Google announces Android 7.1 Developer Preview, coming late October
When will Android 7.1 be available for your Nexus? Sooner than you think.
Google has announced Android 7.1, Nougat’s first maintenance release, with a developer preview coming later this month.
According to Google, this “incremental update” builds on the strengths of Android 7.0, but adds some important new features, including Daydream support, A/B system updates, an app shortcut API for the new default launcher, and the long-awaited ability to use image keyboards.
Available as a Developer Preview later this month, Android 7.1 won’t be bundled with Google Assistant on regular Android devices — as expected, that’s a Pixel-only feature for now — but it will have support for many of the features we saw previewed on those phones earlier in October. This includes an API for rounded app icons and improved wallpaper filtering, as well as the aforementioned app shortcut support that will allow for five “key actions” taken directly from the home screen icon.
Google is also highlighting two important features for developers, though they also spill over to users: image keyboard support, which allows for non-text overlays as primary input methods; and storage user intents, which allow developers to send users to a screen that can “clear unused files and free up storage space on the device.”
The Android 7.1 Developer Preview will be released towards the end of the month for the Nexus 5X, 6P and Pixel C, according to Google, though the final release will include all devices, such as the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player and select Android One devices, that were included in the wider Nougat rollout.
It also appears that the Pixel and Pixel XL will receive an update to Android 7.1.x — whatever the public release is called — when it is released in “early December.” It remains to be seen if most manufacturers already testing Nougat for their flagships will skip Android 7.0 altogether and move to 7.1.1, since Google says it is “working with our partners to bring Android 7.1 to devices in the ecosystem over the months ahead.” Hopefully, devices like the LG V20, which ships with Android 7.0, and those being updated imminently, like the Moto Z, will not be negatively affected by this ambitious rollout plan, since they likely knew of Google’s intentions far earlier than the public.
Who’s excited?
Android 7.0 Nougat
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Samsung Galaxy S8 rumor roundup
After the catastrophe of the Galaxy Note 7, what can fans look forward to in the next Samsung flagship?
2016 started as a promising year for Samsung, with the Galaxy S7 series earning critical acclaim and commercial success. But the contrast with where we are now couldn’t be starker. Battery fires and a bungled recall process led to the cancellation of the Galaxy Note 7, making it the most calamitous smartphone launch ever, by a wide margin.
Samsung will already be looking ahead to its next flagship, the Galaxy S8, to pull it out of this quagmire and rebuild consumer trust. So what can we expect from such a crucial product? Let’s take a look.
Galaxy S8 build and form factor
Samsung has been slowly refining its metal and glass design language over the past couple of years, so it’s reasonably likely it’ll stick with this into 2017. A glass back allows Samsung to easily build in wireless charging, and it’s shown over the past year how the use of curved glass can create a phone that feels luxurious and unique.
Metal and glass have worked well for Samsung.
Speaking of which, there’s also the question of whether we’ll see an “edge” model Galaxy S8, as we have the past two years. The latest reports from Korea suggest that, like the Note 7’s subtly curved display, the GS8 might come in two models, both with Edge screens.
Sources said the company has already started securing display panels in two sizes — 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch — from its own display-making unit Samsung Display, the world’s sole producer of double-edged screens.
That might make the “edge” monicker redundant, so it’s possible we might instead be looking at a Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.
Galaxy S8 display — the first 4K Galaxy?
The next generation of flagship Samsung phones could significantly bump up the pixel density. In recent months rumors have swirled from the Korean press that Samsung will use a 4K display in its upcoming flagships.
Samsung Display showcased a 5.5 ultra-high definition 4K display with a pixel density of 806 ppi for virtual reality devices at the Society for Information Display, a display trade show, in California in March,” said an official of UBI Research.
“Considering various factors including the production yield rate for the next-generation display expected to improve in the coming months, the 5.5-inch AMOLED will be deployed in the next Galaxy smartphone, presumably, named the S8.”
