Google Play Games prepares to notify you of Google’s chosen Game of the Week

Even though Google Play Games isn’t one of the company’s more popular apps, Google keeps bringing new features to the app to keep it at par with all of its other offerings. Google Play Games was one of the earliest apps from the company to get a dark theme and it even received a major design overhaul last year. Now, it seems like Google is testing a new feature for the app which will notify users of the company’s Game of the Week selection to promote discovery.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

A teardown of the latest version of Google Play Games (v.2020.01.15707) revealed strings of code that talk about the upcoming feature. Once released, the Games of the Week notification feature will be available in the app settings and will allow users to tap on a toggle to receive notifications for Google’s top pick each week. Tapping on the setting for the first time will bring up a dialog that states, “We’ll highlight a different instant game every week and notify you when it’s ready. No installation needed.” The dialog will include a ‘Done’ button to enable the feature.

<string name="games__gotw__game_of_the_week_notifications_disabled_label"><u>Enable Game of the week notifications in settings</u></string>
    <string name="games__gotw__notification_channel_name">Game of the week</string>
    <string name="games__gotw__opt_in_dialog_body">"We'll highlight a different instant game every week and notify you when it's ready. No installation needed."</string>
    <string name="games__gotw__opt_in_dialog_button">Done</string>
    <string name="games__gotw__opt_in_dialog_label">Get game of the week notifications</string>
    <string name="games__gotw__opt_in_dialog_title">Want updates on the game of the week?</string>

For the unaware, Instant Games is a separate category within Google Play Games which consists of titles that you can play instantly without installing them on your device. These include titles like Microtrip, Mazes & More, and Sea Battle, that can be played just by tapping on the Instant play button next to the listing. As of now, Google has revealed no information on when the feature will roll out to the stable version of the app. But since the code has already made it to the app, we expect the company to reveal more information soon.

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

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Amazon Echo Show 8 now available for pre-ordering in India

Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Nest (formerly Home) are the dominant players in the smart speaker market. The Echo lineup of smart speakers is powered by Alexa, while the Google Nest speakers are powered by the Google Assistant. Amazon and Google are competing for superiority in the smart speaker market. In 2018, both players separately introduced a new product category of smart speakers with built-in displays in the form of the Amazon Echo Show and the Google Nest Hub (formerly Home Hub) respectively. The original 10.1-inch Echo Show was launched two-and-a-half years ago, and since then, the family has expanded with a 5-inch Echo Show 5. More recently, Amazon launched the 8-inch Echo Show 8 as part of a variety of product announcements in September. Now, the device is available for pre-ordering in India. Its official price tag is ₹12,999 ($183), but the pre-ordering price is discounted to ₹8,999 ($126), until the product’s shipping date on February 26.

Echo Show 8

The Echo Show 8 comes with an 8-inch HD display, stereo sound with two-inch neodymium speakers and a passive bass radiator, Internet connectivity through Wi-Fi, and a camera with a built-in physical shutter to alleviate privacy concerns. It slots in above the Echo Show 5 and below the 10.1-inch Echo Show in Amazon’s device portfolio in terms of screen size and pricing. The Echo Show 8 is more expensive than the Echo Show 5, which costs ₹6,999 ($98) in India (although it originally launched for ₹8,999), while being cheaper than the 10.1-inch Echo Show (₹12,999 vs. ₹22,999). The capabilities of all three products are the same, as they differ only in their hardware.

The Echo Show 8 can do all things Alexa-related, which includes search queries, watching content, hands-free voice calls, video calls with the built-in display, and more. The existence of the product itself can be explained in a single sentence: Amazon wants to build Alexa-enabled devices in every size, for most popular consumer requirements. The company aims to make its voice assistant ubiquitous in the lives of consumers, and to an extent, it is succeeding.

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Pre-order the Echo Show 8 on Amazon India

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Galaxy Buds+ spec sheet and renders confirm what’s new for Samsung’s wireless earbuds

Late last year in December, we first got word of the upcoming Galaxy Buds+. At the time, we didn’t know anything about the earbuds other than its name. Then, late last month, leaked renders of the earbuds surfaced online giving us our first look at Samsung’s updated Galaxy Buds+. The renders confirmed no design changes for the wireless earbuds, however, they did confirm the three color variants. Now, just a week ahead of the Samsung Unpacked launch event, we have received more information about the upcoming earbuds.

