Welcome to the newest member in the house, as the Xiaomi Redmi Pro has received its own set of forums. Head on over to collaborate with other users who plan to pick up the device!
Sunday, July 31, 2016
[Giveaway] Win a OnePlus 3 With Dash Charge!
One of the most flaunted features of OEMs in recent years has been charging speed, with seemingly everyone looking to demonstrate the fastest and most efficient method of giving your device juice.
The OnePlus 3 launched with a charging solution known as Dash Charge, unencumbered by power heavy tasks such as gaming. Dash Charging will charge the OP3 to 63% in just half an hour, incredibly useful for those of us who are cursed by heavy usage and only short breaks throughout our day. OnePlus have generously offered one lucky reader the chance to take home a OnePlus 3 for free! All you have to do to enter is to answer this question via tweet:
“what would you do with the extra time in your day not spent charging your phone?”
Whether it would be spending that time modding your device, taking selfies or dominating gyms in Pokemon Go we want to know. Just be sure to use the hashtag #DaysPowerHalfHour and for an extra shot at the prize simply leave a comment below.
Evan Blass: Android 7.0 Nougat Releases Next Month with 5th August Security Patch
Serial tipster @evleaks mentioned on his Twitter account that the Android 7.0 Nougat update will be released “next month” (i.e. August), along with the 5th August security patch. He also goes on to mention that Nexus 5 users will not get Android 7.0 Nougat update despite its early release, but the move isn’t very surprising considering usual support patterns.
What’s the Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened to a Device of Yours?
At XDA, we know that we should always take precautions to ensure our device is safe. Whether that means carefully following flashing instructions or protecting our phone inside a tough case, we want to make sure our devices reach the end of the day unscathed — or at the very least, functional.
But accidents happen sometimes. A sudden fall, glossing over a specific flashing requirement, or simply unjustified overconfidence can quickly put your phone to rest (at least until you repair or restore it). Sometimes, we are just hit by plain bad luck, often resulting in frustrating but somewhat funny scenarios. So we ask you,
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to a device of yours? Was it an accident, a case of overconfidence, or an honest mistake? How bad was the damage, and how’d you get around it?
Share your stories below and join the conversation, and show pictures if you have them!
Peiter Zatko is Grading Software Based on Security Flaws
Peiter Zatko, along with his wife, are former NSA mathematicians and they’ve developed a first-of-its-kind method for actually grading pieces of software for security flaws. The system will now give users the ability to “comparison shop” for programs like browsers, applications, and antivirus products based on how secure they are.
Samsung is Rumored to Announce the Gear S3 at IFA 2016
SamMobile says they have exclusive information about the upcoming Gear S3 from Samsung. If true, the smartwatch will be like its predecessor and have a rotary bezel again, which also implies it will be round again as well. Their sources are also telling them that the Gear S3 will be unveiled at IFA in September of this year.
Xiaomi Redmi Pro to use OLED Panels from BOE and EverDisplay
When you think of a smartphone with an OLED panel, you almost always assume it’s from Samsung since they are responsible for 90% of the market. Xiaomi decided to go with two Chinese companies for the OLED panels of the Redmi Pro though (presumably to keep costs down). So the OLED panel on Xiaomi’s latest smartphone will be coming from both BOE and EverDisplay.
DxOMark Reviews the Camera on the Xperia X Performance
DxOMark just published their review of the Sony Xperia X Performance and they felt it was just as good as the HTC 10 and Galaxy S7 Edge. They felt the autofocus was fast, the noise was controlled in low light and it had good stabilization, exposure and white balance. In their experience, HDR failed to trigger sometimes, and highlights in bright outdoor scenes can be over-exposed.
Sony is Negotiating with Murata to Offload Battery Business
Sony has entered into a non-binding memorandum with Murata Manufacturing in hopes to transfer the company’s battery business. The two companies hope to come to an agreement about the deal sometime in October of this year. If everything goes well, the goal is to complete the transfer by March of next year (assuming it passes regulatory approval).
