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mardi 14 juillet 2020

Samsung Galaxy J8, Galaxy Tab A 10.5, and LG Q70 receive stable Android 10 update

As the foundation of Android 11 is getting finalized, several OEMs are trying to clear their backlogs by pushing stable Android 10 updates to the eligible devices. Samsung, for example, has upgraded a bunch of Galaxy devices, including tablets, to Android 10 with the company’s own One UI 2 UI on top in the last few weeks. Two more Samsung devices – the Galaxy J8 and the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 – are now receiving the same treatment across the globe, and LG is extending the same treatment to the LG Q70.

Samsung Galaxy J8 and Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5

Delivering Android 10 to a budget device from 2018 is quite fascinating by Samsung’s own standards, but the company has done it anyway. The Galaxy J8 debuted with Android Oreo, and received its Android Pie update with the first iteration of One UI back in April 2019. The Android 10/One UI 2 OTA for this phone (SM-J810F variant to be precise) is currently rolling out in Russia in the form of software version J810FPUU4CTG3.

Samsung Galaxy J8 XDA Forums || Samsung Galaxy Tab A XDA Forums

The Galayx Tab A 10.5 has also picked up the Android 10 update in a number of regions. Both the Wi-Fi (SM-T590) and the LTE (SM-T595) models are getting the update with build numbers T590XXU3CTF9 and T595XXU4CTF9, respectively. These builds also carry the July 2020 Android security patches.

The combined changelog can be found below:

Android 10 Changelog for the Samsung Galaxy J8/Tab A 10.5

One UI 2 brings you Android 10, with exciting new features from Samsung and Google based on feedback from users like you.

We recommend that you back up your important data to keep it safe during the upgrade.

Some apps, including Calculator, Samsung Internet, Samsung Health and Samsung Notes, need to be updated individually after you update your OS.

Here’s what’s new.

  • Dark mode
    • Enhanced image, text, and color adjustments for day and night environments.
    • Darkened wallpapers, widgets, and alarms while Dark mode is on.
  • Icons and colors
    • Clearer app icons and system colors.
    • Improved layouts for titles and buttons to eliminate wasted screen space.
  • Smoother animations
    • Enhanced animations with a playful touch.
  • Full screen gestures
    • Added new navigation gestures.
  • Refined interactions
    • Navigate more comfortably on large screens with minimal finger movement.
    • Easily focus on what matters with clearly highlighted buttons.
  • One-handed mode (only for the Galaxy J8)
    • New ways to access One-handed mode: double tap the Home button or swipe down in the center of the bottom of the screen.
    • Settings moved to Settings > Advanced features > One-handed mode.
  • Accessibility
    • High contrast keyboards and layouts for large text have been improved.
    • Listen to live speech and display it as text.
  • Better text over wallpapers
    • See text more clearly against wallpaper, as One UI automatically adjusts font colors based on light and dark areas and color contrast in the image below.
  • Media and devices
    • Replaced the SmartThings panel with the Media and Devices.
    • Media: Control music and videos playing on your phone/tablet as well as other devices.
    • Devices: Check and control your SmartThings devices directly from the quick panel.
  • Device care
    • The battery usage graph now provides more detailed information.
  • Digital wellbeing
    • Set goals to keep your phone/tablet usage in check.
    • Use Focus mode to help avoid distractions from your phone/tablet.
    • Keep an eye on your kids with new parental controls.
  • Camera
    • Added the ability to edit the modes that appear at the bottom of the screen.
    • Provided a More tab so you can quickly access hidden modes from the preview screen.
    • Improved the layout so you can focus on taking pictures without the settings getting in the way.
  • Internet
    • Customize the quick menu to get instant access to the features you use the most.
    • Get more information from the app bar.
    • Install add-ons from the Galaxy Store to get even more features.
  • Samsung Contacts
    • Added Trash feature for Contacts. Contacts that you delete will stay in the trash for 15 days before being deleted forever.
  • Calendar
    • Stickers can be added to a date without creating an event.
    • Ringtones can be used for event alerts.
  • Reminder
    • More options are available for repeating reminders.
    • Set location-based reminders for a specific period of time.
    • Share reminders with your family group and other sharing groups.
    • Set reminders for a specific date without an alert.
  • My Files
    • Created a Trash feature so you can restore files if you delete something by mistake.
    • Added more filters you can use while searching to help you find things quickly.
    • You can now copy or move multiple files and folders to different destinations at the same time.
  • Calculator
    • Added speed and time units to the unit converter.

LG Q70

Besides Samsung, LG is also rolling out the stable Android 10 update for the LG Q70. At the moment of writing this article, the OTA is available in Korea with the build number Q730N20c/Q730NO20c. A notice from the company reveals that LG is pushing the update to both unlocked and carrier variants of the LG Q70 starting from July 13th. It’s worth noting that LG’s UI packs in a number of extra features over the ones Google released with Android 10, including revamped accessibility shortcuts, hot key behavior, and more.

