Google launches Android Oreo (Go edition) for entry-level phones

Google’s Android Go platform is designed for phones with less than 1GB of RAM.

Google detailed its Android Go platform back at I/O 2017, and the company is now officially launching the lightweight OS at the Google for India event. Dubbed Android Oreo (Go edition), the OS is targeted at entry-level devices with 512MB to 1GB of RAM. Google is also rolling out lightweight versions of its apps — Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Assistant, and the like — that are optimized to run on the platform.

With most Android Go devices set to offer 8GB of storage, Google is ensuring that customers have enough storage for their own content by bundling fewer pre-installed apps. The company is claiming that Android Go devices will offer 2x the amount of available storage on devices with 8GB of internal memory when compared to a regular build of Oreo.

Android Go devices will have just nine apps pre-installed: Google Go, Google Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, Gboard, Google Play, Chrome, and the new Files Go app.

Google is also optimizing app load times, with Android Go devices set to load apps 15% faster. Chrome’s Data Saver feature is built into Android Go, and is enabled by default. When it comes to security, all Android Go devices will get Google Play Protect built-in, and Google has also optimized the Play Store to highlight apps that will work well on the platform.

Android Oreo (Go edition) is now available for manufacturers, and we should see the first batch of devices running the platform in the coming months. Android Go is designed to cater to the entry-level segment in countries like India. With just 450 million of India’s 1.32 billion population currently online, there’s a lot of potential to target hundreds of millions of new customers.

Then there’s the fact that phones sold in this segment tend to feature vastly outdated versions of Android with no software updates. Google is looking to change all that with Android Go, and provide a decent user experience for first-time smartphone buyers.

Google Assistant is coming to a $25 feature phone in India

Google Assistant is making its way to Reliance’s JioPhone.

Google launched the Android Go platform at its Google for India event, and the company has also announced that it is bringing the Google Assistant to Reliance’s $25 JioPhone. The feature phone made its debut earlier this year, becoming the first device to be powered by Qualcomm’s 205 Mobile Platform.

The 4G-enabled phone also comes with Jio’s suite of apps, and the addition of Google Assistant will be a welcome bonus for buyers looking to pick up the device.

Assistant has thus far been limited to iOS and Android devices, and making it available on a feature phone gives Google the ability to reach a much wider audience. After all, feature phones have always had a place in India, and with the likes of Jio rolling out devices with on-demand video and 4G connectivity, their numbers are set to grow.

Google Assistant on the JioPhone will be available in both English and Hindi, and users will be able to issue voice commands or type in their queries. Google is customizing the Assistant experience to fit the 2.4-inch QVGA screen, but when it comes to usability the AI should work the same way it does on Android and iOS devices.

Google Maps gets a dedicated two-wheeler mode in India

Google Maps now shows directions for two-wheelers in India.

Google has introduced a motorcycle mode in Google Maps that allows those on two-wheelers find the best route for their commute. The feature is designed for India, the world’s largest two-wheeler market. With most bylanes in the country not wide enough to accommodate cars, launching a dedicated two-wheeler mode allows those on bikes and scooters find more optimized routes.

Just like four-wheeler navigation, motorcycle mode offers turn-by-turn directions, estimated time of arrival, and voice prompts. The company also talked about offline maps and landmark-based navigation, two features that were initially developed for India but made their way to global markets.

For now, it looks like the two-wheeler mode is limited to India, but Google may launch it in other markets provided there’s enough interest.

BBC to release ‘Blue Planet II’ on iPlayer in 4K and HDR

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the BBC has announced it will soon release a full series on iPlayer in 4K and high dynamic range (HDR). Nature documentary Blue Planet II will get the ultra HD treatment on December 10th, after the final episode airs on BBC One. It’s the first time a complete show has been available in the format, following a four-minute Planet Earth II teaser last year and various trials behind closed doors. Like almost everything on iPlayer, it will be available to stream for 30 days. Beyond that, you’ll need to fork out for the inevitable 4K Blu-ray disc.