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Off-brand Android: Live TV USB Antenna Review
In my ongoing quest to find and review the most bizarre Android accessories, I kept stumbling across this Android TV antenna. According to the product description, this device will work anywhere in the US and provide you with a live TV feed. I finally got my hands on this device and was able to try it out for myself.
I had my doubts about the ability to receive a TV signal through my USB port. Still, I am unsure as to if this is even possible. What I do know for sure is that this product is not the solution for watching live TV.
Everything already looked suspicious when the only thing this product came with was an unmarked CD with no description of what it was for. Had I opened this five years ago and still had an optical drive on my computer, I would have been able to tell you what the contents of this CD are. For now it will have to remain a mystery.
After installing the companion app to test out the live TV, I found that all of the content was being streamed through my data connection. There was no need for the antenna to be plugged in to get any of the content from the app.
Curious as to whether there was even anything inside of this USB adapter, I popped open the case. It definitely wasn’t empty but how this thing was even supposed to work, I wasn’t sure.
This product was a massive fail. Do you have any suggestion on what I review next? Let me know in the comments.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Emulate Gyroscope on Android With GyroEmu
While a gyro sensor is a standard for high-end phones, there are some devices that lack thereof. Luckily, XDA Forum Member Mourdraug created an Xposed Framework module that emulates this sensor. If you have a device without gyroscope, you can find it useful. For more specific information and APK file, head over to the forum thread.
Sony Mobile is Back in the Black with $4 Million in Profit
After closing offices, cutting jobs, and tightening the belt, Sony Mobile is finally making a profit again. During Q2 of last year, the company’s mobile division lost $188 million. Even though their sales were down 33%, Sony Mobile brought in $4 million in profit from its $1.8 billion in overall revenue.
Facebook has 1.03 Billion Mobile Daily Active Users
Facebook has just announced they have grown their mobile user base over 20% compared to last year. Their mobile daily active users are now up to 1.03 billion (which is up 22% compared to last year), and they now have 1.57 billion mobile monthly active users (which is up 20% compared to last year). They also announced that mobile now makes 84% of their total advertising revenue.
Swiftkey Suspends Sync Services After Users Start Seeing Suggestions from Other Users
Swiftkey has stopped Sync services for its keyboard after it was reported that a few users started seeing suggestions that did not belong to them. A user reported seeing German suggestions on an English keyboard along with a different person’s email. The error is believed to have been caused because of a bug in the keyboard’s synchronization features and hence, these have been deactivated till the issue is solved.
The Sorry State of Android Fragmentation: An Example to Understand Developers’ Plight
Fragmentation has been a contentious issue in Android quite literally since the mobile operating system was announced.
Apart from being a cudgel for trolls to use in online flame-wars, the diversity that comes with fragmentation is now largely seen as a net positive for consumers of Android devices. After all, we’re given so much freedom in choosing the kind of device with the kind of software we want that it’s hard for the average consumer to care about fragmentation. Visualizing the incredible variety of Android devices produces a beautiful mosaic of Android’s diverse representation.
An Example of Android Device Fragmentation based on App Installations of OpenSignal’s app. Source: OpenSignal
But hardware and software fragmentation doesn’t make for a happy software developer. In fact, quite the opposite. Developing an app across so many different hardware and software configurations can prove to be a major nuisance when debugging. OEMs can make major or subtle changes that need to be accounted for when developing an app, but there’s really no easy way for the individual developer to ensure that their app will work universally. While the average consumer has long since forgotten about the fragmentation debate, the issue still haunts Android app developers and there’s seemingly nothing to do about it except suck it up and deal with the errors as they appear.
