working with a new feature known as "desktop experience". Once integrated on the Galaxy S8,  it will provide a PC-like functionality.


Google has announced a new Service or perhaps an Android app dubbed Family Link. This tool was first discovered on the YouTube kid app but it was actually hidden as a reference. The Family Link app serves as a form of parental control which allows parents to stay in the loop as their kids explore on their Android device. Apparently, Google's Family Link app is far more generous and ambitious than we had presumed. Think about it, with the Google's Family Link, you can now safely purchase an Android device for your 13-year-old kid and monitor all the activities he/she performs on their new mobile. This definitely is a godsend app and as a parent, the family link app is expected to be "ubiquitous" on your mobile.

How Google Family Link Works

To get the new Family Link App running on your phone and that of your kids mobile, you'll probably need an Android device running on Nougat (7.0) & higher, along with some certain Marshmallow (6.0) device. While the Google's Family Link app seems to be intriguing, it's only limited to Android operating system and so iOS users are out of luck for now. Once you've got the necessity ready, then it's high time to figure out how the Family Link app works. First of all, you'll need to create a Google Account for your kid and this account will also seem like your account, i called it "mechanical linking". Now with the Google account you created for your kid, you can set certain digital ground rules that work for your family.


Rules such as managing the apps your kid can use is easy to set up with Family Link. For example, you can choose either to approve or block the apps your kid wants to download from the Google Play Store. The Google's Family Link app also offers an option to see how much time your kids spends on their favorite apps with weekly or monthly activity reports. This will enable parents to set a daily screen time limits for their device and at the same time, it ensures an adequate & early bedtime sleep for your kids. Note; that some app activity, such as for music players and messaging apps that run in the background of your kid phone, will not be fully tracked with the weekly or monthly activity reports. Apart from, the Google's Family Link app, also remotely locks your kid’s device when it’s time to play, study, or sleep.

Getting Started

Google's Family Link app is available by invitation only to parents of kids under 13 years old. Thus to get started, you’ll need to create a Google Account for your kid through Family Link and ensure that you've a compatible Android device for your kid, then your own Android device and Google Account. Also to be eligible for the family link app usage, you'll need to be in the United States. Now, while this one seems to be disappointing, we'd hope that Google extends support for other countries too. If you're in the US, Family Link allows users (13+) to create their own Google Account and for users under the age of 13, parental consent is required to create a Google Account. Kids can lie about their age too. Simply dive in here, to check if you're eligible to use the Google's Family Link app and request invite link.


We're In The Family

Google vice president of engineering by name "Pavni Diwanji" clearly stated that When you make the decision to give your child their own device, then Family Link can serve as a tool that keeps you in the loop as they begin to explore. Obviously, i agree to this quote considering the rise of Chromebooks in schools and the fact that kids are begining to get online at an early ages. So Family Link is a genius and secure way to keep tabs on what your kid is doing when they're making use of their mobiles. Overall, Family Link is a great way to be safe if you're having thoughts purchasing an Android phone for your kid under 13 year old. Next, we'll detail the complete guide to get, set up and use the Google's Family Link app on your Android device


Like seriously we've had a lot of nostalgia already! The Nokia comeback in 2017 has always been what every tech enthusiasts anticipated, but what we probably didn't figure out was that they're  planning to relaunch the "Old" Nokia 3310. Well, they already did, and the device is on sale as of writing this article. In a modern classic reimagined, the new Nokia 3310 takes the iconic rounded form silhouette of the original with long lasting battery and the legendary snake game, you'd agree with me that the device brings a classic fresh look.


While the rebirth of the old Nokia 3310 is still hot, Russian luxury phone makers by name Caviar has launched a special or rather custom version of the new Nokia 3310 and it's called the "Supremo Putin". This edition is made of gold and titanium and retails for a jaw-dropping of $1,700. Hehe! The price is completely a blatant rip-off considering that the average Nokia 3310 gets sold at $49. But if perhaps you fancy something more natural or simplified even retro tech, then you can stomach the price tag and probably get one for yourself.


According to the Caviar Company, the iconic Nokia 3310 Supremo Putin edition was designed with gold, giving it a luxury, style, and character of the Russian. The device was inspired by the most popular person in Russia "President Vladimir Putin" and the design of the Nokia 3310 consists of a volume of the President of the bas-relief, plaques with a quote from the National Anthem and a thin mesh-like engraving, applied to the body by hand. The device brings a Gold titanium case plated .999 for Double Electroplated technology. On top of the central control, the button is decorated with a miniature image of the coat of arms of the Russian Federation.


Caviar has formed the habit of designing smartphones made of luxury's and they're probably good at it. Apart from the Nokia 3310, the company also sells a Putin-themed iPhones but you should know that the price doesn't come easy either. The special version of the Nokia 3310 unveils a new luxurious varnished wooden case with finishing material lined with "Black Velvet" and in it, you'll find the following...
  • Nokia 3310 Supremo Putin
  • Certificate Of Authenticity
  • USB Cable and Charger
  • Stereo Headset
  • Warranty Card

Summary

Luxury is probably made for those who can afford it without bleeding, a glimpse at the custom Nokia 3310 can actually detail to you that the smartphone is stunning and Nokia will be proud of this creation. Overall the Caviar company have created the perfect phone rugged, stylish, not cheap, able to hold a charge long and loud calls. Sometimes it's really all you need. Meanwhile, we've spotted one of the "Supremo Putin" on sale and you probably might want to check it out.