The use of a curved display and a 4K panel would give Samsung two key differentiators for its new phones. While 4K is largely overkill for most things you’ll be doing on a phone, it’s a huge step forward for VR — a panel with 800+ pixels per inch would allow for much more detailed virtual reality experiences.
Of course, a 4K screen would also present some unique battery life challenges. Like Sony’s Xperia Z5 Premium, Samsung might choose to run in Quad HD mode in most apps in order to save power. The phone might only crank up to 4K when viewing photos or Ultra HD movies, or when using the Gear VR.
Galaxy S8 specs
Aside from the rumored display size and resolution, there’ve been indications that Samsung could choose a powerful new GPU from chip designer ARM to power a possible 4K display. The ARM Mali-G71 would be a significant upgrade from the earlier generation graphics processors used in the Galaxy S6 and S7.
According to ARM’s own documentation, the chip offers “40% better performance density and 20% external memory bandwidth saving compared to Mali-T880.” The Galaxy S7 and Note 7 use a variant of that GPU, the Mali-T800 MP12.
The docs for Mali-G71 provide reference specs based on a 16nm FinFET process, but Samsung is likely to use a more efficient 10nm process in its 2017 Exynos chip — which potentially means it’ll be even faster than ARM’s reference numbers.
The Mali-G71 is rumored to outperform the GPU used in Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 830, raising questions over whether Samsung will once again use a mix of Snapdragon SoCs and Exynos processors in various regions.
Galaxy S8 cameras
Cameras are one area of smartphone hardware that has yet to plateau, and in the past year we’ve seen plenty of innovation in this area from Apple, Google, Huawei and of course Samsung.
Samsung focused on low light performance in its 2016 flagships, and we’d expect this trend to continue into the next generation Galaxy phones — expect brighter lenses and bigger pixels, and for Samsung to likely remain around the sweet spot of 12 megapixels for its main camera.
But there’s been speculation over whether Samsung might take inspiration from the iPhone 7 Plus’s unique telephoto camera. As a company that’s always sought feature parity with Apple, we wouldn’t be surprised if a next-gen Galaxy eventually incorporates a second lens for clearer zoomed-in shots.
Galaxy S8 release date
An unveiling at or around Mobile World Congress is a good bet.
For the past three years, Samsung’s flagship phones have broken cover right before Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. This year’s MWC show begins February 27, so an announcement date shortly before this is a good bet.
There’s been some speculation that Samsung might seek to launch the Galaxy S8 earlier than previous years in order to counter the fallout from the Galaxy Note 7. While this is certainly possible, we’re not sure appearing to rush a product to market after a previous model suffered serious quality assurance issues would be seen as a good thing.
However Samsung handles the launch of the Galaxy S8, expect the specter of the Note 7 to remain, and for Samsung to underscore additional steps it’s taking this time around to ensure the new phone is safe.
In light of recent events, the Galaxy S8 will be a vitally important launch for Samsung, as it looks to recover its reputation, and move past the biggest crisis in its corporate history.
First look: WatchAir Smart Antenna
Plucking HD signals out of the air is easy — but this wireless antenna system and DVR can make it smart, with some improvements.
A decent part of my hiatus away from Android Central has involved one thing — cutting the cord. And I’ve taken the $150 a month we were feeding to the cable company and whittled it down to about $83 with streaming services. That’s a savings of about $800 a year, which I’m now free to waste on other toys. (That’s how I see it, anyway.)
But this huge step into the future has also taken a step backward, with the use of an over-the-air antenna. Those of us of a certain age remember when an antenna was the only way to watch television. But they never really went away, and now they can handle high-definition signals. They’ve still been kind of dumb, though. You plug it directly into your TV, scan the channels, and go from there.
WatchAir hopes to make what has basically been a dumb operation — catching wireless signals from the air and showing them on the TV — and make it smart.
