Software

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.

The OnePlus One remains a fan favourite all these years on, and it is set to receive official Lineage OS 17.1 updates. The community developed OS is based on Android 10, which is the sixth major OS update for the OnePlus One since its launch in 2014.

Since Amazon's Fire HD 8 (2018) runs Android 7.1 Nougat-based Fire OS 6, being able to run Android 10 on this slate is definitely great news. Obviously, this is only possible thanks to a third-party ROM — namely LineageOS 17.1 — which is already available for those eager enough to try a work-in-progress piece of code.

Scheduled to become available for download/update later today, Firefox 79 comes roughly one month after the release of Firefox 78. This light release includes just a few changes and the most obvious one is Enhanced Tracking Protection 2.0. The Android version is also expected to get an update today, but there are no details available yet.

Amazfit claims that its ZenBuds TWS earbuds are so light and comfortable that they can be worn in bed all night. In fact, this is part of their use-case: to emit custom-designed audio that helps improve the user's sleep pattern. The brand has launched this product via Indiegogo, where they have now attracted just over US$1 million in backing.

The rollout of MIUI 12 for the Mi 9T Pro and Redmi K20 Pro has been extended, meaning that all versions should now be eligible for the OS upgrade. The Redmi 9 has also been brought onto MIUI 12 ahead of its release in India, while Xiaomi has expanded the Android 10 upgrade for the Redmi 7A too.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch is finally getting a successor, according to some leaks. The latest of these reiterates several details currently linked to this accessory, and also claims that the rotating bezel that was so particular to its first generation is back. It is also now said to have stainless steel and a blood-pressure monitor in its hardware make-up.

Sony has recently confirmed that it will finally update its a7S series of cameras this year. The latest leaks surrounding this impending E-mount unit will have a rear screen like that of the ZV-1. It is also said to have some advantages over Canon's high-end EOS R5, its electronic view-finder (EVF) included.

A new MIUI 12 software update has started rolling out for participants in the Mi Pilot program who are testing the overlay on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro devices in India. This update indicates that a wider rollout for Redmi Note 8 Pro users may take longer than initially scheduled.

Samsung has announced new headphones branded and optimized by AKG. The Y600NCs are the more premium of the two, and come with active noise cancellation (ANC) and an innovative rotating ear-cup for volume control. The Y400s, on the other hand, are smaller on-ears that come in a fresh range of colors.

Microsoft has announced the release of a new 19041.421 build to the Beta Channel of the Windows Insiders program that brings all the features that were detailed earlier in the Dev Channel Build 20161. This means that the upcoming 20H2 feature update will not be just a minor build as was earlier thought but will have several new UI and under-the-hood changes.

The Mi 9T has received several MIUI 12 updates as it was one of the first phones to get a taste of MIUI 12. Owners of the phone in some regions will now have to wait a while for their next update, however, as Xiaomi has temporarily halted the MIUI 12 rollout for the phone.

WinFuture's Roland Quandt was the first tipster to assert that Samsung had developed a new, kidney-bean-like form-factor for its next-gen TWS earbuds. Now, this seems to have been borne out in increasingly convincing leaks since. Now, the same blogger is back with a more complete gamut of specs for these Galaxy Buds Live.

Samsung's Galaxy A41 made its debut not so long ago; however, that has not stopped rumors about its successor springing up already. According to one leak, it is to get variants with a 5G-capable SoC. Another states that it may have a battery of less than 5,000mAh in rated capacity.

The Poco F2 Pro is now receiving the official MIUI 12 update around the world. It's the global stable update and is rolling out to owners across Europe and Indonesia, with a specific build for Russian users. The Mi Note 10 is now also receiving the MIUI 12 update in China.

Xiaomi has launched MIUI for TV 3.0 software for its Mi TV range. The new overlay brings an enhanced user interface with it along with detailed animations for the menu and new operating modes, including a gamepad mode. MIUI for TV 3.0 is based on the Android TV operating system.

Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, has announced that it is also stepping into the virtual private network (VPN) arena. This new product apparently has over 280 servers in over 30 different countries, and has a no-logging or -tracking policy. However, it will be available in only 6 countries on its launch.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro has received another update in India, but the device remains on Android 9.0 Pie and MIUI 11. In comparison, some Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S handsets have already been upgraded to Android 10 and MIUI 12. The degree of software support for the Redmi Note 7 Pro is in contrast to the Mi 9, which has now finished its upgrade to MIUI 12 across all regions.

