Software

The OEM Vivo held a press conference today (November 7, 2019) to introduce its X30, a phone that will ship with the dual-mode 5G chipset, Samsung's Exynos 980. Oddly, the phone itself was not displayed, nor was its spec-sheet. However, new leaks point to a 90 hertz (Hz) AMOLED display, a 4500mAh battery and a Pro variant.

The Motorola One Power is now reportedly capable of running Android 10. However, before becoming eligible for this update, a user needs to sign in to the OEM's Feedback Network (or MFN) for that device. This may give them access to a build that, while at the cutting edge of the OS, lacks compatiblity with some potentially important features at present.

Samsung's Developer Conference (SDC) 2019 contained numerous interesting announcements, not the least that Tizen OS for TVs can be ported to third-party devices. In addition, there are now additional developer-friendly facilities for this part of the OEM's ecosystem. They include more granular user opt-outs for ads.

Google provides hardware that runs its own OS with automatic updates for a fixed period of time after their release. This software policy applies to a range of devices, from Chromebooks to Chromebits, the end-of-life (EOL) of which is known as Auto Update Expiration (or AUE). 140 of these products have had their AUEs amended by 6 months to a year each.

Xiaomi also promised details on a fifth generation of its smart TVs during the Mi CC9 Pro debut. The OEM made good on this - less expectedly, it introduced 2 new variants of the same during the event. The Mi TV 5 Pro is the one that gets the leaked 4K QLED panel, as well as some other impressive specs.

Pokémon GO will be getting a live AR multiplayer feature sometime soon. Currently called "Buddy Adventure," the feature will allow two players to interact with each other's Buddy Pokémon in real-time through their smartphone cameras. The feature is based on developer Niantic's real-time AR networking technology.

Apple released the first developer beta for iOS 13.3 yesterday. While the update seems to fix the RAM management issues discovered in iOS 13.2, it offers little else. In fact, a new bug in the iOS 13.3 beta disallows the use of Beats Solo Pro headphones; an iPhone running iOS 13.3 Beta 1 will not recognize the headphones at all.

A security researcher discovered the first worm to take advantage of the BlueKeep in older versions of Windows exploit disclosed earlier this year. Machine running Windows 7 and below have a critical security flaw that can allow attackers full access. This attack installed a Monero cryptocurrency miner without tripping any flags other than high CPU usage. Considering the number of organizations and government agencies that still rely on legacy Windows machines, BlueKeep could turn out to be a much larger threat than many realize.

Adobe has unveiled a new camera app for iOS and Android devices at the Adobe Max 2019 conference. Called Photoshop Camera, the app allows for live application of filters, effects, and scene adjustments by leveraging the company's Sensei AI platform. Photoshop Camera is now available as a limited preview with official launch expected in early 2020.

House of Marley's Exodus is a pair of premium over-ear headphones with 50-millimeter (mm) drivers and a sustainable provenance. Their latest refresh has active noise cancellation (ANC). They are also rated for a 28-hour battery life with this feature on, and up to 80 hours without.

Nokia is working on Android 10 for the 9 PureView. This is evidenced by the leaked build of the ROM for this phone posted to its XDA forum. This version of the OS is believed to be part of official development from the brand, and also exists for other devices such as the 7.1 and 6.1 Plus.

The recent Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield leak has been quite astonishing in its enormity and impact. The games themselves are scheduled for release on November 15 but it now seems the entire Pokédex has been revealed, with 400 Pokémon taking part. However, there are claims that the person behind the leak has been discovered by Nintendo.

Samsung launched PlayGalaxy Link with the Note 10 series. It is a service by which a PC connection makes the games thereon available for streaming via a corresponding app on these phones. Its latest beta extends compatibility to the S10 series.

AOPEN calls its new Chrome OS PC the "Commercial 2" as it asserts it is ready for demanding business environments. Besides its fanless, solid-state design, it is rated to withstand temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius. It can run 2 4K displays and is powered by the Intel Celeron 3865U.

So, the MIUI 11 rollout is well underway, with Xiaomi now onto the second phase of its release schedule. However, owners of recent Xiaomi flagships are likely to be left disappointed as they find their handsets left on Android 9.0 Pie, like budget devices such as the Redmi 7 have been.

The Google Pixel 4's Soli Radar feature is authorized for use in only certain geographies as it uses the 60 GHz frequency band. Those wanting to use the Motion Sense features can now do so irrespective of the region by taking advantage of a hidden debug feature. However, this requires unlocking the bootloader and enabling root access.