The Sorry State of Fragmentation
One OEM in particular receives a large portion of hate for the headaches they cause when developing an app — Samsung. Developers have been ranting about Samsung for years now, some even writing such scathing pieces as “There is a Special Place for Samsung in Android Hell” which describes a particularly frustrating bug stemming from Samsung devices and the support appcompat library. I would like to draw attention to one paragraph in particular from Mr. Ambri’s rant, which excellently outlines why developers still care about fragmentation:
If you are an Android developer, your hatred for Samsung devices is probably boundless. More than an average user, for whom Samsung is synonymous with silly Touchwiz and excessive bloatware, you despise Samsung because you don’t have a choice. Because of Samsung’s massive market share, you simply cannot choose not to support Samsung devices. And that’s what hurts the most; the fact that this choice is taken away from you!
This is not a rant from the olden years of Android’s existence either – this post was published in the middle of December last year. I will be upfront and state that I’m not sure if this issue has been officially fixed yet, however, Mr. Ambri has provided a fix in his post for anyone who stumbles across his rant via a Google search for the bug. All you have to do is use ProGuard with the following single line of code:
# Samsung ruining all nice things
-keep class !android.support.v7.view.menu.**,
!android.support.design.internal.NavigationMenu,
!android.support.design.internal.NavigationMenuPresenter,
!android.support.design.internal.NavigationSubMenu,
android.support.** {*;}
That’s not so bad, now is it? The problem, though, is that this fix was pulled off of Stack Overflow. Don’t get me wrong, Stack Overflow is a great website. But it’s not really an ideal source for discovering fixes for your apps. Finding something on Stack Overflow often involves diving deep through links after many trial-and-error Google searches. Sometimes you’ll even find another user mention the same bug you’ve been having, but without a fix in sight. Or even more frustrating are the times when you find a thread where the original poster has claimed to have found a fix but they’ve long since abandoned their thread without instructing others how to fix the issue.
Source: XKCD
An Example of a Subtle Fragmentation Issue
I’m not a developer myself, but I am familiar enough with the capabilities of Android after years of tinkering in Tasker that I’ve started pseudo-programming my own solutions to problems I’ve faced. And when I can’t figure something out, I Google it, just like everyone else does. While I was in the process of writing up my previous article about digging around your phone’s Settings app for hidden activities, I came across a rather odd bug that I could not explain. A bug unique to Huawei devices.
Whenever I tried to start certain activities (such as the “Testing” menu that contains app usage statistics) within the Settings app, I would always be met with a permission error. In particular, the app I was using to start the activity was lacking the permission huawei.android.permission.HW_SIGNATURE_OR_SYSTEM. No other device I tested required any unique permissions to launch these Settings activities, only phones running Huawei’s version of Android (EMUI). An analysis of com.android.settings revealed that certain activities within the Settings app was indeed under a protection level that required either the signature or system permission.
Unfortunately for me, this means that only apps installed under /system or apps signed with the same signature as the Settings app would be able to open these activities using the method I was attempting. When I Google searched this error for an answer, I (you guessed it) came across a Stack Overflow thread. The developer posting his problem came across the same issue that I did (although, his was in the process of actually developing an app). His problem came about when he attempted to run the following code:
Intent mainIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_MAIN, null);
mainIntent.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_LAUNCHER);
Intent pickIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_PICK_ACTIVITY);
pickIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_TITLE, "Pick App to Play in");
pickIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_INTENT, mainIntent);
this.startActivityForResult(pickIntent, REQUEST_PICK_APPLICATION);
Judging by the strings in the intent and the developer’s web page, he was likely trying to allow the user to pick a third-party app to play some media in. The fix, provided by veteran developer CommonsWare, was quite simple: use Intent.CreateChooser instead of ACTION_PICK_ACTIVITY. However, why should we need to implement this fix? Why is Huawei requiring this permission in the first place? Why did we need to find an answer on StackOverflow by using a very specific Google search?
The Paradox of Choice
To find an answer, CommonsWare filed a bug report on the Android bug tracker requesting that Google look into the issue. In particular, the developer requested that Google bar undocumented permission requirements from restraining third-party apps from accessing ACTION_PICK_ACTIVITY. By writing in these requirements in CTS, Huawei would be forced to comply with these changes.