Oppo has released an animated trailer for a Wear OS device that will reportedly launch worldwide on July 31, 2020. It is most likely for its first-gen smartwatch, which has been released in China but runs a variant of ColorOS in that region. This device is Apple-esque in its design and has a Qualcomm processor for wearables.

MIUI 12 has made its debut on the Mi 9 SE, Xiaomi's diminutive mid-range smartphone. The update is rolling out to handsets now amid claims that the Pocophone F1 could be the next device to receive Xiaomi's new OS upgrade following the recent rollout to the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

EMUI 10.1 may have introduced multiple features to Huawei's roster of devices, but there are reports of the OS update removing some functionality too. According to frustrated users, EMUI 10.1 has removed call recording and camera resolution options, although not all devices are affected.

Xiaomi has announced that the MIUI 12 beta global stable update has started being pushed out for owners of the flagship Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro smartphone. The software, which is version V12.0.1.0.QJAMIXM, will allow randomly chosen Mi 10 Pro users to access the full delights of MIUI 12, including Super Wallpapers.

A device called the "Google Pixel 4a" has appeared on Geekbench 5 for the first time since January 2020. It contains a code-name repeatedly linked to the device, as well as plausible specs for the device. They include 6GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 7-series processor.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9S are two sides of a coin, and both phones are currently receiving new updates in different regions. Sadly, the updates don't bring MIUI 12 as most owners would expect, but there's official confirmation that a rollout isn't far off.

Lenovo has announced its first gaming phone, which is now officially the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel. It is powered by the refreshed Snapdragon 865+ (or Plus) SoC, and has 12 or 16GB of RAM. It is also now confirmed to have the unique landscape-oriented pop-up rear camera set-up shown in numerous leaks, and has a 64MP dual main camera.

Samsung had let it be known that 5 devices would be unveiled at its August 5, 2020 Galaxy Unpacked event. The OEM's fans may have expected the Galaxy Z Flip 5G to be one of them. However, the Korean giant has now introduced this device. It seems to be a Snapdragon 865 Plus refresh of the original foldable clamshell.

Adobe's Premiere Pro 14.2 update added hardware-accelerated encoding support for AMD GPUs. This, as the same chipmaker now claims, can reduce 4K video export times by up to 43% on the Ryzen 4000 H-series platform with Radeon RX 5000 GPUs compared to the CPU in question alone. This may make PCs such as the Dell G5 15 SE more appealing to content-creators

Xiaomi has released a new update to the Mi A3, its third OS update in under two weeks. While the new build supposedly improves system stability and reduces lag, some people are unhappy with how Xiaomi's apparent inability to address outstanding bugs.

The latest figures on the Indian hearables (or personal audio accessories with smart features) market show that Realme has rocketed into its top 5 brands. This success is particularly impressive as it only started selling products in this category in December 2019. Nevertheless, it now has more of a share than Sony or Xiaomi in that market.

The MIUI 12 update for the Redmi Note 8 Pro is being released globally after spending quite some in a Phase 2 beta test program. The update will be initially available for Mi Pilot testers but will be seeded to most other devices by the end of this month. Also, Xiaomi has confirmed that the Mi 6 will not be getting either Android 10 or MIUI 12.

Xiaomi is continuing its MIUI 12 rollout by sending out new updates to the Redmi Note 9 and Mi 9T. This is an early MIUI 12 build for the Redmi Note 9—and the Redmi 10X 4G—carries the build number "MIUI V12.0.3.0.QJOCNXM".

One of the most convincing trends in PC design these days is the dual-screen notebook. Now, there is evidence that Google is bringing this tech to Chrome OS. This is in line with a leak about a device code-named Palkia, which apparently boasts 2 touchscreens among its input methods.

The stable MIUI 12 update has arrived for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S. Available to download now, the update is arriving as an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade and follows the Android 10 update for Indian handsets. Equivalent MIUI 12 updates have recently reached other devices like the Mi 10, Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro too.

Xiaomi has started upgrading the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Lite to MIUI 12 on the European and Global branches of MIUI. The move effectively commences Round 2 of the company's MIUI 12 release schedule. Available for the global and EU editions of the devices respectively, the updates are rolling out to handsets now.