Popular video app TikTok was purchased by Chinese company ByteDance Technology Co. in 2017 and has since accumulated over 500 million active users. However, ByteDance has recently been placed under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) over concerns over its handling of the personal data of its 25 million American users as well as its apparent censorship over content incongruent with the Chinese state's version of reality, including strife in Hong Kong and pro-LGBT content.

The new Chromium-based Edge is coming January 15th, per Microsoft's blog. In addition to a snazzy new logo, the updated Edge will be based on Chromium to improve website compatibility and security. Bing is also getting a few tweaks for business clients to make searching for people in a corporation easier, among other improvements.

The November 2019 security updates for Android are now available for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, and the Essential Phone. Noticeably absent from this list are the original Pixel and Pixel XL, which are no longer supported by Google. This security update includes several feature improvements, including at least part of the promised fix for the Pixel 4's 90 Hz display woes.

Google introduced a new kind of Recorder app with the Pixel 4 series. It is not merely capable of capturing audio, but of transcribing it in real time and making the resulting text searchable with the help of AI. A Mountain View representative has confirmed that it is coming to older phones of the same line soon.

Xiaomi's official Polish-language fan forum has leaked a photo that, on analysis, turns out to have been taken by the Mi Note 10 Pro. Its resolution was found to be a whopping 12032x9024, meaning that it was probably shot using the upcoming device's ground-breaking 108MP sensor. Its general series is to be launched tomorrow (November 5, 2019).

Although the launch date of the next Dragon Age game is not set in stone yet, BioWare has recently published a teaser on Twitter that labels December 4 as "Dragon 4ge Day" so at least some kind of Dragon Age 4-related official announcement is definitely in the pipeline. Sadly, this highly-anticipated title might launch in 2022.

Last week, Asus sent out the Android 10 beta update to last year's Zenfone 5Z. Asus's current flagship, the Zenfone 6, however, is now receiving the stable Android 10 update, with users in the US confirming receipt of the OTA.

Some new leaks may be evidence that Nokia is preparing a smartphone called the 2.3 for release soon. It may have up to 3 variants, at least 1 of which could be single- and dual-SIM respectively. Not much else is known about this potential new device, besides its possible Bluetooth 5 status.

The latest LG G Pad has been revealed on the OEM's domestic website. It is a 4GB device with 32GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch FHD display and an 8MP rear camera. These unprepossessing specs are topped off by the Snapdragon 821 processor.

Two weeks ago, OnePlus released the Android 10 beta update to the OnePlus 6 and 6T. Both devices are now receiving the stable Android 10 OTA, however. The OnePlus 5 and 5T are expected to follow suit next year.

Riot Games has announced that League of Legends is finally getting a version for phones and tablets. This new form of the title is to be called Wild Rift, and is billed as completely optimized and refreshed for its new platform. It will start rolling out in 2020, with Android phones getting first whack at its installation.

Xiaomi has been dropping more spec-related hints as to what the Mi TV 5 will be capable of in the run-up to its launch. According to the OEM, it will be 4K and have 108% of the NTSC color gamut. It will also have a faster processor, as well as more RAM and storage compared to the average Android TV.

WhatsApp has been working on fingerprint-based authentication for its Android app. Now, an update has added this ability to its stable version. However, a user will still be able to answer calls through the service even if the new locking mechanism is active.

LG V50 ThinQ, V40 ThinQ and G7 ThinQ owners will need to wait until next year to see Android 10 running on their devices. LG will only be updating the G8 ThinQ to Google's latest OS before the year is out, while some other handsets should see Android 9.0 Pie this quarter too.

Google has released a statement on its agreement to buy the wearables company Fitbit at a price of US$2.1 billion. The Mountain View may intend to use this acquisition to boost Wear OS. This deal may see the 2 companies collaborate on various aspects of these devices in the future.

Orbita, a company that makes a personal assistant-like AI platform focused on healthcare, has published the results of a study that shows this is what the US adults recruited to it want from their voice-controlled searches. It apparently concludes that 7.5% of this group has used services such as Alexa for this purpose, whereas over 50% would like to.

Evan Blass has posted an image of a new tablet with a punch-hole display and a constant, minimal bezel. As this device is shown with what appears to be an M-Pen, it may pertain to a high-end successor to the Huawei MediaPad M6. The leaker has compounded this idea by calling it a "MatePad Pro".

