LG Stylus 2 makes its way to India, but you probably won’t care

LG has launched the Stylus 2 in the Indian market for ₹20,500. The phone offers a 5.7-inch 720p display, Marshmallow out of the box, and a stylus with a nano-coated tip that’s designed to be more precise than its predecessor.

Other specs on offer include a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage with a microSD slot, 13MP camera, 8MP front camera, LTE with VoLTE, and a 3000mAh battery.

With phones costing half as much offering far better hardware, you’re spending a lot of money just for the stylus experience. If you’re in the market for a stylus, you’re better off getting something like the Lenovo Z1 and purchasing an Adonit stylus.

More images of the OnePlus 3 leak to show off a USB Type-C port

The OnePlus 3 continues to be leaked out for everyone to see ahead of an official announcement and now we have new images that show off a USB Type-C port. Said images were leaked by Twitter user The Malignant, who published two of them to showcase how the device looks.

The two images actually match what was leaked earlier this month, but with the added view of a USB Type-C port on the bottom of the handset alongside the 3.5mm headphone jack. The OnePlus 3 is expected to sport a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 2.2GHz Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage, 16MP camera, an 8MP front shooter, and will run OxygenOS 3.0, based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

What do you make of the leaks so far surrounding the OnePlus 3? Sound off your thoughts in the comments!

Amazing Motorola Moto G4 and G4 Plus leaks show design and specifications

With a Motorola event planned for tomorrow, Tuesday 17 May, it comes as no surprise that speculation on what could be unveiled is ramping up.

It has been thought for a while that a new version of the Motorola Moto G would make an appearance. And recently, two versions were touted, with a larger, Plus model also rumoured.

Today’s gossip mill not only seems to confirm that fact, a press image has leaked too.

A geekbench spec list and score for what is termed the Motorola Moto G4 has turned up online. It shows a mid-range handset with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor running the show.

PocketNow

The phone should be speedy and smooth therefore, especially as 3GB of RAM is also purportedly on board too.

Android 6.0.1 was the operating system used during the test.

READ: Motorola Moto G (2016) release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Also spotted online were certification awards for not one but two new Motorola handsets, with model numbers close to each other. These give strong hints at the existence of the Moto G4 Plus.

PocketNow

FCC certification is required for handsets to be sold in the US, as it ensures the communication technology on the devices is compliant with American regulations.

The final leak of note for the G4 is an image that serial leakster @evleaks posted on his Twitter feed over the weekend. He also followed up with a tweet that explained the phone shown was definitely the Moto, considering his previous tweet only stated “say hello to your little bro”.

Surprised there was so much confusion here. Thought quoting the G4 Plus leak would make it obvious that it’s the G4. https://t.co/dVa8wcR0oT

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 15, 2016

It’s definitely got the Motorola looks, that’s for sure.

We should find out more about that handset and any big brother tomorrow.

Scientists made see-through wood that’s stronger than glass

Researchers at the University of Maryland were able pull away color and chemicals from a block of wood to leave it impressively see-through. The result is a material that is both stronger and more insulating than glass, with better biodegradability than plastic. “We were very surprised by how transparent it could go,” said Liangbing Hu, who wrote about the project in Advanced Materials.

Hu’s team isn’t the only group that’s developed a technique for transparent wood — Swedish researchers have also been able to clear out that pesky visible pulp, replacing it with a transparent polymer. The treatment techniques appear pretty similar: it’s a two-stage process.

The researchers first boiled the wood in water, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals for roughly two hours. This flushes out lignin, the molecule responsible for giving wood its color. The team then poured epoxy over the block which makes the wood four to five times stronger, although it makes it all a little less environmentally-friendly in the process.

One of the great properties of the treated wood is how it retains the structure and natural channels from when it was a tree. These micro-channels can then deliver light similarly to how it moved nutrients around as part of a plant. “In traditional material the light gets scattered,” said Hu. “If you have this waveguide effect with wood, more light comes into your house.”

So what’s stopping us living in see-through wood houses, aside from privacy issues? Size limitations. Five by five-inch wood blocks are as large as they’ve been able to make it work, ranging in thickness from paper thin to about a centimeter thick — far more substantial than what Swedish researchers have shown off so far. Dr. Hu and the University of Maryland scientists are is still working to scale it up further.

If the team can accomplish that there’s no shortage of applications, ranging from windows, building materials and furniture to smaller, precise, optical equipment that’s normally made from glass or plastic.

Source: New York Times

Press render of the Moto G4 leaks ahead of official unveil

The Moto G4 is slated to make its debut tomorrow, May 17, in India. Ahead of the launch, a press render of the phone has leaked courtesy of Evan Blass. Based on numerous leaks, Motorola is said to offer two variants in the G series this year — the G4 and G4 Plus, with today’s render offering a look at the possible differences between the two versions. From the image, it looks like the smaller Moto G4 will not feature a fingerprint scanner at the front.

In related news, the Moto G4 and G4 Plus have cleared FCC certification with model numbers XT1622 and XT1642.

With the launch just a day away, we’ll know more shortly. We’ll be on the ground for the official unveil, so stay tuned to Android Central for all the details.

Thanks Gerva Sharma!

Google may face €3 billion fine in EU antitrust case

It looks like Google will face a record €3 billion fine in the latest EU antitrust case. The regulator said that Google abused its dominant position with Android by bundling its own services like Google Search as default, making it harder for other companies to compete.

From The Telegraph:

It is understood that the European Commission is aiming to hit Google with a fine in the region of €3bn, a figure that would easily surpass its toughest anti-trust punishment to date, a €1.1bn fine levied on the microchip giant Intel.

Sources close to the situation said officials aimed to make an announcement before the summer break and could make their move as early as next month, although cautioned that Google’s bill for crushing competition online had not been finalised.

The maximum fine that can be levied on the search giant is €6.6 billion, or a tenth of Google’s annual revenues.

Linksys will let you use open router code under new FCC rules

While the FCC’s imminent rules for wireless device interference are supposed to allow hackable WiFi routers, not every router maker sees it that way. TP-Link, for instance, is blocking open source firmware out of fear that you’ll run afoul of the regulations when they kick in on June 2nd. However, you won’t have to worry about that with Linksys’ fan-friendly networking gear. The Belkin-owned brand promises Ars Technica that its modifiable routers will allow open source firmware while obeying the FCC’s rules — you can tinker without fear of messing with nearby radar systems.

The hardware’s design is the key. Linksys says it’s been working with both the chip designers at Marvell and the developers of OpenWRT to make this work. The WRT routers separate the RF wireless data from the firmware, preventing you from stepping out of bounds. You theoretically can’t hack those limits, even though you have control over most everything else.

This won’t please those who think that any restriction on open source firmware is one too many. OpenWRT’s Imre Kaloz asks Ars why the FCC didn’t just punish infractions instead. However, Linksys’ solution shows that there’s at least some possibility of compromise between raw flexibility and safety.

Source: Ars Technica