To do things right you want your antenna to be as elevated as possible, and facing toward the weakest signals. That’s not always possible, though, meaning I’ve got HD antennas attached to my windows, pointing the wrong direction.
WatchAir hopes to end that, taking what basically has been a dumb operation — antenna sucks in signals and feeds them to your TV — and make it smart. I got in on the Kickstarter campaign at $161 total. (They’ve since sent out review units, for what it’s worth.) There’s a lot of potential here, and a lot still left to do before this is a viable product I could recommend.
Let’s take a quick first look.
What it is
The idea of WatchAir is simple. It’s a high-def antenna that takes the TV signal and beams it to your phone or tablet. Or to any number of streaming boxes, like Roku, Android TV and Apple TV.
Or at least it will. It’s important to note at the outset that we’re in the early days of this project. The basic functionality — playing on a phone or tablet — works pretty well at this point. Other features, not so much. But WatchAir has a public roadmap of what it expects to have working in the weeks and months ahead. I’m eagerly awaiting proper support for streaming boxes, as well as Chromecast.
The ability to put an OTA antenna anywhere — not just near the TV — is key to getting a better signal.
The other major feature is (erm, will be) the ability to record, either to the 7GB of available internal storage, or onto a microSD card, or USB storage.
WatchAir is a singular product with two forms. One is “Upright mode,” wherein it acts as an OTA antenna and is mounted on a window or wall — wherever you can find the best signal. To that end, the WatchAir app (once connected) will help you find the best mounting location. For me, this was a pretty big selling point. I’ve been using OTA antennas for a little while now, but neither of the televisions in my house in a place where I can face an antenna to the west. And so I have issues with some local channels. I’ve got WatchAir in a different room, mounted against the glass. (The power cord is a little unsightly, but I’ll do my best later to tuck it out of the way.)
You also can use WatchAir in desktop mode. That’s where you connect an existing antenna (via an adapter), then use the app and recording features in the same manner. So you essentially get a cool little high-def over-the-air DVR. Do note that this isn’t a streaming service in the traditional sense. You’ve got to be on the same network to watch anything.
What it’s like to use
Setup is simple enough, I guess, if you’re used to setting things up all the time, and are used to the quirks of Wi-Fi Direct, and can deal with quick-start instructions that fail to mention that at some point you need to actually plug in the product. (Ah, the joys of Kickstarter.) WatchAir did run into some early software setup issues but quickly communicated them to users, and I was up and running in just a few minutes.
The WatchAir app still needs some work, but you can see the potential.
The apps themselves — on Android and on iOS — are nearly identical. They’re easy enough to use, but they’re not great. Design elements native to Android and iOS tend to be ignored. (Though I’d say they’re a little worse on Android than on the iOS version.) The thumbnail views are a nice touch, but the schedule grid is a little easier to quickly browse — at least until you end up in a subcategory that’s blank and leaves a ton of empty space. Like I said, the app still needs some serious work.
Either way, you tap a show, then hit the play button that appears at the top. (I’d rather see an option to play right from the thumbnail.)
If that seems like a lot of little gripes, well, it is. But don’t let that overshadow my excitement for WatchAir. This is the sort of bridge that we need to see between the archaic, analog world and the digital, smart future. Taking free, over-the-air content and doing something smart with it.
That’s not to say that you should rush out and buy WatchAir right this second. It’s very much still in its early stages, and growing pains are evident. If you’re an early adopter and don’t mind a little wonk — and have some money to spend on said wonk — have at it. The more cautious among us should wait. But if you’re a little adventurous and looking for a cool little way to make cutting the cord a little more mobile friendly, give WatchAir a look.
