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mardi 15 septembre 2020

Redmi 9i launched in India, is a Redmi 9A with 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage

When we say that Xiaomi is flooding the Indian market with Redmi 9 variant, we actually do mean that the company is releasing a whole bunch of smartphones in the Redmi 9 branding. Some of these phones are very similar to some other phones within the branding, while some have a lot more differences. The barrage started with the Redmi 9 Prime (rebranded global Redmi 9), followed by the Redmi 9 (rebranded Redmi 9C), and then the Redmi 9A (which is Redmi 9A globally as well). Today, Xiaomi added yet another smartphone in the mix. Meet the Redmi 9i, which is pretty much the already-released Redmi 9A but with 4GB of RAM and more storage options.

Redmi 9A XDA Forums

Xiaomi Redmi 9i: Specifications

Specifications Redmi 9A/Redmi 9i
Dimensions & Weight
  • 164.9 x 77.07 x 9.0 mm
  • 194g
Display
  • 6.53″ LCD
  • HD+, 1600 x 720 pixels
SoC MediaTek Helio G25
RAM
  • 2GB LPDDR4X
  • 3GB LPDDR4X
  • 4GB LPDDR4X (Redmi 9i)
Storage
  • 32GB eMMC 5.1
  • 64GB (Redmi 9i)
  • 128GB (Redmi 9i)
  • Expandable via dedicated microSD card slot
Battery & Charging
  • 5,000 mAh
  • 10W wired fast charging
Rear Camera 13MP, f/2.2
Front Camera 5MP, f/2.2
Other Features
  • Micro USB
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
Android Version MIUI 12 based on Android 10

The Redmi 9A is a humble smartphone aimed at capturing some of the early segments of the market, and the Redmi 9i is a marginal upgrade over this. As such, most specifications and design elements remain the same. The biggest change, apart from the branding and online sales channel, is the fact that you now get a decent 4GB of RAM as well as options for 64GB and 128GB of storage. There is also a dedicated microSD card slot, so you can expand it further by another 512GB of storage. We can also confirm that the phones are the same as both come with the codename “dandelion“.

xiaomi Redmi 9A grey xiaomi Redmi blue helio g25 Redmi 8a successor green

Pricing and Availability

The Redmi 9i will be available in India in Nature Green, Sea Blue, and Midnight Black colors. The phone is priced at ₹8,299 (~$113) for the 4GB + 64GB variant, and ₹9,299 (~$126) for the 4GB + 128GB variant. The Redmi 9i goes on sale across Mi.com, Flipkart India, Mi Home, and Mi Studios starting from September 18, 2020. In comparison, the Redmi 9A costs ₹6,799 (~$93) for the 2GB + 32GB variant, and ₹7,499 (~$102) for the 3GB + 32GB variant, and is on sale on Amazon India and other channels.

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lundi 14 septembre 2020

Verizon announces plans to acquire prepaid phone provider TracFone

US telecom giant Verizon has entered an agreement with Mexico’s América Móvil to acquire its US-based subsidiary TracFone. TracFone is one of the leading prepaid phone providers in the US and its acquisition is expected to help Verizon expand its portfolio into the value segment. For the unaware, TracFone has been a longtime partner of Verizon, with more than 13 million TracFone subscribers relying on Verizon’s wireless network through an existing wholesale agreement. Following the acquisition, Verizon aims to bring its 4G LTE and 5G networks to TracFone customers, develop its distribution channels, and expand its market opportunities.

As per a press release on Verizon’s website, the “consideration for the transaction will include $3.125 billion in cash and $3.125 billion in Verizon common stock, subject to customary adjustments, at closing.” Additionally, the agreement includes up to $650 million in future cash consideration based on certain predefined performance measures and other arrangements.

In a statement regarding the acquisition, Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon, said, “This transaction is aligned with what we do best: providing reliable wireless service alongside a best-in-class customer experience…We are excited about the opportunity to bring Tracfone and its brands into the Verizon family where we can put the full support of Verizon behind this business and provide exciting and compelling products into this attractive segment of the market. We are pursuing this important strategic acquisition from a position of strength given our very strong and prudent financial profile.”

The acquisition is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Verizon expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2021.


