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Dirac partners with AAC Technologies to Bring Enhanced Audio Quality to Smartphones, Smart Speakers, and more For the past few years, audio quality in mobile devices has become an increasingly higher priority. There was a time when audio quality was valued only by a few smartphone vendors, but that trend is slowly changing. We have seen the arrival of smartphones which specifically promote great audio quality as a feature, such as HTC’s smartphones since the One M7 as well as LG’s V series flagships . We have also seen the rise of stereo speakers in mobile, better DACs (such as Qualcomm’s Aqstic DAC ), and in general, a better audio experience. However, there still remains quite a way to go for smartphones to improve in audio quality. This is why AAC Technologies and Dirac Research have partnered to build first-of-their-kind audio systems that integrate Dirac’s audio processing technology with AAC Technologies’ micro-speaker technology. Dirac Research is an audio technology company wh

Samsung Responds to Alleged Battery Issues on the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8+ If you have been following various Samsung Galaxy Note 8 communities like /r/GalaxyNote8 on Reddit, you probably know by now of a battery issue which is affecting some users of the latest flagship by Samsung. Unlike battery issues on its predecessor , the Galaxy Note 7 , this issue doesn’t pose a threat to your personal safety, but it may potentially burn a hole through your wallet as it is being reported that some Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 + units are refusing to boot up or even charge after the battery has been completely discharged. While this issue is commonly known as “deep discharge” and is known to affect devices with lithium-ion batteries, a great majority of these devices eventually recover after charging them for a while, but this doesn’t seem to be the case for some units of the latest Samsung flagships. As such, this has recently become a source of worry for many Note 8 and Galaxy S8+ owners,

Telegram 4.7 Adds Multiple Accounts and Quick Replies Telegram got one more update last week to close out 2017. The new version, Telegram 4.7, adds a quick reply shortcut and support for multiple accounts to the application’s roster of features. With the new quick reply feature, swiping left on a message allows you to quickly respond to it, saving you the trouble of tapping on the message and then hitting the reply button. https://www.xda-developers.com/files/2018/01/doc_2018-01-02_03-54-53.mp4 In addition to the new quick reply functionality, the app gained the ability to switch between multiple accounts. You can add up to three and switch between them using the left sidebar menu — you’ll receive notifications from all signed-in accounts. For developers out there (especially those who have bot-owner accounts), support for multiple accounts could be a really handy feature. https://www.xda-developers.com/files/2018/01/530102d1aadfeb724a.mp4   Telegram 4.7 is available now, and you can

Magisk v15.2 Brings Minor Fixes for OnePlus and Samsung Devices Magisk v15.0, the latest major release of the user-acclaimed systemless interface, was introduced back in December 26 — but not without minor issues that went under the radar during beta testing. XDA Recognized Developer / Recognized Contributor topjohnwu , the lead developer of the project, was quick to address some of these problems with v15.1, released just 3 days later. But it caused boot loops on devices including the OnePlus 5 or OnePlus 5T on stable/beta Android Oreo . Now, Magisk v15.2, the first update of 2018, addresses those issues and implements new SELinux policy rules that improve MagiskHide support on Samsung devices. Hop into the forums and download it now! Download Magisk v15.2 tags : android auto, android wear, android device manager, android 1, android phone, android messages, android studio, android tablet, android emulator, android tv, android p, android 17, android tv box, android browser, androi

Samung’s Detachable “Nautilus” Chromebook will Have a Sony IMX258 Sensor After releasing the Chromebook Plus and the Chromebook Pro last year , it seems that Samsung is developing a new detachable Chrome OS laptop. In November,  Chrome Unboxed  reported on a Samsung Chromebook device in development. It’s code-named “Nautilus,” and it’s a detachable model. More recently, the publication found a commit in the Chromium Gerrit confirming a few “Nautilus” specs. Here’s the relevant description: imx258: Add imx258 camera sensor PO driver VIDEO_IMX258 is added to Kconfig for this new component for camera sensor. It will enable this sensor in kernel, so the component used on samsung nautilus project could have the mipi camera support. RAW image dump is supported in this PO version. The commit makes it clear that “Nautilus” will have a camera module with Sony’s IMX258 sensor, an 13MP Exmor RS 1/3.06-inch sensor with 1.1 micron pixels. It’s in the LG G6 , Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 , and other smart

Keepass2Android Beta Updated with AutoFill Framework Support in Android Oreo There are many popular password managers on Android, but only a few stand out. LastPass is one of them, but it’s closed-source — you can’t see the code for yourself. For folks bothered by that prospect, one of the best alternatives is Keepass2Android, a port of Keepass for desktop . It lets users store and access their passwords from a cloud storage service, and features fingerprint database unlocking. Unfortunately, no matter which password manager you use,  most offer a sub-standard experience on Android. That’s because it wasn’t until Android Oreo that Google started supporting password autofill — on Nougat and older, managers like LastPass and Keepass2Android have to use Android’s Accessibility Services, which tends to introduce a slight delay. We wrote about how the lag is intentional  because of the nature of Accessibility Services. But the effect is exacerbated by password managers, which use Access

