LG K42 with MIL-STD-810G certification launches in India

Although recent reports suggest that LG may completely shut down its smartphone business this year, the company is still bringing new smartphones to the Indian market. Today, the company launched the budget-friendly LG K42 in the region, featuring a 6.6-inch HD+ display, a quad-camera setup, and MIL-STD-810G certification.

LG K42: Specifications

Specification	LG K42
Dimensions & Weight	76.7 x 165.0 x 8.4mm 182g
Display	6.6-inch HD+ LCD Centered hole-punch cutout
SoC	MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762)
RAM & Storage	3GB RAM 64GB storage
Battery	4,000mAh
Security	Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	13MP primary camera 8MP wide-angle camera 2MP depth sensor 2MP macro sensor
Front Camera(s)	8MP selfie camera
Port(s)	USB Type-C 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi
Other Features	Dedicated Google Assistant button MIL-STD-810G certification

The LG K42 features a design similar to Samsung’s recent M series devices, with a rectangular camera module on the back and a centered hole-punch display over on the front. However, unlike Samsung’s M series devices, it offers a textured back panel that provides a stable grip and prevents scuffs from daily use. As mentioned earlier, it features a 6.6-inch HD+ LCD screen with a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera and chunky bezels all around.

The LG K42 packs MediaTek’s Helio P22 chipset, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, which is powered by a substantial 4,000mAh battery. In the camera department, the device features a quad-camera setup on the back, with a 13MP primary shooter, a 5MP wide-angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. Over on the front, it has a single 8MP selfie camera.

 

The highlighting feature of LG K42 is its MIL-STD-810G certification, which, LG claims, can help the device survive daily abuse with ease. LG is so confident of its durability that it’s offering two years of warranty with the device and free one-time screen replacement. Along with the aforementioned features, the LG K42 also features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a dedicated Google Assistant button, a USB Type-C port for data transfer and charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi.

Pricing & Availability

The LG K42 is priced at ₹10,990 and it will go on sale on January 26th exclusively via Flipkart. The device will be available in two color options — gray and green.

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The powerful new Fossil 5 LTE is now available at Verizon for $349

Last week during CES 2021, the Fossil 5 LTE was officially announced, providing a smartwatch option to those that want to be a bit less tethered to their phones. Retailing at $349, the smartwatch is now available in Black and Pink at Verizon, which happens to be the exclusive carrier for the smartwatch as well.

The Fossil 5 LTE was already available for purchase at Fossil’s website, but in order to use the features you’re paying for, you have to get a Verizon plan, as it’s only pairable with phones with Verizon Numbershare. So grabbing this smartwatch from Verizon is definitely a good idea! You need them either way, after all.

Costing $50 more than the original Fossil 5 smartwatches, the Fossil 5 LTE effectively has the same tech inside it. What you’re paying for here is for the watch to function completely without your phone having to be nearby. So if you maybe want to leave your phone while you go on a hike–then your Fossil 5 LTE will have no issues holding a signal and tracking your hike via GPS. Want to use Google Pay on your watch without worrying about where your smartphone is? There you go!

At Verizon, you can play the straight $350 for the Fossil Gen 5 LTE, or pay $14.53 a month for 24 months. In addition, you’ll save $150 if you bundle the new Fossil with a smartphone. I’m pretty sure there are some Samsung Galaxy S21 deals you can stack at Verizon with this too!

Fossil 5 LTE at Verizon

The LTE version of the Fossil 5 is not at Verizon! For $349 or $14.53/month for 24 months, get a smartphone that can function without your smartphone nearby.

$349 at Verizon

If you’re not interested on having your smartwatch on a Verizon plan, you can instead opt for the standard Fossil 5. Since the tech for both smartwatches is essentially the same, you can save a cool $50 for the same experience… and that’s only if it’s not on sale. Right now at Amazon, the Fossil 5 Carlyte is on sale for $240, so you save $110 over the LTE version!

Fossil 5 Carlyte

Don't need to have your smartphone connected to your cell data, or don't have Verizon? The standard Fossil 5s has the same technology within at a lower price!

View at Amazon

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Google Duo may shut down in April for uncertified Android devices

We recently reported on new strings found within the Google Messages app that suggested that the app would stop working on uncertified Android devices from April 2021. It seems that Google Duo may also be joining this list, as new strings within the app’s latest update suggest a similar shut down for April for the video calling service.

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.