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HTC Desire 20 Pro can be bootloader unlocked with a simple Fastboot command

HTC recently launched a pair of mid-range smartphones in their home country in an effort to make a comeback in the smartphone market. The HTC Desire 20 Pro is one of them, featuring a slightly old Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, a quad-camera array with a 48MP primary sensor, and a reasonably large 5,000 mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0. The company also retains the 3.5mm headphone jack, while there is an additional microSD card slot beside the 128GB built-in storage. One can also unlock the bootloader of the HTC Desire 20 Pro, thanks to the OEM’s long-known tradition of permitting bootloader unlocking on a majority of its models. The good news is, HTC apparently doesn’t enforce users to get an unlock token from them before unlocking anymore, at least in the case of the Desire 20 Pro.

HTC Desire 20 Pro XDA Forums

For those not familiar with HTC’s bootloader unlocking process, the company used to require you to create an account on their developer portal i.e. HTCdev.com first and generate a device-specific ID token for your model. Unlike Google’s Pixel lineup, users couldn’t simply use a standard Fastboot command to unlock the bootloader of HTC devices. However, XDA Junior Member otack has discovered that the get_identifier_token command is no longer needed on the HTC Desire 20 Pro to perform the unlocking process. All you need to do is connect the device to your PC in Download mode and execute the following command:

fastboot flashing unlock

If the necessary drivers are installed properly, you should get a prompt on your phone screen at this point. Select “UNLOCK THE BOOTLOADER” using the volume rockers and press the Power button to confirm the choice.

Of course, unlocking the bootloader will cause a complete data wipe of your device, so ensure that you have all your important data backed up beforehand. You might still need an additional command, like fastboot flashing unlock_critical, to be able to get write access on low-level firmware partitions, albeit S-OFF access through a generic Fastboot command is highly unlikely.

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Download: OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro receive Android 11 Beta 2 builds

Google released Android 11 Beta 2 earlier this month, leaving only one more beta to go before a stable release on September 8th. Beta 2 is considered the “Platform Stability” release, meaning the Android 11 SDK, NDK APIs, app-facing surfaces, platform behaviors, as well as restrictions on non-SDK interfaces have been finalized. While you could always try out Android 11 GSIs on other non-Pixel devices, OEMs themselves have been supplying official Android 11 builds starting from Beta 1. After Android 11 Beta 1, OnePlus has now released Android 11 Beta 2 builds for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.

OnePlus 8 XDA Forums || OnePlus 8 XDA Pro Forums

Like the previous release, this Android 11 Beta 2 build comes with OxygenOS on top. While you do get the familiar interface on your phone, note that not all OxygenOS may have been migrated over perfectly, or at all, just yet. These builds are intended for developers and advanced users only, so do not expect everything to work flawlessly on this release. If you use the OnePlus 8 series phone as your daily driver, we advise sticking to the stable release channel and not flashing these builds. Further, note that these builds are not compatible with Verizon and T-Mobile variants. And as a standard disclaimer, backup everything before you proceed as the update and downgrade processes will wipe everything on your device.

These Android 11 Beta 2 builds come with the following known issues:

  1. All data will be cleared while flashing the build
  2. Certain UI screens look less than desirable
  3. Some camera functions are not available
  4. Some apps may not function as expected
  5. System stability issues

OnePlus is referring to these builds as “Developer Preview 2” builds to avoid confusion with the nomenclature used in its internal testing channels, but these builds are indeed based on Android 11 “Beta 2” as released by Google, and not Android 11 “Developer Preview 2” as released by Google.

Download Links: Android 11 Beta 2 for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro

You can download Android 11 Beta 2 for the devices from the links below:

Download Android 11 Beta 2: OnePlus 8 || OnePlus 8 Pro

To install, simply download the relevant package for your phone from the link above to your phone. Go to Settings > System > System Updates, and then click on the top-right icon and select Local Upgrade option. From there, select the update package that you have downloaded and proceed. The update should successfully flash on your device.

To downgrade back to the Android 10 stable release channel, download the relevant downgrade package for your phone and follow the same set of instructions as mentioned above, but with the downgrade package.

Downgrade package download links:


Further reading:

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[Update: Performance Regression] Google Chrome’s memory use could drop significantly after adopting a new Windows 10 feature

Update 1 (07/14/2020 @ 06:50 AM ET): Google has disabled SegmentHeap in Chrome 85 due to other performance issues. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on June 18, 2020, is preserved below.

