Software

Android 10 has reached the LG G7 ThinQ in Canada and Europe. The update is rolling out to devices now and is available to download either as an OTA or via the LG Bridge.

The Razer Kishi is a recently-launched smartphone accessory that snaps around a phone to give it physical in-game controls. Its controls include analog mechanical thumbsticks, which might be handy in the course, of, say, using Xbox Game Pass. Conveniently, the Kishi now works with this new cloud-gaming solution for Android.

Samsung's latest smartwatch reportedly already has a firmware update. The new download confers blood-oxygen measurements as well as the ability to track maximal oxygen uptake (or VO2Max). Therefore, the wearable may be better equipped to help the user get an idea of important aspects of their health and fitness.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and Mi Mix 3 users in China have been reporting receiving a stable update for MIUI 12 on their smartphones. This indicates that the global, European, and Indian releases of the MIUI 12 stable update ROM for these two Mi Mix smartphones should take place over the coming weeks.

After weeks of waiting, the stable MIUI 12 update is finally seeding to the Poco X2 in India. The Redmi K30-based phone is getting the OTA with build number "MIUI 12.0.1.0 QGHINXM" and an 813 MB file size.

QNAP has announced that it will no longer officially support vQTS-built virtual machines (VMs) on its servers. This means that, while users can still operate the VMs they have previously constructed on this platform, they will no longer be supported or updated by the company. Machines set up using the newer QuTSCloud will, however.

The number of devices that have started receiving MIUI 12 has grown to 48. A detailed list outlines which devices have been upgraded to Xiaomi's latest OS, and on which branches of MIUI too.

The stable MIUI 12 update has started being issued to the Redmi Note 7 Pro outside of India. It is bad news for the Pocophone F1 though, as Xiaomi has delayed its planned OS upgrade once again.

Samsung has reportedly applied for a European trademark for a "Book Flex" with an unusual new addition: 5G. Therefore, it may have a convertible PC with this connectivity in the works. This leak offers no hints as to the putative next-gen device's further specs, OS and chipset included, however.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 was marketed as a device that would be capable of generating electrocardiograms (ECGs) for advanced health-tracking purposes. Now - almost exactly one year after its launch - the OEM has activated this function. However, it still only works for units sold in their own home market.

MediaTek and Intel had previously announced a partnership to ultimately result in 5G-capable laptops powered by the latter's CPUs. Now, this collaboration has reached a stage at which the modem necessary has been tested and validated for these purposes. It is thus now rated for standalone- and non-standalone sub-6GHz connectivity.

The Realme X3 Pro is a phone that has been shrouded in mystery, not to mention uncertainty as to whether a device of this name will even see a launch event this year. Some leaks have thrown up more new model numbers associated with this brand with possible specs that may yet fit the bill.

The Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro has picked up the MIUI 12 upgrade. The device remains on Android 9.0 Pie for some reason, though. Additionally, Xiaomi has started upgrading the Mi 10 to its latest OS in Russia.

Nearby Share is Google's long-awaited answer to AirDrop, and may formally debut as part of Android 11. However, XDA contributors have found evidence that it may work with other operating systems, so long as they run Chrome. This is because it may have a web UI, which could make it almost universal for file-sharing.

Yesterday at Unpacked, Samsung announced that it would improve its software support lifespan to three generations of major OS updates, starting with the Galaxy S10 series which will now receive Android 12 when it's available.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch series officially has a new generation. This 2020 variant retains the moving bezel that was so popular the first time around. However, its build and footprint has been updated, as have its health-tracking features.

Samsung has long been rumored to launch its new generation of Galaxy Buds in a completely new form-factor. This has finally been proven true at the OEM's latest product launch. The Buds Live are indeed also the first of their line to feature active noise cancellation (ANC).

The Galaxy Note 20 and 20 Ultra 5G have been unveiled today (August 5, 2020) at the latest Galaxy Unpacked event. This series has turned out to conform to all its more recent leaks and rumors well. In fact, all Samsung really had to do was announce their pricing and availability.

After sending out the global beta stable MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 last week, Xiaomi has now blessed the European model of the phone with a similar update. The update bears the build number "MIUI 12.0.1.0 QJOEUXM" and is a 538 MB download.

The stable MIUI 12 update has arrived for the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro in Europe, a few days after an equivalent one for the Mi 10 arrived. Xiaomi has also begun upgrading the Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A to Android 10 globally.

Aipower's Wearbuds were unique on their launch in that they combine a fitness tracker and TWS earbuds in one product. Now, their second generation has finally come to the market via a crowdfunding platform. The OEM claims this new Pro variant improves on the original in terms of functions, battery life and finish.

At first sight, World of Tanks 1.10 comes with a few interesting changes, such as the introduction of a new medium branch to the Polish tech tree. Sadly, the rework of the equipment system and some of the other improvement attempts were enough to make me uninstall the game after just two battles.

A supposed list of Xiaomi and Redmi devices that will not get an update to Android 11 has been shared online and it makes for disappointing reading for owners of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 8T, and Redmi Note 8. Unsurprisingly, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G has also found its way onto this particular shortlist.

A device calling itself the "motorola moto e(7) plus" has appeared on Geekbench 4. Therefore, a direct replacement for the unprepossessing Moto E6 Plus may be on the way. This new putative phone has 4GB of RAM and runs on a possibly unknown Snapdragon processor.

TCL has teased the next generation of 6-series TVs with a potentially important spec: THX Certified Game Mode. It functions to activate a panel of settings intended to represent gaming content with improved fidelity and quality. The upcoming screens will be the first to feature this new technology.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone has joined many other Xiaomi and Redmi devices on the Android 10-based Paranoid Android Quartz 4 custom ROM support list. The devs behind the firmware are also preparing the Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi Mix 3 for future releases of the Paranoid Android ROM.