Via: Yahoo Finance

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Developers port LineageOS to the … LeapFrog Epic tablet for children, because why not?

Android powered tablets can come in all shapes and sizes, but the LeapFrog Epic failed to grab the headlines here at XDA when it was released back in 2015. Being one of those “educational” tablets for children, the device runs on a highly skinned version of Android 4.4 KitKat. Inside this toy for tots is a quad-core MediaTek processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16GB of storage with SD card slot, and a 7″ 1024×600 display. Essentially, it’s similar to an Amazon Fire tablet from that era with a bunch of software imposed restrictions. Now —  almost 5 years after its release — the tablet has received a port of LineageOS.

 

leapfrog_epic

XDA Senior Member blakegriplingph has worked with developers mac2612, R0rtiz, Kai2000, and Stricted to bring an unofficial port of LineageOS 14.1 (based on Android Nougat) for the LeapFrog Epic in a quest to repurpose these tablets by offering a close-to-stock Android experience. To install the ROM, you’ll need to unlock the bootloader of the Epic and install a compatible custom recovery image. Since there is no official bootloader unlock facility available from LeapFrog, the developers even came up with a hacked solution. Due to the nature of the unofficial unlocking method, it is advisable to create a complete eMMC backup of your device prior to the modding event.

There are quite a few caveats if you’re interested in this. First of all, the battery life in this ROM is comparatively worse than the stock software. Moreover, video recording crashes the camera app and 1080p video playback lags a lot because of missing hardware-accelerated decoding support. The NVRAM can’t be properly handled, which might have its roots in lacking SELinux permissions. Granted, it’s far from being a stable custom ROM for the LeapFrog Epic, but it’s nice to breathe new life to what would otherwise be an easily-outgrown and thus discarded device. Head over to the thread linked below for the flashing instructions.

Unofficial LineageOS 14.1 for the LeapFrog Epic — XDA Thread

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Google prepares to decouple Chrome updates from Chrome OS updates

While Google pushes regular software update to Chrome OS devices, these updates depend on several device-specific non-Google hardware and software provides. Due to this, many older Chromebooks don’t receive Chrome browser updates indefinitely, leaving them vulnerable just a few years after their release. To remedy this issue, Google is reportedly working on decoupling Chrome updates from Chrome OS updates under an experimental initiative codenamed Lacros.

As per a report from Android Police on the matter, Lacros aims to separate the system UI (ash window manager, login screen, etc.) from the Chrome binary on Chrome OS. To do this, Chrome developers have renamed existing Chrome binaries on Chrome OS to ash-Chrome, with minimal changes. The developers then renamed linux-chrome binary to lacros-chrome, improved its Wayland support, and made it act like the web browser on Chrome OS. These changes, in effect, will allow Google to ship two separate binaries independently with some performance/resource costs. By having two different instances of Chrome, Google will be able to push browser updates to end-of-life Chromebooks that have stopped receiving Chrome OS updates.

The decoupling of Chrome updates from Chrome OS updates is expected to have a positive impact on Chromebook users with older hardware. With Lacros, users will be able to receive the latest updates for Google Chrome, even when they don’t have the latest version of Chrome OS running on their device. This will not only ensure that users get access to the latest Chrome features, but it’s also expected to make end-of-life Chromebooks a bit safer to use. However, these changes are still in the early stages of development and we don’t have any further information on how Google plans to roll them out to users when the feature finally hits the stable channel. We will update this post when we receive more information from the company.


Source: Google Git

Via: Android Police

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The Announcements Developers Should be Most Excited About from HUAWEI DEVELOPER CONFERENCE 2020

The Huawei Developer Conference HDC.Together 2020 is an exciting event for developers across the globe. This is where Huawei will make some of their biggest announcements related to development. This year is a particularly exciting year, with the release of HarmonyOS 2.0 and EMUI 11. There’s also exciting news for anyone who uses HMS to develop their apps. We will go over all of the most exciting news for developers from HDC.Together 2020.

Watch the full keynote here.

