All Nokia Android phones will receive the Oreo update

HMD Global will roll out the Android 8.0 Oreo update to all Nokia-branded Android phones.

One of the key selling points of Nokia’s Android phones is the promise of quick updates. The phones have picked up monthly security updates on time, and now HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas has announced that all Nokia-branded Android phones — including the entry-level Nokia 3 — will receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update.

All of our smartphones will upgrade to Oreo, Nokia 3 included. No comments yet on timing so that I don’t get into trouble 😊.

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) September 2, 2017

Sarvikas isn’t committing to a timeline for the update, but it should be available in due course for the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6, and the flagship Nokia 8. The Nokia 3 is now making the switch to Android 7.1.1 Nougat, so it may be a while before the phone makes the switch to Oreo.

Oreo brings a slew of new features, including a system-wide autofill API, notification channels, picture-in-picture mode, new emoji, adaptive icons, background execution limits, and much more.

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Nokia 5 is already picking up the September security update

Nokia is beating every other manufacturer when it comes to monthly security updates.

Nokia said that it will deliver monthly security updates to its phones, and it’s continuing to do just that. The Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 picked up the August security patch a few days after Google rolled out the update, and now the Nokia 5 is picking up the September security update alongside the Pixels.

According to Nokia Power User, the 142MB update is now rolling out to Nokia 5 units. Here’s a gist of what’s fixed in the September security patch:

• The main issue this month revolves, once again, around a vulnerability in the media framework that, when paired with exploitative code, could remotely execute malware on a user’s device.
• Some of these patches go back to Android 4.4 KitKat.
• A runtime bug has been patched that would allow a remote user to execute code that could cause an app to hang.
• Broadcom has once again issued a number of patches for its Wi-Fi drivers.
• MediaTek and Qualcomm have each patched a number of drivers that could potentially allow remote attackers to execute code.

Nokia is also committing to roll out the Oreo update to all four devices in its portfolio, including the MediaTek MT6737-powered Nokia 3.

Xiaomi Mi 7 rumored to launch in Q1 2018 with Snapdragon 845

The Mi 7 could sport a 6-inch Full HD AMOLED panel from Samsung.

The Mi 6 made its debut four and a half months ago, and we’re now starting to get the first details on the company’s 2018 flagship. According to a Weibo leakster, the Mi 7 will make its debut sometime in Q1 2018, which could mean a possible unveil at Mobile World Congress. The phone is also rumored to be one of the first to be powered by the Snapdragon 845.

Xiaomi is also said to be sourcing a 6-inch Full HD AMOLED panel from Samsung, which would make the Mi 7 noticeably larger than the Mi 6, which has a 5.15-inch screen. However, Xiaomi may go the bezel-less route for its mainstream flagship lineup next year. Other rumored specs suggest the Mi 7 will be available in two variants — one with 6GB of RAM and a model with 8GB of RAM.

We’ll undoubtedly hear more about the Mi 7 in the coming months, so stay tuned.

Lenovo K8 Plus with dual cameras and 4000mAh battery lands in India for ₹10,999

Lenovo is adding new models to the K8 series.

After launching the K8 Note last month, Lenovo is now adding more models to the lineup. The K8 Plus comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, MediaTek Helio P25 SoC, dual cameras at the back with a 13MP primary sensor joined by a secondary 5MP depth sensor.

There’s also an 8MP shooter up front with an 84-degree field of view, and the phone comes with 3GB of RAM. Lenovo will launch a variant with 4GB of RAM during the Diwali season. Other specs include 32GB of storage, microSD card slot, 4G with VoLTE, and a 4000mAh battery. You also get a dedicated music playback button on the left of the device, and

Lenovo is also rolling out a K8 model that will be available offline. The phone comes with a 5.2-inch 720p panel, MediaTek Helio P20, single 13MP camera at the back. and a 4000mAh battery. Both the K8 and K8 Note run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box, and will offer a clean Android experience that’s devoid of any customizations.

The K8 Plus will go on sale tomorrow, September 7, at Flipkart for ₹10,999 ($170).