Android O is the next version of the Android operating system that'll be announced by Google probably in 2017. Google's annual Android updates are known to bring new plethora features and the names are followed by Google's standard alphabetical Android naming convention. We've seen the Android 7.0 Nougat performance capabilities and perhaps it's time to move on to the newest potential Android 8.0. Google is working hard to build the next variation for Android smartphones and tablets which will come with advanced features.


Currently, there isn't much information to be known about the Android 8.0 "O", and the rumors circulating around so far is that Google might not even announce another version of Android OS this year since they've recently released the new Android 7.1.2 Nougat update on Pixel and Nexus device which is still in beta testing stage and the official update will soon be rolling out in a matter of months on supported device. Now while this rumors may seem a bit overwhelming, Google might clear the phase and announce the unexpected since we still have a long way to go this year.

Android 8.0 Possible Names

As we've discussed earlier on, Android naming convention is followed by the English alphabetical order. Thus the Android 8.0 name will probably start with the letter "O". In the year 2016, I could remember vividly that Google opened the Android naming process to the public for the Android "N" and while the majority of tech enthusiasts prefer the name "Nutella", Google decided to go for "Nougat". This case might even be the same with the Android "O". Without any further ado, below are the possible name for the potential Android 8.0. Note we're making an educated guesses that'll align with the letter "O".

Android Oreo


Oreo is a sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet creme filling in between. This delicious cookie (Oreo) has become the best-selling cookie in the United States since its introduction. Thus considering how "Yummy" the name sounds, there's a high tendency that Google might choose it as the name of the potential Android 8.0 "Oreo".

Android Ovaltine


Ovaltine suddenly pops out of my mind! During the course of writing this article. Perhaps it's because I have come to love the delicacy of chocolate milk powder carrying 3 flavors such as "chocolate malt, rich chocolate, and sugar". Ovaltine is a brand of milk flavoring product made with malt extract sugar and whey. Some of-of's flavors also have cocoa and the name sounds pretty perfect for the potential Android 8.0 "Ovaltine".

Android Oatmeal


Oatmeal is another possible name that's suitable for the potential Android 8.0, the name sounds cool and standard. Oatmeal is a made of hulled oat grains and groats that have either been ground, steel-cut or rolled. The "ground oats" are also called "white oats" and the "steel-cut oats" are known as "coarse oatmeal" or "Irish oatmeal" or "pinhead oats". While the "rolled oats" can be either thick or thin and may be "old-fashioned" or "quick" or "instant".

Android Ontbijtkoek


Google might even think of the name "ontbijtkoek". Ontbijtkoek is a Dutch spiced cake mixed with "Rye" (its most important ingredient which colors the cake in light brown). It is often spiced with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, succade, and nutmeg. Ontbijtkoek is traditionally served at breakfast with a thick layer of butter on top, as a replacement for bread. However, due to its sweet taste, it is also served as a snack. Considering the name and the chocolate mixed flavor, Google might even decide to call Android 8.0 "Ontbijtkoek".

Other Names

  • Android Orange
  • Android Ornate
  • Android O'Neil
  • Android Orchestra
  • Android Olive
  • Android Orchard
The above mentioned Android 8.0 possible names were speculated by our teams, we've seen how "Google" usually use the "Chocolate" word to name its annual android version. Thus we decided to mention the perfect names that best suits and align with the upcoming Android version. Google might even come up with a name that's completely different from what we've seen above. However, the name "Oreo" seems to be the captain among all and tech enthusiasts are already voting for it.

Expected Features

The Potential Android 8.0 features have not been known, even while the rumors are circulating, Google hasn't made any attempt to unveil the features. However, an Indian-based designer envisioned and decided to create a concept design for the upcoming Android 8.0. Concepts are fun and interesting as well, we've seen tons of smartphones concept images around the internet and this doesn't make a difference. Now if you take a glimpse of the image below, you'll see the Android 8.0 design envisioned by "Vijay". The concept didn't really step away from the Android N, but rather shows the possible advanced features we're to expect.


From the concept images above, the on-screen navbar circle home button has been replaced with the letter "G" and this wouldn't be a surprise considering the redesign launcher Google unraveled on their Pixel smartphones. The lock screen has also been replaced with a brand new customizable design, you can customize the notification app which you want to see at the lock screen.


The Dock icon on the home screen has also been changed in such a way that once you "slide left" or tap the "G" centered icon on the Nav bar you'll be taken to your app drawer where you can access all your apps. The concept image also unravels the notification panel which has somewhat been redesigned. Now at the status bar, you'll notice that notifications have been centered rather than been stacked on the left side. This feature looks pretty cool and we hope Google takes it into consideration.


Apart from this all, the concept image also brings a "Live Call Notification Alert" which allows you to interact with Call Alert. Also, the app drawer display has also been improved. We're also not to neglect the newly redesigned keyboard from the concept above. This makes it possible to interact with a search screen. Thus you can find apps by using your thumb for one hand interface. Overall this certainly is a nice concept and we sincerely hope for Google to consider it and even add more features.
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