Google Duo v123 is rolling out on the Google Play Store, and it contains the following new strings:

<string name="grace_period_notification_body">"Because you're using an unsupported device, Duo will unregister your account on this device soon. Download your Clips and call history to avoid losing them."</string>
<string name="grace_period_notification_title">Duo is going away soon</string>

While the strings within Google Messages were straightforward, those within Google Duo make a reference to “unsupported” devices. On these unsupported devices, your account will be unregistered, but you’ll have a chance to download Clips and call history before you get kicked out.

What exactly is an “unsupported” device, though? Digging deeper into the decompiled code, we can confirm that “unsupported” device in this context refers to the lack of GMS compliance, essentially meaning the same as an uncertified device. The decompiled code also indicates that Google has set the final enforcement date for March 31, 2021, after which Google Duo will completely stop working for uncertified devices. But for some minor relief, there is a grace period of 14 days, so users on uncertified Android devices will have plenty of time to download their data before the app and service shut down for them.

One could assign the RCS End-to-End encryption rollout as a plausible reason for Google to drop support for uncertified devices on Google Messages. But with Gooogle Duo, the argument holds little ground. Google Duo is freely available on the web with no device restrictions. So using the same on a certified or uncertified device should not matter. As Mishaal confirms, you can install and use Google Duo on the Huawei P40 Pro without needing Google Mobile Services. And of course, the same is also the case for the web. So just locking one of these out while letting the other one exist appears to be prima facie unreasonable. We hope Google clarifies on its reasoning when the change is implemented.

Google Duo - High Quality Video Calls (Free, Google Play) →

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Realme Watch 2 specs and design revealed through FCC filing

A recent teardown of the Realme Link app unearthed evidence to suggest that the company was working on two new smartwatches. New strings of code spotted in the teardown revealed the names of the upcoming smartwatches — Realme Watch 2 and Watch 2 Pro — which led us to believe that they would be successors to last year’s budget-friendly Realme Watch. While we didn’t learn much else from the teardown, an FCC listing of the Realme Watch 2 has now revealed its design and specifications.

According to the FCC certification listing (via 91mobiles), the Realme Watch 2 will feature a square dial like its predecessor, with a button on the right edge. As you can see in the attached images, it will have a silicone strap with a traditional watch-style clasp and a color display. The design leads us to believe that it will be an affordable smartwatch, like the original Realme Watch, and it may be similarly priced (around ₹4,000).

The FCC listing further reveals that the watch will have the model number RMW2008 and it will support Bluetooth BLE. A user manual for the watch included in the certification listing highlights all of the smartwatch’s specifications. It states that the watch will feature a 1.4-inch TFT color touch display with a 320×320 pixel resolution. It will pack a 305mAh battery, and it will come with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The manual also mentions that the watch will support Bluetooth 5.0 BLE and that it will work with devices running Android 5.0 and above.

Furthermore, the manual reveals that the Realme Watch 2 will support SpO2 monitoring, 24-hour continuous heart rate monitoring, multiple workout modes, sleep tracking, a meditation mode, smart notification support, and music playback controls. Much like the Realme Watch, the upcoming smartwatch will come with a proprietary charger. As of now, Realme hasn’t revealed any information about the smartwatch. But since it has now received certification from the FCC, the company may announce launch details soon.

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Google threatens to pull out Search from Australia over upcoming law

It’s difficult to even imagine a life without Google Search, so much so that even the word “google” as a verb has become synonymous with searching for information on the internet. But for the people in Australia, they might have to consider such a future, as an upcoming law that requires Google to pay for using news content could push the company to withdraw Google Search from the country.

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission drafted the upcoming News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code law (“Code”). According to the draft, Google and Facebook would be required to pay news publishers for the news content that they surface in their search results on their respective platforms. This draft came to into existence after an inquiry in 2019 found that these tech giants were enjoying a disproportionately large share of online ad revenue even as their content came from media organizations.

Google and Facebook are definitely not happy. Google Australia’s Managing Director, Ms. Mel Silva, appeared a public hearing of the Senate Economics Legislation Committee which is reviewing the proposed law, and presented the following statement as part of their entire comment:

“The principle of unrestricted linking between websites is fundamental to Search. Coupled with the unmanageable financial and operational risk if this version of the Code were to become law it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia. That would be a bad outcome not just for us, but for the Australian people, media diversity and small businesses who use Google Search.”

Google followed up with an accompanying blog post. For one, it still supports a “fair” Code, while maintaining that the “current version of this law remains unworkable for Google“. It is also taking objection towards Google Search being clubbed into the broad definition of news, which would force Google to pay to show links in a way that, it claims, would fundamentally break how search engines work. Google alleges that the Code also has an unfair arbitration process and that the 14-day algorithm notification required (under Section 52S, 52T, and 52U) will give news publishers special treatment.