HMS Core 5.0 Updates

HMS Core is the suite of development kits designed to help make your next app project easy. Huawei has been adding to this collection of kits, as they constantly improve their selection. Now Huawei announces HMS Core 5.0, with many new powerful development kits. If you develop with HMS Core you access to all of the following development kits:

HarmonyOS 2.0 Breakthrough on Hardware Boundaries

Developing for Huawei’s new HarmonyOS platform is now easier than ever. Smart devices come in all shapes and sizes, whether its a phone, tablet, auto unit or watch, developers create apps optimized for each device, With HarmonyOS 2.0, Huawei made a goal of removing the need to rebuild your app for different devices. The new breakthrough in hardware boundaries means you’ll be able to just make one version of your app, that is compatible across all devices.

HarmonyOS 2.0

Huawei says that HarmonyOS 2.0 will be available to all hardware manufacturers. This is why this feature is so important. As a developer, you want your app to be compatible with as many devices as possible. If you develop your app for HarmonyOS, your app will now be able to be used across a multitude of different sized devices and displays. It also makes your app future-proof in a sense. If new devices come out with different form-factors, you won’t find yourself going back to the drawing board for a redesign.

Developers can now take advantage of distributed virtual bus, distributed data management, and distributed security. This makes HarmonyOS much more than just a replacement for Android. But rather is a distributed OS designed fro AI life.

DevEco for HarmonyOS Development

Developers should be excited to learn about DevEco being used for HarmonyOS development. DevEco is a complete-solution development tool that will help you easily create apps for the platform. It’s a one-stop development, compilation, debugging, and burning integrated solution.

Create projects based on chips or development boards, and use recommended peripheral drivers and application components specific to device types to improve efficiency when generating project code.

Huawei

HUAWEI DevEco Device Tool

Learn more about HUAWEI DevEco Device Tool at device.harmonyos.com/cn/ide.

HMS Go Global Alliance

Over the past year, more the 10,000 apps have entered the global market, with the assistance of Huawei. Now they are announcing the HMS Go Global Alliance which is designed to help developers like you expand your app to a global audience. For Chinese developers looking to go overseas, Huawei leverages its large business operations overseas to help these developers explore global opportunities. For developers looking to enter China, Huawei provides relevant consulting service, localization & integration, marketing & campaign services. Just last year alone, Huawei has helped over 700 apps have entered the Chinese market.

HMS Go Global Ecosystem Alliance is jointly established by Huawei and other well-known companies in China, including NetEase, Perfect World, Cocos, BabyBus, NetDragon Websoft, Globalegrow, FunPlus, DO Global, VivaVideo, OPPLE Lighting, SinoInteractive, and Testin. By aggregating the best capabilities of all these companies, HMS Go Global Ecosystem Alliance has built a “go-global service capability engine” to provide all services needed by Chinese developers when distributing their apps globally, covering all-scenario products and services. HMS Go Global Ecosystem Alliance is adept at resolving the three issues faced by Chinese apps going global – product localization, local compliance, and local promotion – to help partners expand their businesses worldwide and also promote ecosystem growth.

Huawei

If you are a developer and want to apply for this program, start by emailing Huawei using the information here.

There’s much more content and plenty of other keynotes to explore from HDC.Together 2020. Make sure you follow the event and watch it live from the official event page here.

We thank HUAWEI for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Here’s when OPPO’s Android 11-based ColorOS 11 beta is coming for your smartphone

OPPO has just announced its latest ColorOS 11 update. Along with a rebase onto Android 11, the ColorOS 11 update also adds in new features such as dark mode customizability, three-finger translation with Google Lens, FlexDrop, Super Power Saving Mode, Private System, and more. Of course, you also get the changes that Google has added in with Android 11, so you do have a whole lot to look forward to in the newest UX update. If you’re eager to know when you can experience the latest update from OPPO, here’s when the ColorOS 11 beta is coming to your smartphone.

ColorOS on OPPO Find X2 Pro: A review of OPPO’s Android 11 update

OPPO will release sign-ups for a beta version of its ColorOS 11 software followed by a stable rollout after a few months. The beta version will be available first in “open markets”, which includes regions like India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Egypt. Subsequently, the beta will open up in Europe for a handful of models. Furthermore, the beta program will not be available for users with carrier-exclusive models.

