Redmi K30 confirmed to come with the 64MP Sony IMX686, and in a 4G variant

Xiaomi is teasing the upcoming Redmi K30 in full swing on Weibo, as the device series is slated to launch in China on December 10, 2019. So far, we know from official teasers that the Redmi K30 will be Redmi’s first 5G phone and that it will come with dual front cameras set inside the oval punch hole on the top right corner of the display. It will also come with the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. Xiaomi also showed off the quad rear camera setup and the side-mounted fingerprint sensor and confirmed the 4,500 mAh battery and 30W fast charging support on the phone. Now, Xiaomi has confirmed that the Redmi K30 will come with the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor, and will also be available in a 4G variant.

We first leaked that the Redmi K30 will likely come with the new Sony IMX686 sensor, which was based upon evidence within a Qualcomm camera library. This official teaser confirms our finding and mentions that the Sony IMX686 will have a 1/1.7” sensor, and will involve pixel binning to achieve 1.6μm pixels. The teasers also confirm that one of the sensors will be a macro camera allowing users to get as close as 2cm to the subject. There will also be a wide-angle camera on the device.

Redmi also confirmed that the Redmi K30 will also come in a 4G variant. 5G is in its early stage of adoption, so having the hardware for it may not be the most practical decision for many consumers until the technology is more widely available. 5G will also be expensive, so even if you do have 5G availability in your area, opting for the service may be out of budget depending on your data needs. If the Redmi K30 was only available in a 5G variant, consumers would essentially be paying a premium for a feature that they do not need. Hence, the Redmi K30 will also be available in a 4G variant, though it isn’t immediately clear if both the variants will maintain feature-parity in other hardware areas.

Here are some of the official device teasers so far:

There is also a Red color for the device that was shown off in an official video. We should get more information on the device as we approach its launch.

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Source: Weibo (1, 2, 3)

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[Update 2: Topic Selector on Twitter web] Twitter update lets you follow Topics you’re interested in, not just People

Update 2 (12/06/19 @ 1:50 AM EST): New Topic Selected to appear on Twitter for web. This lets you follow you choice of Topics that you wish to follow and get top tweets from.

Update (11/19/19 @ 3:45 PM ET): Twitter will soon let you browse a list of topics you can follow.

The original post from November 13, 2019, remains unchanged.

Twitter has a strong gravitational pull and you can’t just occasionally browse, check your notifications, and move over. This is because of the dynamic and instant nature of Twitter and while this can be both engaging and informative, it can also get overwhelming. The astounding flow of information (as well as the banter and the trolling) on the platform can often drown its purpose of always being up-to-date. In an attempt to remedy this, Twitter is announcing a new feature called “Topics” that should help users follow the trends or discussions they are interested in besides following just people.

Twitter will automatically recommend you to follow topics based on your search and interaction patterns on Twitter. When you follow a topic on Twitter, you’ll be able to see tweets from other accounts even if you don’t follow them. For instance, you follow a particular sports team in Topics, you will start seeing tweets from their official handles, their fans, as well as other discussions about the team. The idea behind is to let you see the most “relevant and interesting Tweets” and in the “right amount.”

When you search for anything, you’ll see a suggestion to keep a track of that particular topic by pressing the Follow button. You can manage the Topics you follow by heading to the dedicated menu in Twitter’s Settings.

The feature is similar to the ability to follow hashtags on Instagram but much more refined. Twitter has not detailed how they will make sure to serve you the “right amount” of tweets related to the topic and if there’s any criteria basis which they will choose the right tweets. The feature will be coming to Twitter in the coming months but a specific date hasn’t been promised.

Meanwhile, Twitter 8.22.0-beta.01 is already rolling via the Google Play Store and the feature may be available for the beta testers before users on the stable channel can enjoy it.

One of my friends shared a screenshot of the Topics icon showing up on their Twitter feed (for Android app 8.23.0-alpha.02) here in India but the Follow button in search results is still missing. We cannot say with confidence if this whether this is because of the region but will update the article once we know better.

Thanks to Anmol Sachdeva for the screenshot!

Twitter (Free, Google Play) →

Source: Twitter Blog

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Update: List of Topics

We'll be launching a way to browse a list of all of the Topics that you can follow soon (which is already in testing with a small set of customers today). We'll also continue to show you Tweets about the Topics you follow and that we think you're interested in Explore as before.

— Rob Bishop (@Rob_Bishop) November 19, 2019

Rob Bishop from Twitter confirmed that there will be a way to browse a list of topics in the Twitter app. You won’t have to use the Search feature to bring up the topics you’re following. Tweets about these topics will still appear in the Explore section as well. There’s no timeline on when this feature will roll out, but it’s currently in testing.