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A second hacking group is targeting bank systems
It’s bad enough that one hacker group has been wreaking havoc on banking systems worldwide, but it’s apparently getting worse. Security firm Symantec reports that a second group, Odinaff, has infected 10 to 20 of its customers with malware that can cover up bogus money transfer requests sent through the ubiquitous SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) messaging system. Most of the attacks targeted Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, the Ukraine and the US. And unlike the initial attackers, Odinaff appears to be a criminal organization (possibly linked to the infamous Carbanak team) rather than a state-sponsored outfit.
Symantec says it’s sharing info about Odinaff with banks, governments and rival security companies. SWIFT itself says that it had warned about the group in the early summer, so there’s a possibility that your bank is relatively prepared to deal with the threat. With that said, the news isn’t exactly comforting. It suggests that hackers still see SWIFT as a prime target, and that your bank’s security is that less certain as a result.
Source: Reuters
‘Overwatch’ celebrates Halloween with ghoulish Loot Boxes
If the buzz around the Olympics wasn’t enough to get you spending cold hard cash on a bunch of Summer Games Loot Boxes, Blizzard hopes its Halloween-themed Overwatch event might do the trick. After weeks of small leaks raised the possibility of a second themed event, today the company revealed Overwatch Halloween Terror, which is live now through November 1st across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The event features maps decked out with spooky accessories, plus it introduces the game’s first-ever PvE mode, Junkenstein’s Revenge.
Through November 1st, all Loot Boxes in Overwatch are jack-o-lanterns stuffed with themed goodies, including icons, sprays, victory poses, emotes and some seriously cool-looking skins. All the items are yours to keep forever.
In Junkenstein’s Revenge, the PvE mode, four players defend Adlersbrunn castle against hordes of enemies including Dr. Junkenstein, his Monster, the Reaper and a “mysterious witch.” Players are able to choose among just four heroes in this mode: the Alchemist (Ana), the Archer (Hanzo), the Gunslinger (McCree), or the Soldier (Soldier: 76).
Note that the Halloween reveal doesn’t include any information about Sombra, a new hero that Blizzard has been teasing for months. The latest intel (thanks, Reddit) on Sombra says she’s a world-renowned hacker who ended up working with a Mexican gang called Los Muertos before joining Talon.
Earlier, the PlayStation Europe blog confirmed DLC that includes four Halloween Loot Box sizes, which cost $2 for two and ramp up to $40 for 24. They’ll go live on October 12th and are expected to be available until November 1st.
Jessica Conditt contributed to this report.
Source: Overwatch
Samsung ships fire-proof boxes and gloves to recover Note 7s
If you purchased a Galaxy Note 7 from a US carrier or retailer, you can (and should) return it to a store immediately. If you bought the phone straight from Samsung, though, the process was a little trickier — some customers complained early on about FedEx and UPS refusing to handle return units out of fears they would blow up. That’s why Samsung has adopted an elaborate recall box that allows affected phones to be returned to the company via UPS Ground. It’s… sort of a doozy.
The folks at XDA have received that new return packaging, and very quickly you get a sense of how big a headache this must be for Samsung. After powering off the affected phone, you’ll have to stick it in an anti-static bag, which goes in a cardboard box, which goes in another cardboard box, which goes in one last thermally insulated box lined with ceramic fiber meant to help to keep potential fires under control. Oh, and since there’s a chance that ceramic fiber could irritate skin, there’s a pair of blue latex gloves in there for good measure. According to Twitter, Samsung started using these more durable boxes in late September, just in time to accommodate people freaking out over multiple reports of burning replacement phones. (We’ve reached out to UPS and FedEx for comment on all of this, and we’ll update this story this if they have anything interesting to add.)
And another thing: how much must these things cost? Samsung and CPSC have worked to try and recall around 1 million Note 7s in the US, and whipping together specialized packaging for even a fraction of those devices must’ve set Samsung back quite a bit. Financially, things are starting to get pretty hairy — early analyst guesses pegged the cost of the company’s recall at about $1 billion, and it’s estimated that by completely stopping Note 7 sales, Samsung may have lost out on nearly $17 billion in revenue. Then again, the chaebol makes most of its money from other avenues, so don’t expect Samsung to up and disappear any time soon.