Renowned leakster @evleaks has shared a detailed spec sheet for the Galaxy Buds+ which not only highlights all of its specifications but also reveals the price. As per the spec sheet, the Buds+ will be slightly heavier than the non-plus variant due to the slightly larger 85mAh battery in the buds and 270mAh battery in the case. Thanks to the larger battery, the Galaxy Buds+ will offer 11 hours of continuous use on a single charge, with an additional 22 hours offered by the charging case. The buds will also include fast charge support, boasting of 60 minutes of playtime with just 3 minutes of charging.

Much like the older Galaxy Buds, the Buds+ will feature Bluetooth 5.0, but this time around Samsung has included support for multi-device connections. The updated buds also feature a 2-way dynamic speaker system, one additional microphone, IPX2 rating, and support for iOS devices. Sadly though, the spec sheet doesn’t mention support for active noise cancellation. The Galaxy Buds+ will allegedly be available in four color variants — black, white, blue, and red — and it will be priced at $149.

The aforementioned information was also confirmed in a recent report from WinFuture, which also included some new renders of the Galaxy Buds+. The report also reveals that Samsung’s companion app for the Galaxy Buds+ is already available on the Apple App Store, thereby confirming iOS compatibility.

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Source: Twitter, WinFuture

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Xiaomi releases the kernel sources for the Redmi K30 4G/POCO X2

After a year and half long waiting period, POCO finally expanded its portfolio with the launch of POCO X2 in India. While not a direct successor to the POCO F1, the POCO X2 is filled with all the right ingredients necessary to make its own name. With a smooth 120Hz display, a bigger battery, improved cameras, and even cheaper starting price, the device should face no issue convincing potential buyers. However, it’s not just the low price point that makes POCO so popular among enthusiasts. The part of the appeal also comes from the company’s dev-friendly nature and willingness to support the modding community.

POCO X2/Redmi K30 4G XDA Forums

Speaking at the POCO X2 launch event yesterday, C. Manmohan, POCO General Manager, reiterated their support for the community and promised that the company will provide the kernel sources for the device from Day 1. As promised, the kernel sources and device tree for the POCO X2/Redmi K30 are now live on the company’s GitHub. It should be noted that the POCO X2 is just a rebranded version of the Redmi K30 4G and hence the same code is applicable for both devices. POCO is in the process of carving its own identity which is distinct from Xiaomi, but for now, the kernel source release comes from Xiaomi’s official GitHub repository. You can review the source code by visiting the link below.

POCO X2/Redmi K30 4G Kernel Sources

The release of the kernel code will greatly aid the development efforts and we can look forward to developers booting TWRP and bringing early port of AOSP-based ROMs in the following weeks. The POCO F1 remains one of the most popular devices on our forums and with the release of kernel sources, the POCO X2 has set itself on the same path. The device will go on sale in India starting February 11th from Flipkart for a starting price of ₹15,999 ($225).

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ZTE and LG cancel MWC 2020 events citing coronavirus concerns

The death toll from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China has continued to climb over the last few weeks. New cases of infection have risen by double-digit percentages and there are no signs of a slowdown. On top of that, the outbreak is wreaking havoc on the global supply chain, with several companies shutting shop in China and pulling out their employees from the region. Effects of the supply shortage have been felt far and wide. Early this week, ASUS announced that its flagship product — the ROG Phone II — will be out of stock due to the coronavirus situation. Now, it seems like the outbreak might also hamper the upcoming MWC 2020 trade show.

GSM Alliance’s annual MWC trade show is scheduled for later this month. At the event, a number of smartphone manufacturers are expected to showcase their product lineup for 2020. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, both LG and ZTE have now announced that they won’t be attending the event this year. In a statement regarding the matter, LG withdrew its participation from the event to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public. Instead, the company plans to hold separate events in the near future to showcase its 2020 mobile products. The company was expected to announce the LG V60 ThinQ and LG G9 ThinQ at this year’s MWC, which will most likely be pushed back due to the current situation.

