YouTube finally re-enables 1080p streaming in India, but only on WiFi

In an attempt to ensure that the sudden increase in Internet traffic didn’t cause any issues with its infrastructure, YouTube in India restricted video streaming quality on its mobile apps to 480p earlier this year in March. Since then, YouTube users in India have had to bear with pixelated streams on mobile devices while the rest of the world could enjoy the same videos at higher resolutions. As a result, Indian users were forced to look for workarounds like browsing YouTube via Chrome on mobile, using unofficial apps like NewPipe, or watching videos on desktop. Now, over three months since the restrictions first came into effect, YouTube is finally re-enabling 1080p streaming in India.

The YouTube app on Android and iOS now lets you switch to 1080p quality if you’re connected to a WiFi network. The change seems to have been enabled via a server-side switch and doesn’t require you to update the YouTube app. However, the default streaming quality is still set at 480p. In case you wish you watch videos in 1080p on mobile, all you need to do is connect your device to a WiFi network, tap on the three-dot menu button in the top right corner of the video, and then select 1080p from the quality settings.

In case you don’t have access to a stable WiFi connection and you wish to stream at 1080p on mobile data, there’s a simple workaround. But for it to work, you’ll still need to have access to a temporary WiFi connection. To stream videos at 1080p on mobile data, you’ll need to connect your device to WiFi and then open a video on YouTube. You can then disconnect your device from the WiFi network and switch to 1080p quality as mentioned above. The video should stream at 1080p on mobile data without any issues. Do note that 1080p streaming, and the aforementioned workaround, don’t seem to work with mobile hotspots.

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Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, Mi Smart Band 5, and Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic officially announced in Europe

Xiaomi held an event today to announce a bunch of “lifestyle” products. Some of the announcements are wider releases for previously launched products, but others are entirely new. The lineup includes the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, a global release for the Mi Band 5 (as the Mi Smart Band 5), and a new pair of Mi True Wireless earphones.

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick

Let’s start with the Mi TV Stick, which was prematurely listed for sale in Europe, and has already been unboxed. The Mi Stick TV is a small dongle with a quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. As we saw with the product listing, this model supports 1080p video output and Dolby and DTS surround sound. It runs Android TV based on Android Pie. Xiaomi is pricing the stick at just €39.99 (~$50) in Europe, which is considerably cheaper than similar products on the market.

Xiaomi Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic

Next up is the Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic, a different model than the previous non-Basic version. The earbuds can give you up to 5 hours of playback on a single charge and an additional 15 hours with the charging case. The charging case uses USB-C and the earbuds have Bluetooth 5.0 with “environmental noise cancelation.” Essentially, ENC is for reducing noise in phone calls. The earbuds also have Google Assistant support. Xiaomi is pricing the buds at €39.99 (~$50) in select European markets.

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5

The last product of note is the Mi Smart Band 5, which was launched earlier this summer in China as the Mi Band 5. The company is now giving the fitness band a wider release in select European countries. However, a few key features were left out of the international version: NFC and SpO2, or blood oxygen tracking.

Otherwise, this is the same fitness band with a 1.1-inch AMOLED display, 14-day battery life, heart-rate monitoring, 11 tracking modes, and more. Xiaomi is pricing the Mi Smart Band 5 at €39.99 (~$50) across Europe and it’s available in five colors: black, yellow, blue, orange, teal, and green.

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Source: Xiaomi

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Samsung Tips app teases unreleased wireless Samsung DeX mode

Samsung DeX was announced with the Samsung Galaxy S8 as a way to use your phone as a desktop PC. The original idea was to dock the phone into a DeX dock that connects to a screen. This original idea didn’t work out too well since the dock was too big, there was no way to use the phone while docked, it required an additional purchase, and well, it just became annoying to use. Samsung upgraded DeX with the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 to no longer require a dock. Now, thanks to a screen we spotted in the Samsung Tips app, we know Samsung is still working on a wireless DeX mode.