Smartphone Users Consumed 25% More WiFi and Mobile Data in 2017 For many folks, smartphones have replaced laptops and tablets as the go-to media consumption device. That isn’t terribly surprising — it’s easier than ever to watch content on the go — and stats show that people have warmed to the idea of using mobile data for streaming videos, music, and games. According to a report from research firm NPD, smartphone users in the US consumed 25 percent more data on their mobile devices in 2017 than in 2016. The average monthly data usage per person climbed to 31.4GB this year, according to the report, up from 25.2GB last year. Of the total amount of data smartphone users consumed this year, 83 percent was video content. And in the third quarter of 2017 (April to June), 67 percent of smartphone users said they accessed video content via an app on their phones at least once a month, up from 57 percent from the second quarter of 2017 (January to March). NDP attributes the upward trend to ne

OnePlus 3/3T Owners on OxygenOS 5.0.1 are being warned by Play Protect to uninstall “FactoryMode” The Android Oreo update for the OnePlus 3 & 3T started to roll out last month  in the form of OxygenOS 5.0. Today, the company announced the broad availability of OxygenOS 5.0.1 which adds support for Qualcomm’s aptX HD Bluetooth audio codec, a new Adaptive screen calibration mode, December security patches, and more. Since the update started to roll out, numerous users have been greeted with a message from Google Play Protect telling them uninstall a “harmful app” called “ FactoryMode .” Numerous reports  from users  over on the OnePlus forums and on Reddit  show that this message seems to be widespread. The message states that the FactoryMode app “ contains code that attempts to bypass Android’s security protections .” This is a rather vague message, but sounds pretty concerning nonetheless. So what’s going on? Play Protect Warning Users to Uninstall FactoryMode. Credits: /u/s

Xiaomi Mi A1 Android Oreo Update Now Officially Rolling Out The Mi A1 is different from other Xiaomi devices, because of the fact that it is Xiaomi’s first Android One smartphone . It was also one of the first Android One devices to feature mid-range specifications, instead of being an entry-level device. Launched in September, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has decent hardware for its price: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip, 4GB of RAM paired with 64GB of storage, a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, dual 12MP+12MP rear cameras, and a 3080mAh battery. The highlight of the device is its software: it’s powered by nearly stock Android 7.1 Nougat with a few additions such as the MIUI camera app. At launch, Xiaomi promised that the Oreo update would be released before the end of the year, and started looking for beta testers at the start of December. The beta update started rolling-out a week later , and it was found that it contained fast charging support (which was tested with the OnePlus Da

Canceled Lumia Device Shown Off in Video with Pen Input Currently, the mobile operating system market resembles a duopoly, with Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS in a league of their own. It wasn’t always this way, though. Smartphone enthusiasts will remember that at one time, Nokia’s Symbian was the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. Symbian couldn’t compete in the touchscreen era, but for a time, Microsoft’s Windows Phone looked to be a credible competitor to Android and iOS. Microsoft acquired Nokia’s Devices and Services division in 2014, and Windows Phone was starting to succeed in the budget smartphone market in some countries. However, it all went downhill from there as Windows 10 Mobile — Windows Phone’s successor — failed to take off in the market because of various reasons. In 2016, the company discontinued the Lumia smartphone lineup, and we haven’t seen a new mobile device from Microsoft since then. It’s worth noting, though, that rumors are abound rega

OnePlus 5 Gets Face Unlock via Android Oreo-based OxygenOS Open Beta 3 If you have ever had the chance to play around with OnePlus’ latest smartphone, the OnePlus 5T , you might played around with its new Face Unlock feature. For me, personally, it is as convenient, if not more so, than the rear fingerprint scanner when it comes to unlocking the phone. Since it only relies on the front facing camera, owners of previous phones, like the OnePlus 5 , have been hoping for the feature to be ported over to their devices. Luckily, said user requests were finally heard when OnePlus announced that Face Unlock would, in fact, be coming to the OnePlus 5. And they soon followed through that announcement, as they are now rolling out a third Open Beta (based on Android 8.0 Oreo) shortly after the stable OxygenOS 5.0 release . Aside from bringing in December security patches, it also brings the long awaited face unlock feature to the OnePlus 5. It works just like it would on the OnePlus 5T: tap th

OxygenOS 5.0.1 Adds aptX HD, Adaptive Screen Mode, and December Security Patches for the OnePlus 3/3T Last month, OnePlus released OxygenOS 5.0 based on Android Oreo for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T , and since then have continued to release incremental open beta upgrades for these devices. Now, the company has released OxygenOS 5.0.1 which upgrades the OnePlus 3 and 3T to the December security patch and brings some other improvements like support for the aptX HD Bluetooth audio codec, an adaptive screen calibration mode, and more. You can view the full, official changelog below. Added support for aptX HD Added Wi-Fi hotspot device manager Added “adaptive mode” screen calibration Updated Android security patch to December General bug fixes and stability improvements The upgrade to OxygenOS 5.0.1 is being sent out in the form of a staged rollout, meaning users will be receiving it over the coming days. Rooted users will have to flash the full zip file which will be downloaded through

Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit Roundup: Snapdragon 845, Spectra 280 ISP, Hexagon 685 DSP, and More The newest flagship in Qualcomm’s system-on-chip (SoC) lineup, the  Snapdragon 845 , was announced on Wednesday at the chipmaker’s Snapdragon Tech Summit in Hawaii. But that wasn’t the conference’s only highlight. Missed this week’s coverage? Don’t fret — we’ve summarized all of Qualcomm’s biggest announcements, including the  Hexagon 685 DSP , the  Adreno 630 , and the Spectra 280 ISP. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Specs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Chipset 845 (10nm LPP) 835 (10nm LPE) CPU 4x 2.8GHz Kryo 385 (A75 “performance”), 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 385 (A55 “efficiency”) 4x 2.45GHz Kryo 280 (A73 big), 4x 1.9GHz Kryo 280 (A53 LITTLE) GPU Adreno 630 GPU Adreno 540 GPU Memory 4x 1866MHz 32-bit LPDDR4X 4x 1866MHz 32-bit LPDDR4X ISP/Camera Dual 14-bit Spectra 280 ISP __ 32MP Dual 14-bit Spectra ISP 14-bit 32MP Modem Snapdragon X20 LTE (Cat 18 downlink, Cat 13 uplink) Snapdragon

TWRP now supports the Xiaomi Redmi 5 & 5 Plus and Razer Phone Team Win Recovery Project ( TWRP for short) is the custom recovery software of choice for Android users. Besides providing the ability to backup/restore, flash images, or wipe partitions, the recovery also has a built-in file manager, ADB integration, and more. Getting a working TWRP build on a device is often the first step towards fostering a custom development scene, since it’s risky to mess with your device without having a backup. And now, the custom recovery is finally available on the newly released Razer Phone , Xiaomi Redmi 5 , and Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus . TWRP for the Razer Phone We’ve been following the development of the Razer Phone since its initial release . The Razer Phone is Razer’s first consumer smartphone and the first smartphone sold in western markets with a 120Hz variable refresh rate display. Though Razer’s products are typically marketed towards gamers, the Razer Phone’s specifications are also a

Google Adds Brotli Compression to Deliver Faster OTA Android Updates The size of an OTA update isn’t something that most people really think about, since updates generally automatically download in the background over WiFi, but it’s actually a big deal on the server back end. Saving even a few megabytes of data can make a huge difference since the gains are multiplied by potentially hundreds of thousands of users. To that end, Google has been working to bring its Brotli compression algorithm to Android for faster OTA updates. What is the Brotli Compression Algorithm? Brotli is a compression algorithm developed by a few Google employees that significantly improves the compression ratio over other algorithms such as GZIP while also demonstrating an impressive decompression speed. The downside is that compressing files with the Brotli algorithm is rather slow, so it’s generally avoided when compressing dynamic content. Compression Ratio Comparison Decompression Speed Comparison Compr

OxygenOS Open Oreo Beta Now Available for the OnePlus 5T An open Oreo beta for OxygenOS was released Friday for the OnePlus 5T , bringing picture-in-picture (PiP) functionality, Smart Text Selection, system-wide autofill, and the December Android security patch to OnePlus’s flagship smartphone. Though the open beta has been available for a while now for the OnePlus 5 , those who got its newer, 18:9 display-touting sibling had to wait, since the two devices run different firmware despite having the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. If you want to join in on the Oreo fun, there are some caveats to note. For one, the beta might not be as stable as the standard over-the-air updates, and upgrading to a non-beta update won’t return you to the stable channel — you have to completely wipe your system and data (including pictures, videos, and apps) and flash a full OxygenOS stable ROM in order to revert from the beta. And if you’re coming from a custom ROM, OnePlus recommends you conta

Magisk v15.1 Makes it More Modular, Updates the Module Template and More (Updated) Updated 12/29/2017: We’ve edited the article to reflect the release of  Magisk v15.1, which fixes a bootloop issue in Magisk v15. It was less than a week ago when we talked about the big update that was pushed for Magisk that brought its version up to 14.6 . While that version didn’t really add any new and exciting functionality, it was great for adding polish and optimizing various features. Late last night XDA Recognised Developer  topjohnwu  announced a new version that would bring Magisk up to version 15.1 and an update that makes it more modular, improves methods of hiding Magisk, updating to a new module template and launches a server for Magisk repo submissions. With the Pixel phones utilizing Treble, topjohnwu feels that Android is becoming a more modular platform and they want to utilize those advantages with Magisk. This will be especially true as more devices are launched with full Treble su