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Huawei leaps past Apple to become the second-largest smartphone company in the world (for now)

Huawei is the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

The latest data from market research firm Counterpoint Research shows Huawei overtaking Apple to become the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Strong sales in June and July allowed the Chinese manufacturer to inch past Apple, but with a major iPhone launch on the cards next week, Huawei’s position in the rankings could turn out to be short-lived. Nevertheless, it is a big deal for Huawei.

From Counterpoint’s Research Director Peter Richardson:

This is a significant milestone for Huawei, the largest Chinese smartphone brand with a growing global presence. It speaks volumes for this primarily network infrastructure vendor on how far it has grown in the consumer mobile handset space in the last three to four years.

The global scale Huawei has been able to achieve can be attributed to its consistent investment in R&D and manufacturing, coupled with aggressive marketing and sales channel expansion.

However, an over-reliance on its home market could limit Huawei’s growth in the future:

While this streak could be temporary considering the annual iPhone refresh is just around the corner, it nevertheless underscores the rate at which Huawei has been growing. However, a weak presence in the South Asian, Indian and North American markets limits Huawei’s potential in the near-to mid-term to take a sustainable second place position behind Samsung.

Huawei is over-dependent on its home market China where it enjoys the leadership position and operator-centric markets in Europe, Latin America and Middle East.

While Huawei has managed to climb past Apple, none of its products feature in the top ten smartphones around the world:

While Huawei climbed to be the world’s second largest brand overall, it is surprising to see none of its models breaking into the top ten rankings. This is due to a multiple SKU portfolio that currently lacks a true hero device.

While having a diverse portfolio allows Huawei to fight on multiple fronts, it does little to build overall brand recognition; something Huawei badly needs if it is continue to gain share.

Huawei will be looking to change that with the Mate 10, which will be making its debut on October 16. The Mate 10 will be powered by the Kirin 970, a 10nm chipset with an AI computing platform.

Delayed European ‘Pokémon Go’ events are back on the schedule

Sure, the Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago didn’t quite go to plan, but Niantic apparently has things back on track looking forward to events in Europe. France, Spain and Germany are all ready for Safari Zone get-togethers on the 16th, while the four delayed events from August are now scheduled for October.

October 7th, 2017

• Fisketorvet—Copenhagen, Denmark
• Centrum Černý Most—Prague, The Czech Republic

October 14th, 2017

• Mall of Scandinavia—Stockholm, Sweden
• Stadshart Amstelveen—Amstelveen, The Netherlands

For these events, participants can expect special eggs from Pokéstops as well as activated lures and hard-to-find Pokémon like Unown. Players can reserve tickets at each shopping center’s Facebook page to join in and pick up their QR code (as long as they’re older than 13 and have a valid photo ID), although unregistered players can still play throughout the city and find some of the featured Pokémon.

Source: Pokémon Go

US might soon reveal its revised self-driving car guidelines

We might finally get to see how the Trump administration has tweaked the Obama-era self-driving vehicle guidelines next week. According to Reuters, the Department of Transportation is slated to unveil the revised guidelines on September 12th at an autonomous vehicle testing facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That’s a bit over three months after DOT secretary Elaine Chao announced that she has begun reviewing the existing guidelines in response to automakers’ requests for the right to put more autonomous vehicles on the road for testing. By being able to test more vehicles, the companies have a much better chance of adhering to their plans of releasing autonomous cars in the next few years.

Apparently, the White House already approved the revisions the DOT made back on August 31st. It’s unclear how much the guidelines will change, but Ford’s chief technology officer Ken Washington once said that those changes are needed because automakers want a “more concrete regulatory framework.” They were requesting for a clearer set of rules to be able to certify an autonomous vehicle’s safety on their own, as they can for conventional vehicles. We’ll just have to wait for the official announcement to find out what those revisions are exactly.

In addition to the revised guidelines, the US House of Representatives is also slated to vote on the SELF DRIVE Act on Wednesday. If the bill becomes a law, it will speed up the deployment of self-driving cars without steering wheels and pedals. Several companies are currently developing cars like those, including Waymo, which plans to collaborate with other automakers to make its vision a reality.

Source: Reuters

Apple Risks Ire of Indian Government Over Refusal to Approve State’s Anti-Spam App

Apple’s refusal to approve the Indian government’s anti-spam iPhone app has infuriated state regulators, which could work against the company’s efforts to increase its market share in the country, a report on Wednesday revealed.

