Software

Dell has quietly posted an update on its support website for the XPS 15 9570 titled "Modern Standby Performance Improvement Package Application". The 66.94 MB update promises to fix Connected Modern Standby being enabled by default, a change that Dell previously claimed required re-installing Windows 10. The company labels the update as urgent, with it apparently updating machines to BIOS 1.12.0 too. The update is available to download now.

The OEM OPPO is now rumored to have a refresh for its A9 smartphone in the works. Its "2020" upgrade apparently involves the Snapdragon 665 SoC, quad cameras and a single 8GB/128GB SKU. It is also now linked to an impressive enough 5000mAh battery.

The EOS 90D is Canon's latest APS-C camera that can shoot at 32.5MP with a crop of up to 1.6x. It is powered by a DIGIC 8 image processor and can shoot at up to 11 frames per second continuously. This camera's core unit will go on sale in September 2019, and will cost US$1,199.

The existence of the Samsung Galaxy A20s has been confirmed, as a device by this name has just gained Bluetooth SIG certification. In addition, a new model number that may conform to the rumored A71 has appeared on Geekbench. This listing hints at a 2020 release for this phone, as it is described as running Android 10.

The online retailer JD.com has posted a new page for a new member of the Honor 20 series. Known as the 20S, it has a new range of colors compared to the existing models available outside China. It has the same front-facing camera as the 20 and 20 Pro, but has 3 rear cameras where these phones have 4 each.

Samsung has sent a new device to the Wi-Fi Alliance for certification. However, this document does not confirm much about this device, save that it is a tablet with the model number SM-T545. The same number has cropped up in a Geekbench leak recently that pegged it as a Snapdragon 710-powered device with 4GB of RAM.

Huawei had faced the prospect of becoming unable to use the Android ecosystem due to a dispute with the current US government. However, most of its newer devices have subsequently retained the license necessary to do so. Unfortunately, Google has told the BBC that the upcoming Mate 30 series will not be granted access to the same.

Even as Redmi prepared for the Note 8 Pro's launch, Realme was reportedly sending units of its new XT mobile device out to some media outlets. It is the OPPO sub-brand's long-awaited 64MP quad-camera phone. Realme claims that it will be available for sale in September 2019.

LG is pushing out a new update to the G6 H870S and H870DS, but it may frustrate people who have been wishing for an OS upgrade. While LG remains still hopeless at upgrading its older flagships to Android 9.0 Pie, it also seems content with releasing four-month old security patches too. Get your act together, LG.

The a6600 is the latest premium camera from Sony. It is an APS-C mirrorless unit with a 24.2MP Exmor sensor, Fast Hybrid autofocus (AF) and a 3-inch 180-degree touchscreen. The OEM has also unveiled an entry-level a6000-series camera and new lenses to boot.

A new Reddit post shows a messaging thread that may have taken place between a OnePlus representative and a second party. The former mentions the date now linked to the official release of Android 10, and references the OEM's plans to release its own version of this OS on the same day.

Some consumers may have found that having a 4K display does not always result in pin-sharp content. This is because 1080p image data is not always scaled effectively to match the more up-to-date resolution. NVIDIA has addressed this by introducing integer scaling in its latest Game Ready Drivers update.

WoW Classic is finally available globally and, although it is supposed to recreate the state of the game after patch 1.12.1, this title comes with a few new bugs as well. However, WoW Classic is very popular right now and Blizzard had to open quite a few new Normal and PvP realms due to the unexpected popularity shown by gamers across the Oceanic, EU, and US regions.

Starting next month, Xiaomi is bringing Android 9.0 Pie to four Mi TV devices. The TVs, which launched running Android 8.1 Oreo, will be updated in batches with a wider roll-out planned a few months later. Xiaomi also told XDA Developers that these updates represent it trying to set a standard for how frequently and quickly Android TVs receive OS upgrades.

The Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi has been previewing the 48MP capabilities of its upcoming smartphone the Note 8. It has posted some attractive shots with a watermark indicating they were taken by the phone. One of its new modes, Super Night Scene, was also described as "shocking".

The One Zoom may be a device soon to be released by Motorola. It is projected to be a quad-rear-camera device with Amazon Alexa integration. Some new images, shared by the legendary leaker Ishan Agarwal, may show what this phone will look like.