The BBC says the release “is part of a trial” and that a complete 4K library is still a way off. That will, of course, disappoint those who have already upgraded their TV. The challenge for the BBC is trickier, however, than Netflix or Amazon because it’s also preparing for live 4K broadcasts. Conventional HDR standards would require an additional channel and wasted broadcast bandwidth; to solve the problem, the BBC has been working on a new kind of HDR called Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) with Japanese broadcaster NHK. It’s designed for live TV and is backwards compatible — so both HDR and “SDR” sets can read the same signal.

Little HLG content exists, however many TV manufacturers are already supporting the standard. The BBC has provided a list of almost 400 TVs that will support the 4K stream; they include sets by Panasonic, LG, Phillips, Hisense, Sony and Roku. The broadcaster says “the vast majority” of these will support HLG too, providing better detail in the shadows and brighter, more natural highlights and reflections. The nature of the HLG signal means that 4K, SDR TVs will also benefit from a “high quality ‘compatible’ picture” that uses the BT.2020 wide colour gamut.

“Blue Planet II is the first programme we’ve shown in such high quality and perfectly demonstrates how the BBC is pushing the boundaries of digital innovation,” Matthew Postgate, chief technology and product officer for the BBC’s design and engineering team said. I watched the final episode in 4K and HDR at the Soho Screening Rooms in London. It was, unsurprisingly, a stunning watch, with breathtaking colors and clarity. If you live in the UK and have a compatible set, I highly recommend watching an episode or two this Christmas, even if you’ve already seen the series.

Google releases its Android file storage manager to all

Google has filled a big hole in its Android system by releasing Files Go!, its mobile file organization and sharing app. Launched in beta last month, the app makes it easier for Android users to free up space, find files, back them up to the cloud, and share them with other smartphones, even offline. It’s one of the linchpin apps of Google’s Oreo 8.1 (Go edition), a slimmed down version of Android meant for the less-powerful devices in developing nations.

Files Go! will also be handy for power users who currently lean on third-party file organization apps, which are often paid or ad-supported. On top of giving you direct access to your downloads, received files, apps, images, video, audio and documents, it will offer suggestions for freeing up space. For instance, it can tell you how much you can free from your app cache, unused apps, large files and downloaded files. It’ll also offer to move files to an SD card, if you have one.

Another long overdue feature is the ability to share files offline, Airdrop-style. When you enable the feature, it lets you create a “hotspot” to connect and transfer files via Bluetooth. If a friend also has Files Go and file sharing enabled, it’s simply a matter of hitting send or receive. “The file transfers are encrypted, fast (up to 125 Mbps) and free,” says Google.

The app can also remind you when you’re low on storage and let you backup files to Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and other apps. Google says it has been testing the app for a month and has saved users an average of 1GB space. It’s now available for all on the Google Play Store, assuming you have Android 5.0 or higher.

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Source: Google

Android Oreo for low-powered phones launches today

Google is finally releasing the bare bones version of Android it showed off at I/O 2017 back in May. The tech titan is making Android Oreo Go available to manufacturers with Android 8.1, which is scheduled to drop anytime within the next 24 hours. This optimized version of Google’s mobile OS was created specifically for devices with only 512MB to 1GB of memory. It was built to be lighter and to run faster on phones that don’t come with big ROMs and the most advanced components money can buy, with core apps that are 50 percent smaller and 15 percent faster than their full-sized counterparts.

The suite of pre-installed apps you’ll find on a Go phone include Google Assistant Go, Files Go, Google Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, YouTube Go, Gboard, Chrome and the Play Store. Most of these apps are stripped-down variants with simpler interfaces and, in YouTube’s case, the ability to load the lowest resolution of videos possible.

Files Go can help make phones with smaller storage spaces more usable and manageable by suggesting unused files and apps to delete, as well as making it easy to back up files to the cloud and to make them available offline. Google Go, which used to be known as “Search Lite,” makes it faster to find info. The other apps like the Play Store and Chrome for Go aren’t exactly a separate entity — in Chrome’s case, its Data Saver function is switched on by default to help users save data.