Samsung is expected to launch a fitness tracker alongside a number of other products at its impending Galaxy Unpacked event. A new leak appears to set its status as a second-gen Galaxy Fit series in stone. It may be the first reported listing for the device that uses a corresponding product name.

Today (August 3, 2020) Google has ushered the Pixel 4a onto its Store website as its newest phone. This 5.81-inch FHD+ display device has just 1 SKU, although its RAM/storage specs are improved compared to its predecessor's starter variant. It is available as an unlocked device for under US$400, or through Verizon on a 24-month contract.

The Android 11 update will start making its way to Xiaomi devices in September. It will be based on MIUI 12 and available to a host of Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco smartphones. The company is already testing the software on many smartphones, such as the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and Redmi K30 Pro.

Netflix is reportedly rolling out a feature by which a user can make content go forward or backward at different rates. This facility has apparently been under consideration at the streaming giant for years, and may benefit those with sensory impairments. However, it is only available on its Android app as yet.

After sending out the global stable MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 last week, Xiaomi is rolling out a new update to the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Sadly, it doesn't bring the much-awaited MIUI 12, and owners of the mid-range phone will have to wait a while longer.

There were reports a while back that the Mi Mix 3 5G wouldn't receive any other update but those may have been a tad misguided, as Xiaomi has now confirmed that the last-gen premium phone is set to get a new update shortly, with MIUI 12 to follow.

Google has released a new little online puzzle that offers what is probably an insight on the Pixel 4a's long-awaited launch date. It is expected to do so with a 5G variant for the first time in this series' history. However, it seems it will not make it to this event, and will instead wait until Android 11 is here too.

The Asus ZenFone 7 is slated to launch soon - as is its nouveau Pro variant. A device that could be one of these two has been spotted on the Bluetooth Special Interest Group's (SIG) website. This suggests that the new series could indeed debut very soon.

The PowerBuds are sports-themed TWS earbuds from Huami's brand Amazfit. They are unique in that they have a sensor for heart-rate tracking, a feature normally reserved for smartwatches. Their OEM has finally announced that they will launch on Amazon India in August 2020.

The Xiaomi Mi 9T, Redmi K20, Redmi 5, and Redmi 7/Y3 have now joined the list of Xiaomi smartphones that are supported by the Android 10-based Paranoid Android Quartz 4 custom ROM. The Mi 8 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Note 7 were also recently added, and there are plans to support the somewhat forlorn Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 in the future.

Earlier reports have pointed to a new health-tracking spec for the Apple Watch 5's successor: blood oxygen tracking. A new tip may give this idea further weight. It also backs up other claims of sleep-tracking and even more advanced cardiovascular monitoring in the upcoming wearable.

The Android 10 upgrade for the global version of the Redmi Note 7 is hitting more devices. The update, which is called V11.0.1.0.QFGMIXM, also carries the July 2020 security patch among other changes.

The stable MIUI 12 update has arrived for the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S in India. Additionally, Xiaomi has upgraded the Mi 8 and has expanded the rollout of its latest OS for the Mi 9T and Redmi K20 in Europe.

The Poco F1 was expected to receive its first taste of MIUI 12 in July but that doesn't appear to be feasible anymore with reports claiming the beta update has now been postponed. The new established timeline will see Poco F1 owners receive the stable update in late August.

Razer's latest gaming headset is the BlackShark V2. Its 50 millimeter (mm) drivers feature the OEM's TriForce Titanium coating, as well as its SpeedFlex cable. It features THX Spatial Audio for an immersive experience and a removable cardioid mic with a USB sound card.

After sending out MIUI 12 beta updates to the Redmi Note 7 Pro in China, Xiaomi has now set its sights towards India—the only other region where the phone was sold. Yes, the MIUI 12 update is now rolling out to the Redmi Note 7 Pro in India.

After sending out a MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 in China last week, Xiaomi is finally delivering the update to global users. Hence begins the MIUI 12 global beta stable rollout for the Helio G85-powered Redmi Note 9, and the update weighs in at just over 500 MB.

Samsung is one of a minority of Android OEMs that bake its own in-house personal assistant into its mobile UI. However, some parties might prefer it did otherwise, not the least of which is Google. That company is reportedly offering the Korean giant a better deal to discontinue Bixby.

The Xiaomi Mi A3 may be set to receive native screen recorder functionality with Android 11. However, it looks like the Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite will miss out.

Xiaomi is not messing about with the rollout of MIUI 12 as it has brought two more devices onto its new OS. This time it is the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Lite in Europe, which follow the likes of the Mi 9 and Redmi K20 series. The Redmi 8A has finally received an OS upgrade too, nearly a year after its release.

Some Samsung Galaxy Note 8 users cannot connect to mobile networks after installing the July 2020 Android security patch. The phone refuses to detect a SIM card outright. An OTA update is required to fix the issue as standard troubleshooting steps don't seem to work. Samsung is yet to acknowledge the problem officially.

Sony has finally launched the successor to the a7S II. It comes with a new BIONZ XR image processor, a new CMOS sensor with an effective resolution of 12.1MP and a new thermal management system that may improve 4K 60p 10-bit 4:2:2 record times. Sony has also debuted the new CFexpress Type A storage format.

Huawei has expanded the rollout of EMUI 10.1 in multiple regions. The expansion builds on the company's previous upgrade plans for Western Europe, North Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, Central Asia, Canada, Japan and Latin America.

The Xperia 1 II has some impressive camera capabilities, upon which Sony has improved with a new update for the device. Currently rolling out in multiple regions, albeit only for single-SIM versions, the update adds RAW image format support among a few other changes.