According to Bloomberg, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has so far been unable to get its Do Not Disturb (DND) software on the App Store. The app allows people to share spam call and text message logs with the agency, which then sends the data to mobile operators for them to block the spammers. However, Apple has told regulators that the app violates its privacy policy.

“Nobody’s asking Apple to violate its privacy policy,” said Ram Sewak Sharma, chairman of the Delhi-based telecom regulator. “It is a ridiculous situation, no company can be allowed to be the guardian of a user’s data.”

The regulator is currently seeking public and stakeholder comments on a consultative paper on users’ control over their personal information and rules on the flow of data through telecommunications networks. The process, scheduled to be completed in September, could eventually lead to new rules governing user data. That could also become part of the telecom licensing process, Sharma said.

Apple has been in talks with the Indian government to open retail stores and to gain permission to sell used iPhones imported into the country. The company is also seeking economic concessions including tax breaks as it sets up local manufacturing plants there, but those efforts could be negatively impacted by Apple’s refusal to approve the anti-spam software.

In 2016, Apple shipped 2.5 million iPhones in India, and this year one of its suppliers began assembling a limited number of iPhones in Bangalore. So far, India’s government has declined Apple’s request to import used iPhones and has yet to respond to the company’s other demands.

Half a dozen meetings with Apple have reportedly failed to resolve the standoff over the anti-spam app. While Apple’s privacy policy allows it to share user data with affiliates and strategic partners, Sharma said the Indian government’s Do Not Disturb app only requires a limited, pre-approved level of data sharing. However, Apple’s policy states that sharing data with any other entity isn’t permitted.

“The problem of who controls user data is getting acute and we have to plug the loose ends,” Sharma said. “This is not the regulator versus Apple, but Apple versus its own users.”

Tag: India
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Qualcomm isn’t working on a Snapdragon 836, Pixel 2 to sport Snapdragon 835

New reports suggest Qualcomm isn’t working on a mid-cycle refresh to the Snapdragon 835.

Early Pixel 2 rumors suggested the phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 836, a mid-year refresh to the Snapdragon 835 with a minor uptick in performance. Qualcomm did the same last year with the Snapdragon 821, which made its debut on the first-generation Pixel. But according to two new reports from XDA Developers and Android Police, Qualcomm never had any plans for a Snapdragon 836, with Google’s upcoming flagships said to feature the Snapdragon 835.

The Pixel 2’s FCC filing revealed that the smaller model will indeed be powered by the Snapdragon 835 (MSM8998), and it now looks like the larger Pixel XL 2 will also feature the same chipset. The Snapdragon 836 was also rumored to be powering Xiaomi’s upcoming bezel-less Mi Mix 2, but Qualcomm China announced on Weibo that the phone will run the Snapdragon 835.

Qualcomm likely doesn’t see a need to roll out a refreshed variant of the Snapdragon 835 with a minor bump in clock speeds seeing as how the chipset is still one of the fastest in the market. The new Pixels are rumored to make their debut on October 5, and we should hear more in the coming weeks.

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Leaked renders of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 reveal ultra-thin bezels

Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2 looks stunning in these leaked renders.

Xiaomi is all set to unveil its second bezel-less phone, the Mi Mix 2, on September 11. Early rumors suggested the Mi Mix 2 will have a 93% screen-to-body ratio, and while we’ve seen a broad outline of the phone in earlier leaks, new renders out of Weibo give us a better look at the design.

The Mi Mix 2 has virtually non-existent bezels at the top, sporting just a minor bezel at the bottom to accommodate the front camera. It’ll be interesting to see how the lack of bezels affect usability, but from a design standpoint, the phone looks stunning.

Other details include a 6.4-inch QHD curved panel, 6GB of RAM, 128GB storage, 19MP camera at the back, 13MP front shooter, and a 4500mAh battery. The Mi Mix 2 was initially rumored with the Snapdragon 836, but Qualcomm has confirmed that the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 835.

With the launch slated for next week, we’ll know all about the Mi Mix 2 very soon. What do you think of Xiaomi’s upcoming bezel-less phone?