At an event in India, Google has revealed that its partners’ first Go phones will hit shelves in early 2018. It’s unclear if they’ll also make it to the US and other developed nations, but they won’t make a huge dent in your wallet if ever they do.

Source: Google (1), (2)

OnePlus 5T India review: Hitting all the right notes

The OnePlus 5T builds on the strengths of the OnePlus 5 while introducing a gorgeous new display and low-light camera.

OnePlus is doing rather well in India. The Chinese manufacturer racked up a market share of over 28% in the premium segment, a 16% surge in the space of a few quarters. A healthy interest in the OnePlus 5 was a major contributor to the uptick in market share, with the device by itself accounting for 24.75% of the market share in the premium category.

Of course, OnePlus didn’t have much competition in this segment when it launched the OnePlus 5 in the country earlier this year. Xiaomi missed out on a huge opportunity by not bringing the Mi 6 to India, and with the Moto Z2 Play fielding largely unchanged hardware, there weren’t a lot of phones that went toe-to-toe with OnePlus’ offering regarding sheer performance.

That has changed in recent months, with the introduction of the Mi Mix 2 and the Nokia 8. Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 835 and offer exciting features — a bezel-less frame in case of the Mi Mix 2 and classic industrial design with the Nokia 8 — that make them viable contenders in this space.

OnePlus hasn’t been sitting on its laurels either. With the OnePlus 5T, the company is finally making the switch to an all-screen front, and there’s a brand-new secondary camera that’s designed to improve low-light photography.

The phone is launching just five months after the debut of the OnePlus 5, and given that we’ve seen the same last year with the OnePlus 3/3T, it’s safe to assume that OnePlus will be sticking to a two-phone release cycle going forward. For what it’s worth, the company is calling the 5T an upgraded variant of the OnePlus 5. Let’s find out if it fits that bill.

About this review

I’m writing this review after using the OnePlus 5T in Hyderabad for ten days. The phone received an update on day one, and was connected to Airtel’s 4G network throughout the testing period. The unit was provided for review by OnePlus India.

OnePlus 5T Specs

OnePlus 5T Hardware

The biggest — and most visible — change in the OnePlus 5T is the 18:9 display. OnePlus is the latest manufacturer to join the thin-bezel bandwagon, with the phone sporting a 6.0-inch Optic AMOLED display with minimal borders at the top and bottom. Although the screen size has increased from the 5.5-inch display we’ve seen on the OnePlus 5, the overall dimensions have remained the same thanks to the thin-bezel design. The OnePlus 5T is just 2mm taller than the OnePlus 5, and 1mm wider while retaining the same thickness.

The result is a device that’s much more immersive than the OnePlus 5. It’s not the most dense panel around with a resolution of 2160 x 1080, but you’ll be hard put to find any faults with the display. The Samsung-made Optic AMOLED panel is vibrant and full of colors, and is easily one of the best displays you can get in this category. The only problem I noticed with the screen was that it got quite reflective under harsh sunlight, making it harder to read text while outdoors.

The OnePlus 5T also retains Night Mode, which is essentially a blue light filter. You can either schedule Night Mode automatically from sunrise to sunset, set a custom time range, and adjust the intensity of the filter as well. The mode is designed to boost warmer color tones, reducing strain on the eyes when using your phone at night.

Then there’s Reading Mode, one of my favorite features in OxygenOS. Reading Mode turns the display monochrome, making it easier to read e-books on your phone. You’ll be able to set the mode to automatically kick in for a particular app or activate it system-wide manually.

The OnePlus 5T has one of the best displays in this segment.

Other display features include the ability to adjust the color temperature. You’ll be able to choose between sRGB, DCI-P3, Adaptive mode, and set a custom color profile based on your needs. You can also enable Ambient display, which wakes the screen whenever you receive notifications, and Lift Up display, which does the same when you pick up your phone.

Aside from the new screen, the OnePlus 5T offers the same basic design as its predecessor. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy when it comes to the design — with OnePlus basically copying its sister company OPPO’s design language — but you do get a phone with excellent build quality.