To be honest, though, this bug itself really isn’t a big deal. Even though no other app I’ve tried (such as Tasker) was able to get around this permission requirement and launch certain activities within the Settings app, I wasn’t exactly disappointed by the outcome. But when I remembered the rant by Mr. Ambri, I realized that small changes such as these must be very frustrating to deal with, especially because as tiny as they might be, they undoubtedly add up, sometimes enough to cause a headache. One tiny change to the Settings app could result in an undeserved negative review against a developer. One tiny change that is rather poorly documented and required me to scour the Internet for a Stack Overflow thread. How many other small bugs are there on other devices?
Increased competition in the mobile space has proven to be great for the consumer, but after seeing how these subtle changes across so many different product lines can affect developers, I’ve grown to appreciate the developer view towards fragmentation. It isn’t that the choice itself is the problem, but rather that the community isn’t doing enough to catalogue these issues. As Mr. Ambri suggested in his article, perhaps Android developers need their own version of caniuse.com or sdkcritic.com to collect all of the obscure bugs into one database. The only other alternative is getting OEMs to either properly document these changes or stop making them in the first place, but good luck with that.
Feature Image Credits: OpenSignal
Alphabet Announces Impressive Results in Q2 Report
Alphabet also published their financial report this week and this showed the company brought in $21.3 billion in overall revenue for the quarter. This is up from $17.7 billion in revenue that they brought in during Q2 of last year. Of that $21.3 billion in revenue, $5.8 billion was non-GAAP net profit, and that is up from $4.8 billion when compared to the same quarter last year.
LG’s Mobile Division Lost $132 Million in Q2
LG has just published their financial report for the second quarter of this year. The company’s mobile division lost $132 million due to weak sales of the LG G5, which is actually better than how they did in Q1 of this year with a lost of $170 million. However, LG was able to bring in $503 million in overall profit thanks to its home appliance and TV divisions.
Samsung Financial Report Show Highest Profit in 2 Years
Thanks to the success of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung’s Q2 profits are the highest in 2 years. The company brought in $45.2 billion in overall revenue, which is up 5% compared to the same quarter last year. Of that $45.2 billion, $7.22 billion was pure profit and that was up 18% compared to the second quarter of 2015.
Prisma to Support Videos in Future Update
Prisma Labs recently launched their popular art filter application in the Play Store and it has become wildly popular since its release. Bloomberg published an interview with the developers this week and it seems like they are working on a feature that will add video support to the app. However, we are told the company needs to improve its computing infrastructure before they release it.
The LG V20 is an Important Device for LG, and They Don’t Have Room to Fall Short Again
Last month, we did a report on the walking of LG’s product design and how it’s been hurting them in sales. The main takeaway from this analysis is that LG is struggling to hit their stride in product design, and have yet to stick to one design for more than one or two device generations.
In the midst of constantly changing their products, LG put out a head-turning device that got quite a bit of attention, the LG V10. The V10 was unlike all of its previous phone companions in that it sported two of everything on the front face of the phone, was able to maintain a MIL-STD-810G certified shock resistant rating while being (subjectively) aesthetically pleasing, contained LG’s first attempt at a fingerprint reader (if you exclude the Nexus 5X reader), and is arguably the last great flagship phone to feature the classic-style removable battery.
With the successor to the V10, the LG V20 rumored to be released this September, it’s important that LG do not get ahead of themselves and take a look at what went wrong and what went right about the V10 in order to make a truly great V20. I’ve owned and used an LG V10 as a daily driver since January, and have seen first hand many of the pitfalls the V10 came with. I’m hoping that some of these issues are absent from its successor.
One of the biggest issues I’ve faced with my V10 is the software performance and clunkiness. If you’ve never used LG’s software, dubbed LG UX, then consider yourself mostly lucky. To say it’s completely unnecessary is an overstatement, given how LG has provided some useful additions to Android, in the form of QSlide Apps, Quick Remote, Capture+, and other various tweaks including all of the second screen tricks.