Were you losing hope that LG would ever deliver Android 9.0 Pie to the V20? Well, while being a quarter late, the South Korean company has started rolling out the OS upgrade to handsets. The switch to Android 9.0 Pie may not be a smooth one for LG's former flagship, though.

Contrary to speculation claiming that the device would be left on Android Oreo, ASUS has confirmed that the ROG Phone will still receive Android 9.0 Pie. The company has stated when it will bring the OS upgrade to the ZS600KL too, although the ZenFone 4 has not been given such a reprieve.

The latest update, labeled 2.9.1705.31, is now available with multiple enhancements to the Vivaldi Menu, the ability to set global default preferences for requests based on sound, geolocation, camera, microphone, motion sensors, Bluetooth devices, and pop-ups, as well as multiple tweaks and fixes.

The Your Phone app in Windows 10 has acted to effectively mimic iPhone syncing on Mac, but for Android devices. It has also allowed users with these devices to mirror their phone screens on PCs via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). However, this has come to an end in the latest Insiders' build.

Google and SiriusXM have partnered in order to enable streaming of the latter on smart speakers from the former. In addition, the content provider's subscribers will be able to activate and control their channels by asking the Assistant on their phones to do so. This update will start rolling out shortly in the US and Canada.

Not a fan of ColorOS but like the Realme X? Well, Realme has been actively encouraging community developers to build custom kernels and ROMs for the device. The project has borne fruit after just a month, with there now being many Realme X custom ROMs and an AOSP-compatible kernel.

Sony’s Chief Financial Officer, Hiroki Totoki, has been revealing tidbits of information about the company’s PlayStation 5 console. The executive mentioned that software development by Sony’s partners was “progressing smoothly” and that the PS5’s scheduled release will “strengthen the platform”. Two more titles have joined the list of rumored games connected to the next-generation console.

Nokia has reportedly hired nearly 400 new staff members to build its latest 5G-focused team. These employees are to be based in the company's native Finland. 240 of them will start on equipment pitched at carriers, whereas some of the rest are SoC engineers.

A recent publication has reported that 52% of all US households with high-speed internet would rather not buy into the smart-home concept. 25% of this group nominated worries about data security and privacy as their reasons to remain out of this market. This research also found that 71% of households who did the opposite worry about cybersecurity.

In addition to the iconic Kamov Ka-50 single-seat attack helicopter — surnamed "Black Shark" — War Thunder 1.93 comes with the first three Swedish planes, a new Abrams tank, the first Italian helicopter, a new location, the first rank V ship in the game, as well as the usual pack of minor tweaks and fixes.

The new NVIDIA SHIELD TV and TV Pro have been released, and they come with an interestingly-shaped new remote. The manufacturer has partnered with Netflix to include a button that summons this app directly on it. However, Reddit users have found that it can also be turned to other uses.

The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is an almost mandatory tool for developers, as well as those who simply like to modify their non-Apple phones in any kind of advanced way. It is traditionally dependent on wired connections, however. A new commit on the OS' Google Source website hints at the development of a wireless alternative.

The CC9 Pro is Xiaomi's upcoming penta-camera phone to be launched in November 2019. The device includes a number of impressive attributes in this extensive image-sensor collection. The OEM has showcased one of them - 50x digital zoom - in a new video.

The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 is one of the first smartphones to receive MIUI 11, but owners may be slightly confused over the version that they have received. While flagship handsets like the Mi 8, Mi Mix 2s and Mi Mix 3 are receiving an Android 10 update in Phase 1 of the MIUI rollout, the Pocophone F1 is stuck on Android 9.0 Pie builds instead.

It seems Essential Products truly has no plans to go away yet. A recent patent apparently filed in this company's name has been discovered. This claim is for its take on the under-display selfie camera.

Qualcomm has announced the 9205 LTE modem, a new component destined for internet-of-things (IoT) devices that will connect using this kind of mobile data. However, it will not require a conventional SIM to do so. The OEM has integrated Deutsche Telekom's novel nuSIM platform instead, which goes directly on a chipset to save on device footprint and circuitry.

Do not install iOS 13.2. If you have a HomePod and have installed iOS 13.2, DO NOT RESET YOUR HOMEPOD. Multiple users are reporting that iOS 13.2, released yesterday, bricked their HomePod smart speakers. Apple has since pulled the update.