Like the OnePlus 5, the OnePlus 5T features an aluminum chassis with antenna bands tucked away at the top and bottom, and the phone is just as slippery. The device is available in a single color option this time around: Midnight Black. The smooth texture combined with the flat back and tall display doesn’t do the device any favors, and as such a case is highly recommended. Thankfully, OnePlus makes a great selection of first-party cases, and with the OnePlus 5T the company has introduced a red silicon case that complements the device very well.

The all-screen display means that the OnePlus 5T is the company’s first phone without a home button, with the fingerprint sensor moved to the back of the device. Its location at the top-third part of the screen makes it convenient to access with your index finger, and the sensor itself is unerringly accurate. Elsewhere, you get a single-firing speaker at the bottom, and OnePlus has retained the 3.5mm jack 🙏

If you’ve made the switch to Bluetooth audio, you’ll be glad to know that the OnePlus 5T — like previous OnePlus devices — comes with both aptX and aptX HD. Of course, you’ll need an aptX-enabled headset to fully utilize the feature, like Sony’s MDR-1000X or the LG Tone Infinim HBS-910. In addition to the headset, you’ll also need to make sure that your audio files are lossless.

OnePlus built its entire business model on providing flagship-class specs for a few hundred dollars less than the competition, and as you’d expect the OnePlus 5T features the latest hardware available today. That includes a Snapdragon 835, 6GB/8GB of RAM, and 64GB/128GB of internal storage.

You’re not going to notice any slowdowns, nor any hiccups in day-to-day usage. The hardware on tap combined with the 1080p panel and the lightweight OxygenOS leads to a potent combination, making the OnePlus 5T the fastest phone this side of the Pixels. There’s no reason to get the 8GB/128GB variant unless you need the extra storage. The 6GB of RAM is more than adequate to handle everything you throw at it, and then some.

Battery life

The OnePlus 5T consistently manages to deliver a day’s worth of battery life from a full charge, and when you do need to top up the 3300mAh battery, you can call upon Dash Charge. OnePlus’ proprietary charging tech is one of the best around, providing a day’s charge in a half hour: I was able to charge the phone from 35% to 70% in just over 25 minutes.

I routinely saw over five hours of screen-on-time, and OnePlus has done an excellent job cutting down on idle battery drain. The only downside with Dash Charge is that you’ll have to use the provided wall charger or the car charger to access the insanely-fast charging times.

OnePlus 5T Software

The OxygenOS experience is unchanged from the OnePlus 5: you still get a clean user interface layered with a few OnePlus additions. It would’ve been great to see the OnePlus 5T launch with Oreo out of the box, but you’ll have to wait a few months before you can start using the latest version of Android. For what it’s worth, OnePlus has rolled out the Android Oreo beta update to the OnePlus 5 last month, and has committed to doing the same for the OnePlus 5T before the end of the year.

While the overall experience is similar to what you get with the OnePlus 5, there are a few new additions on the OnePlus 5T. Face Unlock is the biggest new feature, with the company relying on the 16MP front camera to scan your face. OnePlus relies on over 100 data points to identify your face, and while it doesn’t get fooled by a photo, the system isn’t as secure as the fingerprint sensor at the back. That said, it is the fastest face unlock mechanism available on Android, handily beating Samsung’s implementation.

Face Unlock isn’t secure, but it sure is fast.

Another new feature is Parallel Apps, which as the name suggests lets you run two instances of the same app simultaneously. You get a list of suggested apps that work with the feature, and all you have to do is hit the toggle in the settings (Settings > Apps > Parallel Apps) to enable another instance of an app. There’s also a visual indicator to distinguish the cloned app from the original.

Now that the fingerprint sensor is located at the back, OxygenOS picked up a few gestures to take advantage of its placement. First up is swipe for notifications, which pulls down the notification panel when you swipe down on the sensor. There’s also a gesture that lets you take a photo when you long press then sensor when in viewfinder mode.

The usual OxygenOS gestures are intact: you can flip the device to mute incoming calls, swipe anywhere on the screen with three fingers to take a screenshot, double tap to wake the screen, and set custom actions.