However, in changing the way Android works, as well as looks, it feels like LG didn’t give it their best in terms of optimization. The V10 has trouble keeping up with some basic tasks, and in a few not so rare occasions, completely freezes until I remove the battery and restart the phone. This can partly be attributed to the chipset in the V10, with the Snapdragon 808 chips having been notable for hindering performance on many phones. Even then, the G5 was also one of the poorer exponents of the more-recent 820, and even today the relative chunkiness can show through despite the strong hardware. Other times some things just break while not in use, with the “Second Screen has Stopped Working” message appearing often, even when I have the second screen disabled completely.
Another issue the V10 faced was build quality issues. Two major ones that I’ve been stricken with are the light bleed coming from the second screen, and the material on the back cover of the phone peeling off. The light bleed issue seems to be common among LCD panels, and did find its way to the G5. The back peeling issue has not come to the G5 given it has a completely different build material (with its own share of quality issues).
Something else that LG claims is hardware-related is their famous bootlooping issue. This issue first appeared on the LG G4, where a few months after release customer’s phones would turn off randomly and fall into a continuous boot loop. LG had claimed to fix the issue with a slight hardware update to the G4, but unfortunately many users of both the LG V10 and G5 have reported seeing the bootlooping issue on their devices. This is a serious issue, and I’m hoping LG can come up with a real fix before their fourth flagship in a row suffers from this deal breaking problem.
But amidst all of the issues that LG has seen with the V line so far, there are a few things that the V10 did well. It wasn’t the first phone with two screens, but it was the first to really use it in a productive manner. The mix of off-screen quick settings and music controls alongside a clock and notification ticker was very handy, and is something I would definitely love to see expanded upon. The screen-on features weren’t bad either, offering quick shortcuts to favorite apps, favorite contacts, music controls, upcoming events, and a signature if you’re into that.
Another strength in the V10 is it’s camera. LG is known for having outstanding cameras on their devices, and the rear facing camera on the V10 is no exception. The manual controls are such a welcome addition (and so well-implemented) that I will find it nearly impossible to move to a phone without them. The V10 also introduced native manual video controls, offering a much more robust video shooting experience unseen on most other phones. While I’m no professional photographer or filmographer, having these controls is a huge advantage that I hope to see return in the V20.
Alongside these strengths is the V10’s durability. I’ve dropped my V10 on concrete more times than I’m proud of, but luckily have never seen so much as a scratch on the main display. The side rails have had a dent or two, but it didn’t cause the phone to look worn at all. Durability is a huge factor I wish every phone maker would take seriously. The V line, so far, has shown that it can take a beating, and keeping this up with the V20 could help LG a lot.
Despite my earlier gripes with their software, LG has taken some steps in fixing the package, with the update to LG UX that came with the LG G5. The update saw the removal of some of their key features, such as Multi-Window, and even the App Drawer (which was added back after a lot of criticism). They have done this in order to try and trim down on the software’s bloated nature, with the removal of their implementation of Multi-Window possibly being done so that they can have room for Android 7.0 Nougat’s native Multi-Window capabilities. Seeing as how the LG V10 retained the software package from the LG G4, it should be no stretch to expect a software experience similar to the G5 on the V20.
Overall, LG is in a tight spot. With sales slipping they are going to have to pull off something great to avoid total disaster. The company knows it’s not doing well, having already laid off some top executives after the sales of the G5 turned out lower than anticipated. The one thing that can rectify their slipping sales is a great phone, and if they keep up the strengths of the V10 in its successor, while fixing some if its problems, they could very well have that phone that will save them in the long run. The V10 was already considered a breath of fresh air late last year, and LG is now gasping for such a thing as they seemingly drown inside the pit they dug themselves into with the G5. It was sad to see that despite all of its virtues, the V10 didn’t get the marketing attention it arguably should have from LG. But with another year comes another chance, and we hope that the V20 can not only be a worthy. no-nonsense successor to the V10, but also that it can give LG the success and breathing room it needs to become great once more.