The Google Chrome RAM hog meme might soon be a thing of the past as Microsoft has introduced a new feature in Windows 10 that could reduce Chrome’s memory usage significantly. According to a recent report from Windows Latest, the Windows 10 May 2020 update (20H1) has started rolling out to users worldwide, and it introduces Windows segment heap memory improvements that will reduce the overall memory usage of Win32 apps like Google Chrome.

Microsoft explains that the latest update for Windows 10 introduces a new “SegmentHeap” value for developers, which is a modern heap implementation that “will generally reduce your overall memory usage” on Windows 10 version 2004 or newer. The company has confirmed that it has already started using the new value in its Chromium-based Edge browser, with early tests showing a memory reduction of up to 27% on the Windows 10 May 2020 update.

Google Chrome could also benefit from the new value, and according to a recently added commit on the Chromium Gerrit, a change may be coming soon. In the commit, a Chrome developer notes that adding the “SegmentHeap” entry to the chrome.exe manifest will tell Windows 10 2004 or newer to opt chrome.exe into using the segment heap instead of the legacy heap. The developer further notes that “Experiments with per-machine opting-in to the segment heap for chrome.exe suggests that this could save hundreds of MB in the browser and Network Service utility processes, among others, on some machines.”

While both Microsoft and Google note that the actual results will vary widely, the change will undoubtedly reduce memory usage to some extent and provide users with a better experience overall. As of now, it isn’t clear when the improvements will land in a stable release of Google Chrome.

Source: Windows blog, Microsoft Application Manifests, Chromium Gerrit
Via: Windows Latest


Update: Google disables Windows SegmentHeap on Chrome 85 due to performance issues

Alas, the Chrome-RAM hog meme might stay alive for some more time. The SegmentHeap feature on Windows that was supposed to help Google Chrome trim down its memory usage, has now been found to come at the cost of increased CPU usage, as Google noted in its tests. Google observed a 10% slowdown on Speedometer 2.9 and a 13% increase in CPU usage and power consumption with the feature enabled.

Consequently, the Chromium team has disabled the feature in Chrome 85 for now. But the team is open to enabling it back in the future once it can get sufficiently positive results.

Source: Chromium Gerrit
Story Via: Techdows

The post [Update: Performance Regression] Google Chrome’s memory use could drop significantly after adopting a new Windows 10 feature appeared first on xda-developers.



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Lenovo Legion gaming smartphone teased to come with a 144Hz display, liquid cooling

The Lenovo Legion gaming smartphone is not really a surprise. The Legion phone was extensively leaked by us back in May, revealing most major specifications and details about the phone. Still, official teasers serve as confirmation on what to expect out of Lenovo’s first gaming smartphone. The latest round of teasers suggests that the Lenovo Legion will indeed join the rare breed of smartphones to come with a 144Hz high refresh rate display, and will also come with a dual-chamber liquid cooling system.

Lenovo has begun teasing the Legion phone on Weibo. One of the teasers attempts to highlight the difference between gaming at 60Hz and at 144Hz.

The teaser seemingly suggests that the Lenovo Legion will offer a smooth gaming experience because of its high refresh rate display. The higher refresh rate will allow for smoother transitions, which is unlike the jarring transitions experienced on 60Hz refresh rate displays. However, keep in mind that the game also needs to support high-refresh rates for the player to actually notice a difference and not be bottle-necked. Devices like the Nubia Red Magic 5G, Nubia Play 5G, and iQOO Neo3 5G all sport a 144Hz refresh rate display, but the games that can actually take advantage of this specification are few. So with the inclusion of one more smartphone to the list, we hope the list of supported games also grows accordingly.

Further, the teasers for the Lenovo Legion also suggest that the phone will come with dual-chamber liquid cooling. This is passive liquid cooling, which will essentially take the form of a wet vapor chamber.

A lot of smartphones utilize vapor chambers to manage heat dissipation. Lenovo also states that the phone will have “14-point temperature control matrix” which we believe will help in accurate internal temperature monitoring.

The Lenovo Legion smartphone will be launching in China on July 22. The phone has been confirmed to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC. Our previous leak indicates that the phone will also have 90W fast charging, 5000mAh battery, 2x USB Type-C ports, a notch-less display with a side popup camera, UFS 3.0 internal storage and LPDDR5 RAM, 64MP dual rear camera, and a 20MP front camera.


Source: Weibo (1, 2)

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Realme C11 and Realme 30W Dart Charge 10000mAh power bank launched in India

Shortly after the launch of the new MediaTek Helio G25 and Helio G35 chipsets late last month, Chinese OEMs Xiaomi and Realme launched a couple of devices powered by the new SoCs. Xiaomi launched the new Redmi 9A and Redmi 9C, featuring large 5,000mAh batteries and HD+ displays with a waterdrop-style notch, while Realme launched the Realme C11 with similar specifications. All three devices were initially launched in the Malaysian market, but Realme has now launched its latest budget-friendly device in India.