OxygenOS continues to be fast, but I did run into a few gremlins in the ten days I used the OnePlus 5T: my go-to document storage app Box wouldn’t load text, so I had to find an alternative. Google Keep also ended up crashing constantly, and I ended up using the web-based client to access my to-do lists. Aside from the minor annoyances, OxygenOS is a delight to use, and is easily one of the best manufacturer skins around.

OnePlus 5T Camera

The OnePlus 5T features the same 16MP primary camera as the OnePlus 5, but the secondary telephoto lens has been switched out for an all-new low-light camera. The 20MP f/1.7 sensor kicks in automatically in low-lighting scenarios (under10 lux), but a majority of the time you’ll be taking photos with the primary camera.

You can get stunning shots with the primary camera provided the scene is well-lit, with the OnePlus 5T holding its own next to the Pixel and the Note 8 in a few shooting conditions. The differences start becoming clearer as the lighting conditions deteriorate, and while the OnePlus 5T manages to do a decent job, it isn’t on the same level as Google’s and Samsung’s flagships. Considering it costs less than half that of the Galaxy Note 8 in India, that’s a fair tradeoff.

The camera app has picked up a new interface, with all the settings laid out in an easy-to-understand manner. You’ll be able to toggle HDR, flash, timer, and switch between the front and rear cameras with ease, and access the shooting modes by selecting the upward arrow. You get Portrait Mode, but it’s just as ineffective as the one on the OnePlus 5.

Then there’s Beautify mode, which is automatically enabled for Portrait Mode. You’ll be able to adjust the setting for the intensity of the filter in Beautify, ranging from natural all the way to Kim Kardashian.

OnePlus 5T Bottom line

OnePlus’ focus on delivering flagship-class performance for less than half the cost of “true flagships” allowed it to cement its position as the go-to brand for those looking to get top-notch hardware without breaking the bank. As a result, there’s considerable excitement over any new release from the manufacturer. The OnePlus 5T is absolutely worthy of that attention.

The 18:9 display at the front is one of the best in this category, as is the primary camera. The clean software experience and all-day battery life make the OnePlus 5T an all-rounder, and the phone to beat in this segment.

The OnePlus 5T costs the same as the OnePlus 5 in India, and that’s amazing.

OnePlus is cognizant of the market conditions in India, and as such the company is introducing the OnePlus 5T at the same price point as the OnePlus 5. The variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage is now available from Amazon India for ₹32,999, and the 8GB model with 128GB of storage can be purchased for ₹37,999.

In a market that’s obsessed with price, that’s a masterstroke as it allows the brand to undercut both the Mi Mix 2 and the Nokia 8, which start off at ₹35,999 and ₹36,999 respectively.

Should you buy one? Of course!

If you’re looking for a phone with top-of-the-line specs and an uncluttered software but don’t want to spend over ₹40,000, the OnePlus 5T should be at the top of your list. There isn’t a phone in the sub-₹40,000 segment that offers as much value for your money.

OnePlus is rolling out a Star Wars-themed variant of the OnePlus 5T on December 15. The OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition comes with a custom white paint job and the Star Wars logo etched at the back, and the Alert Slider is painted red. The phone will be sold in limited numbers and exclusively in India, so if you’re interested in Star Wars at all, you’ll want to set a reminder to pick up the phone next week.

Don’t care much for the Force, lightsabers, or spaceships that can do the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs? Then you can pick up the standard variant of the OnePlus 5T right now from Amazon India.

See at Amazon India

Quentin Tarantino developing ‘Star Trek’ movie with J.J. Abrams

Quentin Tarantino could helm the next Star Trek film, according to sources who spoke to Deadline. Tarantino has shared his pitch on the long-running sci-fi franchise with producer J.J. Abrams, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The two plan to convene a writers room to develop the film at Paramount, with Tarantino in the director’s chair.

Does that mean we’re about to get a R-rated Star Trek scored by Wu Tang Clan’s RZA? That’s doubtful, considering the nature of the series. But, there’s also been no word on a path for the franchise since Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond (the third in the rebooted universe) bowed in July 2016.