Chinese OEM ZTE had previously confirmed attendance at MWC 2020 with a 5G-focused event. The company was also expected to launch the Axon 10s Pro 5G at the event, however, it has also pulled out citing the coronavirus situation. The company’s PR reached out to us and confirmed their cancellation due to the same reason. Until the coronavirus situation is under control, we believe more OEMs might pull out of the trade show this year to protect their employees. It’s also worth noting that MWC 2020 has recently announced a ‘handshake ban’ at the event, along with other measures, to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

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Samsung teases the Galaxy M31 with a 64MP camera

After years of cheapening out its budget phones with sub-standard specifications and an absence of basic sensors, Samsung finally woke up in 2019. The company upgraded the Galaxy A series with better specifications to make them more competitive in the upper mid-range segments of the smartphone market. More importantly, it took the fight to Xiaomi and Realme by releasing the online-only Galaxy M series in the lower mid-range segment. The Galaxy M30, Galaxy M20, and Galaxy M10 were launched in early 2019. While the phones couldn’t beat Xiaomi and Realme’s competitors in every respect, they were at least in the same league. Samsung became respectable in the lower mid-range segment after a long time. In September, the company upgraded the Galaxy M30 by launching the Galaxy M30s (review), its highlight features being its massive 6,000mAh battery and a 48MP primary camera. Despite the improvement in specifications, Samsung’s market share has continued to decrease in India, allowing Vivo to sneak past into second position in the Indian smartphone market. Something more needs to be done.

Saw this image online. Seems like Samsung is coming up with something to do with a 64MP #MegaMonster. The details & when is still a mystery. Let's see what the successor to the M30s has to offer. @SamsungIndia can you throw some light. pic.twitter.com/La7YnDnW9K

— Ranjit (@geekyranjit) February 4, 2020

To that end, Samsung has kept launching new phones in the mid-range market. The company launched the Galaxy A51 earlier this month, a phone that was a mild refresh of its predecessor, the Galaxy A50s (review). Now, two prominent Indian YouTubers, GeekyRanjit and Technical Guruji respectively, have released exclusive teasers of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M31, which will be the successor of the Galaxy M30s. The teaser reveals the phone’s name and proclaims a 64MP camera with the tagline “Mega Monster”. The “mega monster” tagline suggests that it will probably have the same 6,000mAh battery capacity as its predecessor—beating all of its competitors in this respect. No other details were provided, but we can expect Samsung to announce the phone’s launch date soon. The 64MP primary camera is expected to use Samsung’s own 64MP ISOCELL GW1 sensor.

The upcoming Galaxy M31 recently received Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi certifications, which revealed that it would come out of the box with Android 10, feature dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Earlier unverified rumors suggested that it could have a quad camera setup consisting of a 64MP primary camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera, a depth sensor, and a macro camera—imitating the camera setups of the Redmi Note 8 Pro (review), Realme XT (review) and the Realme X2 (review). It was also said to be powered by the same Exynos 9611 SoC that powered both its predecessor and the Galaxy A50s/Galaxy A51. It could be paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB of expandable storage. It should be noted these details haven’t been confirmed.

The Galaxy M30s recently received a price cut in India, with the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant now available at ₹12,999, down from its launch price of ₹13,999. The 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant received a ₹2,000 price cut from ₹16,999 to ₹14,999. These prices are now applicable across retailers. This is another indication that Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy M31 soon.

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Via: 91mobiles

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NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW cloud gaming service is now open to all

Game streaming services have become increasingly popular in the last year. Google Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud are a few examples, but NVIDIA has one of the oldest services in GeForce NOW. Last August, NVIDIA announced the service would be coming to Android, and in October they started a closed beta. Starting today, anyone can sign up.

For those unfamiliar with the GeForce NOW service, it’s a little different from Stadia. You don’t have to re-purchase any of the games you already own. You can stream games that are already in your Steam account (as long as NVIDIA has added support for the game). The service works on Windows, macOS, SHIELD TV, and Android smartphones. It will also be coming to Chromebooks sometime this year.

Starting today, GeForce NOW is no longer in closed beta. Users can sign up and choose from two tiers: Free and Founders. The free tier is limited to 1-hour gaming sessions and may be subject to a waitlist if there are too many people trying to play. The Founders tier gets priority access, up to 6 hours of playtime, and gaming with RTX. If you sign up now, you get the first 3 months for free, and it’s $4.99 per month for the rest of 2020.

NVIDIA expects to support 4-5 RTX titles at launch. Gameplay can be up to 1080p60 depending on the connection. All existing beta users will be automatically migrated to the Founders tier for free. 30 countries across North America and Europe are currently supported. You can head over to the GeForce NOW website to sign up!

NVIDIA GeForce NOW (Free, Google Play) →

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