Discord is now available on Samsung's proprietary mobile app store. It is intended to allow for video chats while gaming, and has been introduced as a novel feature on the new Galaxy Note 10 line. It requires that your Discord and Samsung accounts are linked on these devices.

Google's Pay app has a new update with a dark mode. This means it joins a group of additional Android services that have this new feature. The trend is being adopted in preparation for the next major upgrade for this mobile OS.

Vivo's premium sub-brand iQOO has released the Pro, which as it turns out has a 4G variant in addition to the expected 5G-supporting model. It is powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC and has up to 12GB of RAM. The Pro runs Monster UI, a new skin for Android 9.0.

Password Leak Detection is an experimental feature in Chrome 78. It checks a given password against public databases of data breaches, in case of its use in a known security incident. Should this test prove positive, Chrome then offers a pop-up advising the user to change the password for the site or service in question.

Lava is an Indian smartphone OEM that has just released a new gaming phone. Called the Z93, it has 3GB of RAM and 32GB in internal storage, whereas many other companies in this space seem compelled to go for more in both respects. It also boasts the Helio P22 SoC, Android 9 and dual rear "depth-sensing" cameras.

The Liberate Air earphones are made from reclaimed silicone and have a bamboo finish. In addition, they have a charging case described as made from recycled aluminium, wood, cotton and plastic. These new House of Marley products are also reportedly superior in sound quality to the Apple AirPods.

Redmi has announced that its upcoming Note 8 Pro will rock the new, gaming-focused MediaTek Helio G90T SoC. The company asserts that this processor is more powerful than the comparable Snapdragon 710, albeit not the Kirin 810. The Note 8 Pro's AnTuTu scores appear to bear this out.

International betas of MIUI may have been terminated, but they are still going for Chinese users. Xiaomi has informed them that the last such preview build based on Android Pie (9.0) will be released on August 30, 2019. This suggests that the next beta thereafter will transition to an upcoming major software upgrade.

Huawei will allegedly introduce its next-gen flagship mobile processor at an event in Berlin during September 2019. This would coincide with 2019's IFA event. In other news from this OEM, it has also presented its new SoC for AI, the Ascend 910.

HMD Global is one of the more reliable and faster OEMs at delivering OS upgrades to its Nokia handsets and it is looking to maintain that reputation with Android 10 too. The company has announced plans to upgrade a slew of Nokia handsets before Q2 2020, with some devices reaching Android 10 before the end of the year. 17 devices should receive Android 10 before Q2 2020, although there are some notable absentees.

A Portugese YouTuber called Dudu Rocha has demonstrated what may be Samsung's next major software upgrade on camera. This ROM, which was shown in comparison to a second phone running One UI 1.0, exhibits an About page that clearly shows Android 10 as its OS version. If valid, it indicates that some Galaxy Note 10 features are coming to older flagships with this update.

The wait for Android 9.0 Pie continues for LG V20 owners, but it now appears that LG is finishing its testing for the OS upgrade. A new build has been finalised, with the initial Pie update reportedly coming very soon.

The CEO of OnePlus (Pete Lau) has confirmed that the first-gen TV from this OEM will launch in a month from now (August 2019). It will be released to the Indian market initially. A Twitter tipster claims to have dug its CPU, GPU and Android version info, which also applies to this region.

A device with the novel model number OPPO PCKM00 has appeared on the Geekbench website recently. It is described as having 8GB of RAM, the Snapdragon 675 processor and as running Android 9. This phone has attained a relatively good score for these specifications.

The Redmi Note 8 and 8 Pro will be released in China soon. A tech blog claims to have a document detailing the choices of colors and storage options available to either variant. It asserts that the Note 8 will start at 4GB of RAM, whereas the Note 8 Pro's base SKU has 6.

Google has announced that the next major update for its mobile OS will be...Android 10. Simply Android 10. The "dessert" theme that has been in effect for the last decade is, therefore, no more, as the brand's styling goes in a different direction.

The popular navigation aid Waze has had the ability to control the audio from several music streaming apps for some time. YouTube Music is the latest example of these. Users who subscribe to the Premium version of this service can take advantage of this new feature.