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Update 2: Topics Selector on Twitter Web

Twitter has started testing a Topic Selector menu on Twitter for web. This menu contains a list of topics categorized into broader subjects like Entertainment, Gaming, Technology, etc., and these categories can be expanded for a more expansive list of topics to follow.

The Topic Selector can be accessed from this link. Do note that it might not be available for all users and this is likely to be geo-restricted.

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Nokia 2.3 launches with Android One based on Android 9 Pie and a microUSB port

Following the launch of the Nokia 6.2 and Nokia 7.2 at IFA 2019, HMD Global is back at it again with a new budget-centric device. At a recent event in Egypt, the company announced the new Nokia 2.3 an Android One device running Android 9 Pie out of the box. The device features a 6.2-inch HD+ display, a dual-camera setup on the back and it boasts of some impressive AI features.

Specifications

Specification	Nokia 2.3
Dimensions and Weight	157.69x 75.41 x 8.68 mm; 183g
Display	6.2″ HD+ (720 x 1520); Waterdrop notch
SoC	MediaTek Helio A22: Quad-code (4x A53 @2.0GHz)
RAM and Storage	2GB + 32GB; Expandable through dedicated microSD card slot
Battery	4,000 mAh
USB	microUSB
Rear Camera	13MP, f/2.2 + 2MP depth sensor
Front Camera	5MP, f/2.4
Android Version	Android 9 Pie

The new Nokia 2.3 is powered by a MediaTek Helio A22 chip, coupled with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It includes a microSD card slot for expansion with support for up to 400GB cards. While the hardware may not sound all that impressive, Nokia is banking on the device’s AI capabilities to entice buyers. For instance, the company talked about a new ‘Recommended Shot’ feature that will help users take great photos with the device’s 13MP + 2MP dual-camera setup. It also includes features like ‘Portrait mode’ and a night mode for better image capture in a variety of settings. Up on the front, the device has a 5MP selfie-shooter house in the notch at the top.

The device is backed up by a 4,000mAh battery which, the company claims, can easily provide two days of use on a single charge. In order to provide the best battery life, Nokia has included an AI-assisted Adaptive Battery technology in the Nokia 2.3. This technology will learn from your usage and optimize apps to offer longer battery life. On the outside, the Nokia 2.3 features a design reminiscent of other budget devices from the company with a durable polymer body that has a 3D nano-textured coating to ensure that the device sits securely in your hands.

Speaking of the launch, HMD Global’s CPO Juho Sarvikas was quoted saying, “Consumers world over have really appreciated the Nokia 2 family of products. The Nokia 2.3 is a step forward in our promise of offering you an experience that stays fresh longer – giving consumers access to two years of OS upgrades and three years of monthly security updates even in the affordable price tier. On top, it offers industry leading AI for this segment, large screen and our signature promise of two-day battery life – making it the ideal pick for those who rely on their smartphone as their primary screen.”

While the device ships with Android 9 Pie, Nokia has promised regular security updates for three years and OS update for two years. This means that the Nokia 2.3 will be upgraded to Android 10 sometime down the line. One really interesting thing about the device, however, is that it features a dedicated Google Assistant button to help users easily activate the voice assistant. In terms of connectivity, the device includes 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/A-GPS, a micro-USB port for charging and data syncing, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Nokia 2.3 pricing and availability

The Nokia 2.3 will be made available in Cyan Green, Sand, and Charcoal color variants and it’s priced at a reasonable €109(~$121). The device is expected to go on sale mid-December, but we currently don’t have any information regarding its India release.

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WhatsApp gets Any.do integration for tasks and reminders, adds call waiting support

Facebook’s popular instant messaging app WhatsApp is one of the most feature-rich messengers out there. Even though packs in almost all the features you’d ever need, the developers keep adding more new features with each successive update. We’ve already seen a glimpse of some upcoming features like a dark mode, disappearing messages and Boomerang-like looped videos. Now, WhatsApp is rolling out two new features that will greatly improve its functionality.

Any.do integration for tasks and reminders

As reported by Android Police, productivity platform Any.do has now announced a partnership with WhatsApp. As a result, WhatsApp users will now be able to create tasks and get reminders from within the messenger. With the latest version of WhatsApp, users will be able to text an Any.do bot things like “Cancel my Netflix subscription” or “Water the plants” to set a reminder. On top of that, the bot also acknowledges forwarded messages from other users so you don’t even have to type out a command to set a reminder.

Once you write or forward a message to the Any.do bot, it will ask you if you’d like to get a reminder and when. You can reply with cues like “tomorrow morning” or “today at 6 pm”. The bot will then send you a message reminding you of the same when its time. The best part about using Any.do through WhatsApp is that your reminders will automatically be synchronized with your Any.do to-dos.