What do you hope and/or expect to see in the LG V20? Drop a comment below and let us know!
Samsung Galaxy S7 Active Gets Its Own Forums!
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active makes for a good choice for people looking for a rugged phone with flagship specs. If you purchased an S7 Active, head on over to the forums!
Weekly Debrief — The Note7, Nexus Sailfish, and More
It’s Friday which means we are THAT much closer to Christmas! Check out this week’s weekly recap in the form of a fresh new video. You can find the links to the articles that are featured down below.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (Flat) Working Prototype Featured in 11-Minute Long Video
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 unveiling is just round the corner, with the device being unveiled officially on 2nd August. We know a lot about the device so far — how it will look like, in whatcolors it will come in, what hardware will it sport internally and even have a glimpse on how the Iris Scanner will work. But if you’re still craving for yet more information about the device, we’ve got something sweet for you…
Read moreAndroid Nougat Beta Build for the Huawei P9 is Available – Get it Now!
Android Nougat’s fifth developer preview was recently released for Nexus devices, but for the past few months owners of any other non-Google devices have been waiting to get a chance to taste some of that sweet Nougat. We’ve known that OEMs have been internally testing Nougat releases for their devices (after all, Google shares their work with their partners to ensure timely updates for all) and it seems that Huawei is no exception…
Read MoreGoogle Phone App Now Features Spam Protection
Ever since telemarketing became a thing, groups of people have tried to make the most by resorting to what is know as spam calls. These often take the form of automated voice recordings (or robocalls as they are often called) being played back to the receiver, often selling goods or services that the receiver may or may not be interested in…
Read moreNexus Sailfish build.prop Leaked, Confirms 1080p Display and More
Last night, reputable leaker @EvLeaks asked its followers if releasing/giving the ROM dump for an upcoming Nexus phone would be of any use. Everyone, of course, asked him to do it for teardowns and the new information contained in its lines…
Wikipedia’s Android Client Receives A Massive Update
You probably know Wikipedia well, given we all use it at some point or another.It’s one of the best sites from which you can learn about people, events or places, even if superficially. Now its Android client has been rewritten and features a completely redesigned home screen. As a result, reading Wikipedia will be much more enjoyable on mobile. Give it a shot!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Docs and Sheets for Android Get Add-Ons Support
The Docs and Sheets apps on Android now come with Add-Ons Support. Google has teamed up with eight integration partners as of now to create seamless integrations for Docs and Sheets. These Add-Ons allow you to trigger actions above and beyond the standard Docs and Sheets functionality, like sign documents, create mobile apps from data in Sheets, scan business documents into Docs and more. You can check out all Add-Ons with this App Collection.
Samsung’s Android-Powered Clamshell Smartphone, Galaxy Folder 2, Gets TENAA Approval
Samsung does not hesitate to test out new waters, or get back into old in this case, as a Clamshell design smartphone that runs on Android has now arrived at TENAA. The Samsung Galaxy Folder 2, as it is being called, will reportedly pack in a 3.8″ WVGA display with 800×480 resolution, a Snapdragon 425 SoC with Adreno 308 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (expandable) and will run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The device has also passed through the FCC, meaning that it may also launch in the USA.
Samsung Beats Apple in Smartphone Shipments for Q2 2016
Riding on the success of the Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung has beaten Apple for smartphone shipments for Q2 2016. Samsung’s shipments for April-June came at around 72 Million smartphones, while Apple’s iPhone shipments amounted to 40.4 Million units. However, a point to note is that the new iPhone is set to release in a few months, while Samsung’s strong sales received a boost from their newly released flagship.
What Makes an App Worth Paying for?
Android is home to thousands and thousands of apps and games. But not all of these are created equal.