Are you unable to download Android 9.0 Pie to your LG V30? Well, the South Korean has apparently pulled the update from its FOTA and LG Bridge servers. This may prove a temporary measure, but there is no word when LG will continue offering Pie to the V30.

Redmi has packed a number of exciting details in its latest official announcement. Firstly, it has confirmed that its promised 64MP camera will debut in the Redmi Note 8 Pro. It will be released alongside the base Note 8 at an event on August 29, 2019. The 70-inch Redmi 4K TV will also be unveiled at this event.

The first Vivaldi release after the summer break, labeled 2.7.1628.30, comes with no less than 63 bug fixes and four new features. These new features include fast access to User Profiles, an option that allows stopping (in advance) audio from playing, the ability to enable/disable the Flash plugin, as well as an improved status bar.

An oversight by Apple caused an old security bug to be reintroduced with iOS 12.4. While the bug had been patched in iOS 12.3, the exploit is present in the latest operating system from Apple and can be used for jailbreaking on compatible devices. On the flip side, the security hole presents new risks; the bug can be used by malicious parties to hack into an iPhone or iPad running 12.4.

After spending no less than 25 years in the gaming industry, Insomniac Games — the developer behind titles such as Ratchet & Clank and the critically acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man — is joining PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios. Just as expected, the financial terms of the deal have not been revealed to the public.

If you're a League of Legends player and have been curious about Mobalytics, then you can give it a shot free-of-charge for one year by downloading an upcoming version of Omen Command Center.

A device with Redmi branding and the model number M1908C3IC has been certified by the Chinese telecomms authority TENAA. It is believed that this device will be called the 8 on launch. It has dual cameras and 3 RAM SKUs.

Xiaomi has announced that it will launch the Mi A3 as India's next Android One device on August 21, 2019. However, Amazon may have spoiled its reveal by publishing listings for its SKUs ahead of time. They show that these phones will at least start at INR 14,998 (~US$210).

Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, has announced that its hit game will become able to use real-time ray tracing in early 2020. Furthermore, NVIDIA has broken the news that a number of other titles will get these features. They include upcoming Metro Exodus DLC, Control and Dying Light 2.

It seems Huawei will release an alternative version of one of its 2019 mid-range phone soon. This device, the Y9s, has appeared on the Android Enterprise database. Its new product image shows a completely edge-to-edge screen, as opposed to the notch seen in the original Y9.

For the first time in history, Google has prepared a beta for Play Books. One of its first additions is the option to create Custom Shelves. This, according to lead engineer Dan Kimberg, is a hotly-requested feature for this app.

The Motorola One Action has finally been unveiled. Like most of its siblings, it has a 21:9 screen and mid-range specs. However, it sets itself apart with its "industry first" wide-angle rear camera, which allows for the capture of landscape video while the phone itself is in portrait mode.

Realme's 5 Pro has just been confirmed by Flipkart as an upcoming release in August 2019. A model number that may conform to this phone has surfaced on Geekbench. It shows that it is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 710 SoC and has 8GB of RAM.

For the first time in its history, the Xiaomi custom MIUI Android skin has implemented 2-factor authentication (or 2FA) for this OEM's software ecosystem. So far, it works to send notifications to all devices connected to a single applicable account in the event of unfamiliar logins. However, there is no SMS-based verification as yet.

Sony has announced that it has hit a new record for wins at the Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) awards for this year. The company won 7 times at this event, 3 of which were for its innovative, extensive G-series FE lenses. Its advanced Real-time Eye auto-focus (AF) technology was also recognized at this show.

The Realme 5 is now official. Flipkart is now promoting this phone as the first in its price-bracket to rock quad rear cameras and a 5000mAh battery. Furthermore, it will be launched alongside a Pro variant, which has the same number of cameras, 1 of which is confirmed to be 48MP in resolution.

Realme is now connected to the launch of a new phone, provisionally called the RMX1911 - although it may be named the 5 on release. Geekbench scores with this model number show that it has 4GB of RAM and the same SoC as the Xiaomi Mi CC9e/Mi A3. This phone has also been certified with Thai and Malaysian authorities.