Realme C11: Specifications

Specifications Realme C11
Dimensions & Weight
  • 164.4 x 75.9 x 9.1 mm
  • 196g
Display
  • 6.5-inch HD+ LCD
  • 1600 x 720
SoC MediaTek Helio G35
RAM & Storage 2GB LPDDR4x + 32GB
Battery
  • 5,000mAh
  • 10W charging
Rear Cameras
  • 13MP f/2.2 primary camera
  • 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor
Front Cameras 5MP f/24
Android Version Realme UI based on Android 10

As mentioned earlier, the Realme C11 is powered by MediaTek’s new Helio G35 SoC and features a design that resembles the recently launched Redmi 9C. It features a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1600×720 pixels and a waterdrop-style notch to house the selfie camera. Over on the back, the device has a square camera module, which packs in a 13MP f/2.2 primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and an LED flash. For selfies, the device has a 5MP f/2.4 camera on the front.

Realme C11 display

The Helio G35 chipset on the device is coupled with 2GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded further using the dedicated micro SD card slot. The device packs in a massive 5,000mAh battery, which features support for 10W fast wired charging and reverse wired charging.

Realme C11 rear camera

In terms of ports, the device features a micro USB port for charging and data syncing, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. On the software front, the device runs Realme UI based on Android 10. Realme also claims that the device is splash resistant, but it doesn’t come with any official IP rating for the same. The device doesn’t feature a fingerprint scanner, but it does include support for face unlock for biometric authentication.

Along with the Realme C11, the company has launched a new power bank in the Indian market, which packs in a 10,000mAh battery and supports Realme’s 30W Dart Charge technology. The power bank features a USB Type-A port and a USB Type-C port for charging your devices, along with an LED indicator to show the current battery level, and a power button. While both the USB ports support 30W output, the USB Type-C port also includes support for 30W input to help you fast charge the power bank.

Realme 30W Dart Charge power bank

Thanks to the 30W Dart Charge support, the new power bank is capable of charging a Realme 6 from 0-65% in just 30 minutes. The power bank also features a low current mode that can be used to charge AIoT devices like wireless earphones and smartwatches. Along with Realme’s Dart Charge tech, the power bank is compatible with other popular fast charging standards like VOOC, SuperVOOC 2.0, Warp, and Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, which will allow users to fast charge supported devices from manufacturers like OPPO and OnePlus.

Pricing and Availability

The new Realme C11 has been priced at ₹7,499 (~$99) for the 2GB/32GB variant and it will be available for purchase starting from July 22nd on Realme’s website and Flipkart. Buyers will be able to choose from two different color variants — Rich Green and Rich Gray. The Realme Dart Charge power bank, on the other hand, has been priced at ₹1,999 (~$26) and will go on sale starting from July 21st on Realme’s website and Flipkart. The charger will also be available in two color options — black and yellow.

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Snap is testing a TikTok-style vertical swipe navigation for exploring content on Snapchat Discover

Snapchat was launched in circa 2012 with the objective of communicating a full range of emotions through images. May years later, it has a range of features built around conversations originating from visual imagery. Although Snapchat has always been counted among the top social media apps with approximately 230 million daily active users across the world, it has never witnessed a moment of meteoric rise as other apps including Instagram and TikTok. As TikTok’s popularity now appears to be headed towards a downfall, other apps are integrating the vertical video feed. After Instagram introduced Reels last week, Snap Inc. is now seen testing vertical swiping to navigate between videos on the Discover feed.

Traditionally, while Snapchat has been the source of inspiration for design changes on other social media apps, the vertical swiping gestures that made TikTok incredibly popular and hypnotic is now being borrowed by Snapchat.

Snapchat’s new implementation for scrolling can be seen for publically available in the Discover feed and will currently exclude Stories from friends. Users can also exit the full-screen view by swiping left or right, unlike Stories where the gesture is used to go from one story to another.

The first was first reported by Twitter user @artb2668. In one image, the user shares a screenshot of the instructions for swiping while the next tweet in the thread has a video to exemplify how the swiping navigation works.

We’re always experimenting with new ways to bring immersive and engaging content to our mobile-first Snapchat community,” Snap Inc. told TechCrunch without revealing many details. The company did admit that the feature is currently being tested for a small group of users.

Onn the other hand, ByteDance’s TikTok, which has acquired around 800 million daily active users, is going through a rough phase of trust deficit. After government-ordered restrictions in India, TikTok faces the possibility of also being banned in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Australia and this may prove to another chance for competitors like Snapchat to bounce back.

The post Snap is testing a TikTok-style vertical swipe navigation for exploring content on Snapchat Discover appeared first on xda-developers.



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