Additionally, the chatbot will also remind you of the tasks that you didn’t set on WhatsApp. The only shortcoming is that you’ll need a premium Any.do account to connect to WhatsApp. In case you do, you can head over to whatsapp.any.do or jump into the Integrations section in the Any.do app to set it up.

Call waiting support

According to a recent report from 91mobiles, the latest version of WhatsApp on Android (v2.19.357) is also getting support for call waiting. The feature was previously released on WhatsApp for iOS and it will show you a ‘call waiting’ notification when someone is trying to call when you’re in the middle of a call.

The changelog for the latest update also reiterates the new privacy settings that let you control who can add you to groups and the fingerprint unlock feature. We’ve already seen these features before, but they now seem to be rolling out to a wider audience. WhatsApp has also fixed an issue that caused battery drain on some devices.

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Source: Any.do

Via: Android Police, 91Mobiles

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FX File Explorer removed from the Play Store for “deceptively” advertising…a free theme

FX File Explorer is one of the more popular file explorers on Android. We’ve written about the app numerous times, and the developer is very active in our forums. We were surprised when the developer reached out to tell us Google had removed the app from the Play Store, and even more surprised when we heard the reason why.

The app was removed from the Play Store for violating the Deceptive Ads policy (which you can read here). Simply put, this is a policy to make sure that ads in apps are clearly labeled, so as to not trick users into interacting with them. Google provided a screenshot of the “deceptive ad” in question and it turns out to it was simply a button in the Theme settings that takes the user to the free FX Faenza theme.

The “deceptive” ad

The developer immediately appealed the removal, but as of the time of writing, FX File Explorer is still missing from the Play Store. A button in the Themes section that leads to a free theme from the same developer that made the app is obviously not what the Deceptive Ads policy is about. It’s easy to say Google should be more understanding and reach out before removing an app, but with millions of apps to review, these things are bound to happen. We can only hope the situation is resolved quickly.

Source: XDA Forums

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[Update: Blog Post] Google’s first Android Game SDK release is designed to help game devs improve frame pacing

Update 1 (12/5/19 @ 4:30 PM ET): Google has officially announced the Game SDK in a blog post. More details below. The original article remains as follow.

Late last year, Google created a new tree in AOSP called “gamesdk.” Google engineers have slowly added code to this tree over the past year, and this week, it looks like they’re gearing up for the first public release. The initial release of the “Android Game SDK” will focus on helping mobile game developers improve frame pacing in their Android games. Version 1.0.0 of the Game SDK includes the Android Frame Pacing Library as a static library for mobile game developers to integrate into their engines.

Notably, Unity has already integrated Android Frame Pacing into its game engine. For context, in May of this year, Unity announced version 2019.2 beta of its game engine. The release included a new setting called “Optimized Frame Pacing” in the “Settings for Android” section. Unity says they developed this feature in partnership with Google’s Android Gaming and Graphics team to “[provide] consistent frame rates by enabling frames to be distributed with less variance.” According to JC Cimetiere, Senior Technical Product Manager for Mobile Platform at Unity Technologies, this new Optimized Frame Pacing setting “prevents a queue of frames building up by synchronizing the time at which a game submits a frame with the time at which the display hardware consumes that frame.” With the option enabled, “frames spend less time in the queue, decreasing input latency” and resulting in players’ input events being reflected sooner on-screen.

Optimized Frame Pacing in Unity’s Player Settings for Android. Source: Unity Technologies.

Google briefly talked about the new Android Frame Pacing API at Google I/O 2019, and they also published a page on it on the Android Developers website. This webpage describes how to integrate Android Frame Pacing into your own project with separate sets of instructions depending on whether your game’s rendering engine uses OpenGL ES or the Vulkan API. Two sample projects are provided – Bouncyball and Cube – to demonstrate how to use the Android Frame Pacing library to achieve proper frame pacing in games that use OpenGL ES or Vulkan, respectively.

Although Google published the release notes for version 1.0.0 of the Android Game SDK, the company has not yet made an announcement. The public Game SDK page referenced in the release notes has also not gone live yet, so we’re expecting to see an announcement soon.

Android Game SDK Version 1.0.0 Release Notes

•  This initial version of the Android Game SDK features the Android Frame Pacing library.
• Features
  •  Display buffer synchronization.
  • Auto refresh rate mode and pipelining support.
  • Collection of frame rendering statistics.
  • Graceful selection of behavior at runtime, depending on the presence of the Android, OpenGL, and Vulkan features needed by Swappy.
  • Static and dynamic linking of the library.
  • Support for devices with multiple refresh rates.

For more information, see https://ift.tt/2COxcEA.

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer luca020400 for the tip!