Sony’s PlayStation VR teardown video is a soothing diversion
Sony’s PlayStation VR headset might not have the graphics horsepower of the HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift, but the lower price tag, the widely available PS4 hardware and bigger game selection make it an attractive option for an entry-level VR rig. Of course, none of that matters when you’re watching it get slowly and methodically dismantled by Sony Interactive’s mechanical design director Takamasa Araki.
Unlike other teardown videos, this one is a little light on the technical specs. But if you’re a fan of neatly organized things, you could certainly do worse than to spend the next 12 minutes or so watching Araki precisely removing every screw, motion sensor, silicon chip and rubber seal that makes up Sony’s first big leap into consumer VR. And if you still need the nitty gritty specs afterwards, well Sony has already published a lengthy FAQ right here.
Source: Wired, PlayStation Report (YouTube)
Samsung’s built-in smart appliances blend in with your decor
Smart home appliances are all well and good, but they’re rarely options if you need or prefer that machinery built-in. What if your oven has to blend in neatly with the kitchen? Samsung wants to help. It’s introducing its first-ever built-in smart appliances, all of which tout WiFi-connected features while integrating with your home. They’re expensive, but just might fit the bill if conventional equipment simply won’t do.
The centerpieces are double- and single-wall ovens (ranging from $2,199 to $3,999) that let you control and monitor your dishes from your phone. You can also snag connected cooktops that use gas ($1,199 to $1,699), electric ($1,099 to $1,499) and induction ($2,099 to $2,499). And if you get one of its smart range hoods ($1,099 to $1,299), you can sync it with the cooktop below. Just be ready to wait a bit before outfitting your kitchen — Samsung doesn’t start shipping them until November.
Source: Samsung
Auto supplier wants to make LiDAR cheaper for automakers
Infineon announced on Monday that it is buying Innoluce BV, a Dutch company that manufactures teensy LiDAR modules, in hopes of using the technology to bring self-driving car technology into the mainstream. “We intend to make lidar an affordable feature for every new-built car worldwide,” Peter Schiefer, the head of Infineon’s automotive division, said in a statement.
LiDAR, which works like RADAR except with laser light, is essential for autonomous cars as it enables the vehicles to accurately gauge their distance from surrounding obstacles. The problem is that, until recently, LiDAR units were insanely expensive to produce en masse. The LiDAR units installed on the first generation of Google’s self-driving cars cost around $75,000. Thankfully, they’re only about a tenth of that price today and Infineon’s deal is expected to drive that price even lower — down to a few hundred bucks each.
Source: Reuters
Download Android 7.1 Nougat in beta later this month
Android version 7.0 Nougat launched to all devices at the end of August, offering some long-overdue quality-of-life upgrades. Weeks later at their Made By Google event, the tech giant teased the mobile OS’ 7.1 update and a few features, like instant chat support and automatic data uploading to the cloud. Today, they’ve announced that it will come out by the end of October for the Nexus 5X and 6P phones as well as Google’s own Pixel C, with the remaining supporting phones added by December.
They also confirmed what 7.1 will bring to the table. Aside from Daydream VR support, most of the new features focus on giving developers more options to spruce up their apps’ functionality. First, they can now make custom shortcuts, much like the ones popping up in iOS via 3D Touch. There’s also support for image keyboards so users can insert stickers or GIFs within apps. For carriers and calling apps, 7.1 has APIs for multi-endpoint calling and telephony configuration. Lastly, developers can now route users to a Settings page to free up storage space by deleting unused files.
While the 7.1 early look is intended for app makers under their Developer Preview program, anyone can apply on the Android Beta site to enroll. There’s no solid date for the version’s full release, but interested tinkerers are encouraged to sign up now to make sure their software works before the Nougat upgrade is unleashed to the public.
Source: Android blog
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