Google’s primary contention still remains that paying for links and snippets undermines the basic principle of the internet — which is the ability to freely link between websites. No one pays to include a hyperlink in an email, and so websites and search engines do not pay to provide links to other websites. Keep in mind that the argument is being extended beyond just links and onto “snippets” as well, which one can arguably consider one of the highlights of the entire news story.

Google’s proposed solution to the situation is through the Google News Showcase, which is a licensing program through which news businesses publish and promote their stories online. Publishers would get paid for journalist’s editorial expertise and beyond-the-paywall access to their journalism. But Google News Showcase only figures in Google News within its ambit and excludes links and snippets that show up in Google Search.

The Associated Press quoted Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison’s reaction:

“We don’t respond to threats. Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia. That’s done in our Parliament. It’s done by our government. And that’s how things work here in Australia.”

Facebook also has had opinions on the upcoming law, but none are recent. We’ll be following the story closely to see how it develops, as the possible outcomes of this law can definitely shape the future of the internet. For better or for worse? Too early to tell for now.

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How to access Android 11’s Device Controls feature on Xiaomi devices

Google introduced a new feature in Android 11 to help users easily control their smart home devices with their smartphones. The feature, called Device Controls, added home automation shortcuts in the Power Menu, allowing users to easily access all connected smart home devices in one place. But while Google intended the Device Controls to show up in the Power Menu on all devices running Android 11, some manufacturers, like Xiaomi, have placed it in a different location on their respective Android skins. So, if you have a Xiaomi device running Android 11, here’s how you can access the Device Controls feature on your phone:

To access Device Controls on a Xiaomi Device running MIUI 12 based on Android 11, you’ll first need to enable the new Control center on the phone. For that, you’ll have to head over to the device Settings, tap on the Display option, and then select the Control center & Notification shade option. Here, tap on the toggle next to the “Use new Control center” option.

Once that’s enabled, head back to your home screen and open the new Control center. As you can see in the screenshot, you’ll see the new Device Controls section in the Control center underneath the Quick Settings toggles. Here’s a short clip (via Reddit user u/budgetgameri3) of how the new Device Controls feature works in MIUI 12:

Miui 12.1.1.0 on Mi note 10 lite has google home controls in the control center. from Xiaomi

It’s worth noting that this Device Controls implementation in MIUI 12 isn’t new by any means. Xiaomi first announced it all the way back in September last year, but a lot of users are just getting to know of its existence. This isn’t surprising, as many OEMs do a poor job of educating users about all the new features in their latest software releases. As our Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, points out, “Properly educating users about new features seems to be a struggle that many OEMs have. I was surprised to see so many comments from Redditors about how their friends and family have never heard of Google’s Nearby Share feature.”

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Honor signs partnerships with MediaTek, Qualcomm, and more after recent split from Huawei

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor was recently sold off to a consortium of 30 agents and dealers. This effectively freed the company from all US sanctions levied on Huawei. As a result, Honor has now signed partnerships with key chipmakers, like Intel and Qualcomm, to use their products in upcoming devices.

Earlier today, Honor unveiled its first smartphone after splitting off from Huawei. The new Honor V40 5G features a MediaTek chip, which confirms that the company has signed a partnership with the Taiwanese chipmaker. Along with MediaTek, Honor has signed deals with AMD, Micron Technology, Microsoft, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Sony, according to a recent report from Reuters.

During the Honor V40 5G launch event, the company’s president, George Zhao, said, “The last five months have been an extremely difficult but meaningful time for Honor. We feel the weight of expectations from industry partners and consumers.” Zhao further revealed that Honor will focus on diversifying its portfolio in the coming months, with new phones in the mid-range and flagship segments. The company will also expand into the IoT space, he added.

Zhao also revealed that all of Honor’s around 8,000 employees have moved out of Huawei’s offices after the recent split. The company now operates from a new headquarters in Shenzhen. About 50% of the company’s workforce is invested in R&D, which suggests that we may get to see some innovative devices from Honor in the near future.

In case you missed our coverage of the Honor V40 5G, the latest device from the company features MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000+ chipset. It packs a 6.72-inch curved OLED FHD+ display with a peak refresh rate of 120Hz, a triple camera setup on the back with a 50MP primary shooter, and a 16MP selfie camera over on the front. The device is powered by a 4,000mAh battery that supports 66W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging. It’s worth noting that the device still runs Magic UI, which is based on Huawei’s EMUI.

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