The history of Samsung DeX is pretty brief. When it launched with the Samsung Galaxy S8, it was pretty cumbersome to use since it required a dock and a mouse and keyboard to be connected. With the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung got rid of the dock requirement (since the phone has native DisplayPort Alternate Mode support) while also letting you use the phone’s display as a trackpad and keyboard. With the Galaxy Note 10, Samsung made a Mac and Windows app so you could access DeX from your PC (and unofficially, on Linux and Chrome OS). There was also a brief stint with running a GNU/Linux distribution through DeX, but that initiative was sadly canceled. Fortunately, we’re finally seeing progress on wireless Samsung DeX mode, which we heard was being worked on all the way back in late 2018. On the upcoming Galaxy Note 20, Samsung may finally allow DeX to work wirelessly.

I found the above screen in the Samsung Tips app as part of the settings. On my Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip, the latter of which doesn’t actually support DeX, the page showed up under the “Become a power user” section. The first page under this section is the wireless Samsung DeX tip. The header is “DREAM_DEX_HEADER_USE_DEX_WIRELESSLY_M_TIPS.” This was likely pushed to live servers accidentally. What’s interesting about the header is the “DREAM” at the beginning. Dream is the codename of the Galaxy S10 series which makes me think the Galaxy S10 and up should get support for wireless DeX mode.

Samsung DeX wouldn’t be the first desktop mode for Android devices to get a wireless mode. Huawei introduced wireless casting a while back for its EMUI Desktop mode. It’s good to see that Samsung is following suit and working to improve DeX with meaningful features.

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Google is preparing to integrate Docs, Chat, and Meet more deeply with Gmail

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of things in the technology world. Video calling, for example, became a much more popular feature in a blink of an eye. Companies have been scrambling to adjust to the new demands and we’ve seen Google do a lot of shuffling with its messaging platforms. Last month, Google rolled out a dedicated tab for Google Meet in the Gmail app. It turns out that was only the beginning.

Software engineer Tahin Rahman (@tahins) found some slides from a presentation for Google’s upcoming Cloud Next ’20 event. The slides show Google’s plan to integrate Google Meet, Google Chat, Google Rooms, and Google Docs more deeply into the Gmail app. The former three services will each get their own dedicated tab in the mobile app.

The four tabs at the bottom will be Mail, Chat, Rooms, and Meet. Mail is the typical Gmail interface, Chat is for instant messaging conversations, Rooms is Google’s Slack-like team/group messaging service, and Meet is for video calling. The integration is deeper than just tabs, too. Chat and Rooms will also send follow-up reminders if you don’t respond in time.

These four tabs will make their way to the web version of Gmail as well. They will be in the left sidebar and each service will get its own section with shortcuts to folders, conversations, rooms, and calls. The web version will also get additional integration with Google Docs, meaning you can collaborate on documents from inside Gmail. Essentially, Google is hoping to turn Gmail into a one-stop-shop for productivity.

Docs integration

Most of the services mentioned are primarily used by G Suite users, so it’s not clear if this new integration will roll out to consumers as well. Meet is already available in the public Gmail app, but a service like Rooms is really more focused on enterprise users. If Chat and Rooms do show up as tabs in the Gmail app, we expect them to be hidable just like the current Meet tab. Stay tuned for more information later this week/month.

Gmail (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: Tahin Rahman | Via: 9to5Google

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This CompTIA Linux and Network Training Can Help You Launch a Career in SysAdmin

Pretty much every business over a certain size has its own IT system and networks. For this reason, engineers and SysAdmin experts are always in demand. If you would like to start a career in either of these areas, The CompTIA Linux Network Professional Bundle can help. This learning library contains 62 hours of essential training, working towards two important certifications. You can get it now for just $29.99 at the XDA Developers Depot.

While some industries are struggling right now, the world of IT continues to grow. Both certified network engineers and SysAdmin professionals can earn over $100k, and there are plenty of opportunities for new talent. The only thing you need to land a job is a few key certifications.

This training helps you grab two of the most important ones: CompTIA Linux+ and Network+. Through two separate courses, you learn how to configure, administer, and troubleshoot systems in a business environment.

In the Linux+ course, you discover how to set up Linux hardware, maintain the system, and keep everything secure. The Network+ course looks at the various protocols for LAN, WAN, and other wireless networks. You also learn about TCP/IP, networking threats, and troubleshooting techniques.