OPPO ColorOS 11 Beta Timeline for India, Indonesia, Thailand, and other regions

Here’s the ColorOS 11 beta availability timeline for “open market” regions. Remember that these dates indicate the date for starting the program, and the actual rollout will be on a batch-by-batch basis.

  • September 14th, 2020:
    • OPPO Find X2
    • OPPO Find X2 Pro
    • OPPO Find X2 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Edition
  • September 30th, 2020:
    • OPPO Reno 3 4G
    • OPPO Reno 3 Pro
    • OPPO F17 Pro
  • October 2020:
    • OPPO Reno 4 Pro 5G
  • November 2020:
    • OPPO Reno 4 5G
    • OPPO Reno 4 Pro 4G
  • December 2020:
    • OPPO Reno 4 4G
    • OPPO F11
    • OPPO F11 Pro
    • OPPO F11 Pro Marvel’s Avengers Limited Edition
    • OPPO A9
    • OPPO A92
    • OPPO A72
    • OPPO A52
  • Q1 2021:
    • OPPO Reno 10X Zoom
    • OPPO Reno 2
    • OPPO Reno 2F
    • OPPO Reno 2Z
    • OPPO Reno 3 Pro 5G
    • OPPO A91
    • OPPO F15
  • Q2 2021:
    • OPPO Reno
    • OPPO Reno Z
    • OPPO A5 2020
    • OPPO A9 2020

OPPO ColorOS 11 Beta Timeline for Europe

Europe gets different timeline because of the applicable GDPR. Consequently, here is the ColorOS 11 Beta availability timeline for the region.

  • Western Europe:
    • December 2020:
      • OPPO Find X2 Pro
      • OPPO Find X2 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Edition
    • Q1 2020:
      • OPPO Find X2 Neo
      • OPPO Find X2 Lite
    • Other models to be announced at a later date:
      • OPPO Find X2
      • OPPO A72
      • OPPO A52
      • OPPO A91
      • OPPO Reno 2Z
      • OPPO Reno Z
      • OPPO Reno 2
      • OPPO Reno 10x Zoom
      • OPPO Reno
      • OPPO A5 2020
      • OPPO A9 2020
  • Eastern Europe:
    • November 2020:
      • OPPO Find X2
    • Q1 2020:
      • OPPO Reno 3 Pro
      • OPPO Reno 3
    • Other models to be announced at a later date:
      • OPPO Reno 2Z
      • OPPO Reno Z
      • OPPO Reno 2
      • OPPO Reno 10X Zoom
      • OPPO Reno
      • OPPO A72
      • OPPO A52
      • OPPO A91
      • OPPO A5 2020
      • OPPO A9 2020

Of course, the stable update will follow after the beta testing phase. Stay tuned for more details!

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US customs seize 2,000 OnePlus Buds thinking they’re counterfeit Apple AirPods

OnePlus’ first pair of truly wireless earphones — the OnePlus Buds — were unveiled last month alongside the OnePlus Nord. The earbuds featured a design similar to the first-gen Apple AirPods, with half in-ear style earbuds and an oval case. However, unlike other AirPods clones out there, the OnePlus Buds do have some noticeable differences (branding and packaging being the most obvious ones) that would help anyone identify that they aren’t counterfeit AirPods. But apparently these differences aren’t as major, as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently seized them mistaking them as Apple AirPods.

CBP officers at an air cargo facility located at John F. Kennedy International Airport have mistakenly sized 2,000 OnePlus Buds as counterfeit AirPods. The shipment, which is valued at around $158,000, was seized on its way from Hong Kong to Nevada. In a tweet on the matter, the CBP wrote: “CBP officers at JFK Airport recently seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods from Hong Kong, valued at $398K had they been genuine.”

In a press release regarding the incident, Troy Miller, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations, said, “CBP Officers are protecting the American public from various dangers on a daily basis…The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily.”

As of now, it isn’t clear if all of the 2,000 seized units were OnePlus Buds, though the images shared by the CBP clearly suggest that at least a few of them were. While the press release doesn’t mention OnePlus, it seems like the company is aware of the situation. In response to the aforementioned tweet, the company wrote: “Hey, give those back!.” We will update this post as and when we learn more about the fate of these “counterfeit AirPods“.


Source: CBP Newsroom

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