Update 1: Game SDK Blog Post

Over on the Android Developers Blog, Google officially announced the Android Game SDK, a set of libraries that mobile game developers can use to enhance their games. As expected, the first release focuses on helping game developers improve frame pacing. Google says the Frame Pacing library is integrated into Unity SDK versions 2019.2 and beyond, but developers with access to the source for their game engine can learn how to integrate the library into their OpenGL or Vulkan renderer by visiting this page.

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Vivaldi Browser’s second Android beta brings swipe to close tabs, better start page customization, and more

The Vivaldi browser launched on Android back in September with features such as built-in notes, sync, a simplified read view, and much more. It’s perhaps not as well-known as Chrome or Firefox, but it packs a ton of handy features. The second beta release of the Android app brings even more features, including swipe to close tabs and an improved start page.

Swipe to close tabs works exactly as it sounds. Once enabled, you can swipe left or right on a tab on the Tab Switcher page to close it. The Start Page, which is where you can see favorite sites and bookmarks, has been upgraded. You can no drag and drop to rearrange “Speed Dial” bookmarks, long-press to edit Speed Dials, or add more Speed Dials.

Tired of constantly switching to Desktop versions of websites? You can now permanently enabled Desktop mode with a toggle in the Settings. Some of the other additions include a home screen Search widget, an “Empty Trash” button to delete all “deleted” bookmarks and notes, scroll bars on internal pages, and Chromebook support. Check out the full changelog below.

Changelog from Beta 1 to Beta 2

New 

• [New][Start Page] Add popup menu to add a folder or speed dial for Speed dial plus button (VB-57631)
• [New][Start Page] Drag Speed Dials around to change order (VB-57995)
• [New][Start Page] Make it possible to edit and delete speed dials (VB-57597)
• [New][Bookmarks][Notes] Make it possible to delete all items from trash (VB-56624)
• [New][Settings] Add an option ‘Always Show Desktop Site’ in Settings (VB-59366)
• [New][Settings] Add scroll indicators to Speed Dial and Tab switcher (VB-55260)
• [New][Settings] Swipe to close tabs (VB-57094)
• [New] Vivaldi does not work on Chromebooks (VB-59995)

Accessibility 

• [Accessibility] Tab view menu cannot be chosen by finger-sliding (VB-58585)

Bookmarks 

• [Bookmarks] Adding a new speed dial in a sub-folder is not immediately visible (VB-57622)
• [Bookmarks] Deleted bookmark from edit dialog does not move to trash (VB-58356)
• [Bookmarks] Hide separators in bookmarks (VB-59218)
• [Bookmarks] Speed dial edit folder issue (VB-60429)
• [Bookmarks] Taping back should save bookmarks (VB-60619)

Crash

• [Crash] Crash on the low-end device (Nokia 1) (VB-55424)
• [Crash] Vivaldi crashes in going to Android 10 settings (VB-60007)

Downloads 

• [Downloads]”Download site” button is missing (VB-60256)
• [Downloads] Files go to wrong Download folder on Android 10 (VB-58227)

Menu 

• [Menus] Changed order of copy to note the item in the context menu (VB-58484)

Notes 

• [Notes] Cannot edit notes folder name (VB-60006)
• [Notes] It is too easy to accidentally not save a new note (VB-60099)
• [Notes] Hide separators entries synced from desktop (VB-59216)

Settings 

• [Settings] Add summary for “Show Scrollbars” preference (VB-58910)
• [Settings] Disable enabling Developer options (VB-59279)
• [Settings] Not every dialog follows the night mode (VB-58889)
• [Settings] Toggle buttons are blue (should be green) (VB-58947)

Start Page 

• [Start Page] Long tap on Speed Dial doesn’t work well (VB-58596)

Sync

• [Sync] Disable notes or bookmarks in sync settings make the sync(cloud) tab empty (VB-58888)
• [Sync] Empty sync tab (VB-60165)

Tablet 

• [Tablet] Incognito icon does not show when making a new private tab (VB-56399)
• [Tablet] Speed Dials listed in one column (VB-57212)

Tab Switcher

• [Tab Switcher] When a private tab is open from the menu, the wrong view is shown (VB-57775)

User Interface

• [UI] Scrollbar position on the Start page is a bit off (VB-59363)
• [UI] Unify icons stroke width and remove text buttons (VB-58638)
• [UI] Vivaldi icon for offline page (VB-60371)

Others 

• Lag after closing the last tab (VB-58140)
• Sometimes, the cogs in download panel display new bookmark dialog (VB-57649)
• Swipe causes selections to be lost (VB-58957)
• Upgraded Chromium to 79.0.3945.61
• Updated translations

Vivaldi Browser Beta (Free, Google Play) →

Source: Vivaldi

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