The training is delivered by expert instructors from iCollege, which has been educating students online for 17 years.

Worth $590 in total, the training is now only $29.99 with this deal.

 

The CompTIA Linux Network Professional Bundle – $29.99

See Deal

Prices subject to change

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Today’s OnePlus Day deals include the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 7T McLaren, and more

OnePlus has been sharing deals every Wednesday for the last few weeks, and this week is no different. This week’s “OnePlus Day” includes deals on the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 7T series, and the Bullets Wireless Z earbuds. The deals below are available only today, July 15th, on OnePlus.com, so act fast if you see something you like.

United States:

• Purchase a OnePlus 8 Pro 12GB version ($999, including Black and Blue version both), get a $150 accessory coupon
• Purchase a OnePlus 8  12GB Interstellar Glow version ($799), get a $100 accessory coupon
• Purchase OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Black ($49.95), get $20 OFF, making the price $29.95
• Purchase a OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren ($899), get 50% off on OnePlus 7T T-Mobile Version OR get a $150 accessory coupon
• Purchase a OnePlus 7T T-Mobile Version ($499), get a $100 accessory coupon

Canada:

• Purchase a OnePlus 8 Pro 12GB version (CA$ 1549, including Black and Blue version both), get a CA$200 accessory coupon
• Purchase a OnePlus 8 12GB Interstellar Glow version (CA$ 1249), get a CA$150 accessory coupon
• Purchase OnePlus OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Black (CA$ 69.95), get CA$ 30 off, making the price only CA$ 39.95

OnePlus 7 Pro Forums ||| OnePlus 7T Forums ||| OnePlus 7T Pro Forums

OnePlus 8 Forums ||| OnePlus 8 Pro Forums

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Reliance Jio and Google partner to develop entry-level smartphone for India

Earlier today, Google revealed that it had signed an agreement with Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio to invest ₹33,737 crores (~$4.5 billion) in Jio Platforms Ltd. for a 7.73% equity stake in the company. This marked the first investment from Google’s recently announced Google For India Digitization Fund, which aims to accelerate India’s digital economy by funding ₹75,000 crores (~$10 billion) in the region over the next five to seven years. Alongside the investment, the two companies have announced a commercial agreement to develop an entry-level smartphone for the Indian market. Curiously, at the Reliance AGM held earlier today, Reliance announced that it will develop an OS in collaboration with Google.

In a blog post regarding the matter, Google notes that it will develop an entry-level affordable smartphone in partnership with Jio Platforms which will feature “optimizations to the Android operating system and the Play Store.” While the company hasn’t revealed exactly what optimizations will be made for the new smartphone, the idea behind these optimizations leads us to believe that this is Android Go that is being talked about here. Android Go has been designed from the ground up for entry-level hardware and is tailored for devices coming in with low RAM and low storage.

“Google and Jio Platforms have entered into a commercial agreement to jointly develop an entry-level affordable smartphone with optimizations to the Android operating system and the Play Store. Together we are excited to rethink, from the ground up, how millions of users in India can become owners of smartphones. This effort will unlock new opportunities, further power the vibrant ecosystem of applications and push innovation to drive growth for the new Indian economy.”

Google

Thus, Google’s and Reliance Jio’s collaboration on this end would signal an upgrade for Jio as well as for the Indian masses. Jio has already tapped the absolute entry-level market with devices like the JioPhone and JioPhone 2 feature phones, but both of these are KaiOS-run feature phones. Collaboration on the Android platform will open the doors for Android apps on these low budget devices, marking their users as potential consumers to Google and increasing their data consumption for Jio. For the users, they do get a cheap and optimized smartphone that isn’t just a feature phone with Google Assistant. Jio further plans to leverage the learnings from this program and apply it to the 5G ecosystem, once it makes an entry.

As we mentioned earlier, Reliance Jio’s AGM event spun this announcement into Google and Jio collaborating on a new OS. However, we could not uncover further details on a “new Operating System” just yet. Whereas on the other hand, Google’s simultaneous announcement in written format talks about a phone more than an OS. Hence, in the absence of further details, we believe that Google and Jio are collaborating on a low-budget, entry-level, heavily optimized Android device. We’ll update the article with more details once they become available.

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