Some apps truly shine on what they do, while a lot of others try to cash in on the me-too phenomenon. On the other hand, there are apps which have strong ideas but fail on the execution. Whether it be sub-par implementation of the idea, lack of a friendly UI or simply being priced exorbitantly — there tend to be caveats that turn a lot of users away. We ask you,
What makes an app worth paying for? What factors convince you to part with your money? Do you prefer strong execution in the concept, or does UX come front and center? Do you look for a developer that is receptive to feedback?
XDA Subforums Live for Blackberry DTEK50!
With Blackberry releasing their second Android device in the Blackberry DTEK50 (rebranded Alcatel Idol 4), subforums have been created for the device! If you plan to purchase the device, head on over to take a look at the forums!
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (Flat) Working Prototype Featured in 11-Minute Long Video
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 unveiling is just round the corner, with the device being unveiled officially on 2nd August. We know a lot about the device so far — how it will look like, in what colors it will come in, what hardware will it sport internally and even have a glimpse on how the Iris Scanner will work. But if you’re still craving for yet more information about the device, we’ve got something sweet for you.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 just starred in a 11 minute long video, where a lot of different aspects of the device were shown off. Grab some popcorn, dim the lights and watch this feature length demo:
Right off the bat, you’ll notice something off… Where’s the curved display? The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 demoed off in the video is a prototype device, and to note, it’s apparently prototype of a flat, non-curved variant. A lot of previous leaks, rumors and renders only pitched that Samsung had chosen to stick with a curved display Note 7 only, with no Flat variant being planned for the final consumer. But in this demo, a prototype non-Edge Note 7 is being shown off, which means that Samsung may have toyed with the idea at the very least. It still remains unknown if such a variant will ever make it to the market, and we’ll probably have to wait till the official unveiling for more info in general.
Some more points to note is that since this is a prototype, the hardware and likely the software is not final. The video shows off the insides as being the Exynos 8890 with 4GB of RAM. The camera sensor on this device was the Sony IMX260, but again, it’s a prototype. Samsung also tends to swap around camera sensors with their own, so things can change by the time of the final release. The video also shows off the S Pen, the Iris scanner and some benchmarks for the device.
While still not final or official in any manner, the video gives us a very good look at what to expect when the Galaxy Note 7 comes out. The mystery still continues on #TeamFlat vs #TeamEdge for the Note 7, and we’re curious to see if Samsung does decide to go both ways. One can dream, eh?
What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 so far? Let us know in the comments below!
Beating The Game CLARC
In this XDA TV video, we have something a little different for you. For the most part, it’s a pretty rare thing for anyone to play an Android game from start to finish. If you’re like me, you rarely have the game on your phone for more than two days. So Taylor decided to take on the task and finding and completing an Android game and seeing if it’s worth the time and money spent on it.
The game he settled on is called CLARC. Right now it’s available on the Play store for $2.90. This puzzle/adventure game will follow the story of a robot who falls in love with a nuclear missile named Clara. Taylor takes us through his experience playing the game and describes how the game holds up over a long period of time.
In the beginning, the puzzles start out very simple. You’ll learn the controls and the gameplay fairly quickly. The game introduces new challenges at a steady rate as the game goes on. After beating the game, Taylor finds that it was able to keep him engaged and entertained the entire time. Check out the video for his full in-depth review.
This video is not sponsored. This will be a new series where Taylor reviews games from start to finish to let you know if it’s worth investing the time into playing it. You can help decide what he plays next by leaving suggestions in the comments.
Here’s how to Access Hidden Settings on your Phone
Depending on what flavor of Android your phone is based on, you might be stuck with a settings page that is… a bit of a mess to say the least.
For that reason, Google introduced a search feature in the settings app starting with Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Settings App Search Menu
However, there are a few settings screens that are inaccessible from this search bar. These are activities that are able to be called within the Settings app, however, they require you to directly invoke them as the manufacturer has not otherwise provided a user-accessible link. The easiest way to launch these settings are to use an app like Activity Launcher, but Nova Launcher/Tasker and other apps are able to access these activities as well. What hidden menus you are able to access differs across devices, but here are a few examples that I’ve found on the Nexus 6P (that should be accessible on most Android phones) as well as a few that are specific to the Huawei P9.