It’s no secret that Tarantino is a trekkie. Back in 2015, the filmmaker laid out his vision for a Star Trek movie on the Nerdist podcast, claiming that he wanted to get away from the multi-character story arcs of the reboots, which Beyond would later fully embrace. Tarantino said he’d rather see a repurposed Star Trek episode, namedropping time-travelling classics The City on the Edge of Forever and Yesterday’s Enterprise.

More recently, he told TMZ that if a studio wants him aboard the enterprise, it better set the meeting stat (hinting at his retirement after two more films). Meanwhile, Star Trek made the leap to CBS All Access this year, with the release of TV series Star Trek: Discovery.

Source: Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter

Nintendo Wii, GameCube games come to China on NVIDIA Shield

As revealed by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, Nintendo is teaming up with NVIDIA to release some of its Wii and Gamecube games in China for the first time. While NVIDIA’s Tegra chip is at the heart of the Nintendo Switch, in this case, the games will run on the NVIDIA Shield, which hit the market today in China. NVIDIA confirmed that New Super Mario Bros. Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and PUNCH-OUT!! are all available now for the Shield in 1080p, while others including Super Mario Galaxy are “coming soon.”

Ahmad posted videos of Nintendo games running on the Shield (sourced from Weibo) and provided some pricing info, saying that the Shield in China costs 1499 RMB (about $226), while each remastered game costs 68 RMB (about $10). We wouldn’t expect anything about this arrangement to expand beyond China in the foreseeable future, but the licensing arrangement is a way for Nintendo to crack the market officially. We don’t have much information on the Shield that’s available in China, but it is different from the US version, with local “content, store, search and more” plus a voice control AI powered by Baidu.

Here is some gameplay of Twilight Princess running on Nvidia Shield.

It is said to be running in HD (Not sure what that means exactly in terms of the port).

Wii games on Shield will cost RMB 68. pic.twitter.com/M84WfV9eWE

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) December 5, 2017

NVIDIA:

Extending the business relationship that brought NVIDIA technology to Nintendo Switch, some of Nintendo’s most beloved Wii and Nintendo GameCube titles are officially headed to China for the first time. New Super Mario Bros. Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and PUNCH-OUT!! are remastered in 1080p and available on the China version of NVIDIA SHIELD, released today.

SHIELD owners in China will be able to download and play select Wii and Nintendo GameCube titles, with others coming soon – among them,Super Mario Galaxy. These amazing games have been provided to NVIDIA under license.

Customized for the China market, SHIELD is a completely localized device, with local content, store, search and more. SHIELD will bring Chinese customers a brand-new experience in gaming, AI and home entertainment with Baidu’s DuerOS conversational AI system and abundant entertainment options from iQIYI.

Source: Daniel Ahmad (Twitter)

Apple Releases Apple Watch Sport Bands and iPhone Cases in Three New Colors

Apple today quietly added three new Apple Watch Sport bands to its online store, introducing three unique colors. The new bands are available in Spicy Orange, Dark Teal, and Flash, a bright shade of yellow.

Flash and Spicy Orange match previously available Sport Loop and Woven Nylon bands. The Flash color is available for the Sport Loop, and Spicy Orange is available for both the Sport Loop and the Woven Nylon.

The Spicy Orange shade is similar to the exclusive orange Apple Watch Sport band Apple offers with its Hermès Apple Watch models, which has never been available on a standalone basis.

The new Apple Watch Sport bands, like all Sport Bands, are available for both the 38 and 42mm Apple Watch models and are priced at $49. Sport Bands fit wrists from 130 to 200mm and come in S&M and M&L sizes with both size options included in the purchase price.

Apple’s Silicone Cases for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus are also available in three new colors, including Flash and Spicy Orange to match the new Sport Bands and Cosmos Blue, which is similar to the Dark Teal and a color previously available for the iPhone lineup in leather.

The new iPhone cases are priced at $39 for the X, $35 for the 8, and $39 for the 8 Plus. iPhone 8 and 8 Plus cases also fit the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, iPhone 8, iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now), iPhone 8 (Buy Now), iPhone X (Buy Now)
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