Notification Log
Did you know that Android logs all of your notifications? Since Android 4.3, Google has tucked away a hidden settings page called the Notification log that lists every notification received with the notification’s title, status bar icon, originating app, and time the notification was posted. Unfortunately, the log does not record detailed information about a notification so you’re unable to see the exact contents of a Hangouts message, for instance. This settings page can be found at com.android.settings.Settings$NotificationStationActivity.
Detailed Cellular/Network Information and App Usage Statistics
There is a hidden “Testing” settings page (com.android.settings.TestingSettings) that can be readily accessed by many Android phones. Within the settings screen here, you are able to view detailed information about your current cellular and WiFi collection as well as app usage statistics. Within the Phone Information page (directly accessible via com.android.settings.RadioInfo), for instance, you can see a list of nearby cellular towers (I’ve redacted that part in my screenshot because the list is very large), your signal strength, and some network testing information such as successful packets sent/received. In addition, you can set your preferred network type, disable the cellular radio (effectively the same as enabling airplane mode, without toggling WiFi/Bluetooth), and change some other network settings. Be warned that these network settings are hidden for a reason, so do not change any settings unless you are absolutely sure you know what you’re doing.
Next up is the Usage Statistics (directly accessible via com.android.settings.UsageStatsActivity) screen. Here, we have a page that provides us some basic information about how much time we spend using certain apps. Android logs and lists your app usage and allows you to sort by usage time, last time the app was used, or by app name. It’s a quick and easy way to see what apps you regularly use without having to give permission to a third party app to track your habits. And yes, it persists across reboots.
Finally, there’s the hidden WiFi settings page (directly accessible via com.android.settings.wifi.WifiInfo or by entering *#*#4636#*#* in the dialer). There’s not much useful information to be gleaned here for the average user, though. The WiFi API page lists a few options that developers can use to pull information about the device’s WiFi connection, but there’s nothing for you to use. The WiFi Config page provides a ton of information about your currently configured WiFi networks, though, so if that information is relevant to you then you’ll enjoy this page. Finally, the Wifi Status page provides a more condensed version of your Wifi configuration and even allows you to run a quick ping test to test your connection.
Note: You must hit “Refresh Stats” to see detailed information.
Huawei P9-Specific Settings
Here’s where things get interesting. Device manufacturers often hide specific settings of their own, and just like the above few activities you’ll have to do some digging to find some of these. For Huawei’s P9, here are a few that I’ve found.
USB OTG Toggle
Now here’s an oddball feature. Apparently, there’s a hidden toggle that was supposed to be used to enable/disable USB OTG (and by default the option is off) but for some reason it was left out of the settings app. As far as I know, USB OTG works regardless of whether or not the option is enabled in this screen. Perhaps Huawei originally intended to disable the feature by default, but then decided against it?
Signal Icon Style
This setting allows you to change the behavior of the signal icon, depending on how many SIM cards you have inserted (the Huawei P9 accepts two SIMs).
Time Display Mode
This setting lets you choose whether or not you want to display the timestamp seen in calls, messages, and calendar in local time or Beijing time. I’m not sure why this menu exists, but if you need it it’s there to use.
Audio Balance
Here’s an interesting one that was hidden by Huawei: a sound balancing feature. Supposedly, you are supposed to be able to control the left/right sound balance using this slider, but I couldn’t hear any difference. Perhaps Huawei scrapped this feature partway through development, so we might see it in a future Huawei phone.
Now that we’ve gone through a few of the hidden settings activities as well as how to access them, you should try digging through your phone’s settings app to see if you can find anything interesting. Who knows, there could be a really useful feature that was cut at the last minute!
Give it a show and let us know what you find in the comments below.
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