Android

Although Action Launcher 28.1 is a free launcher app, the AdaptivePack addon that is needed to have adaptive icons on Lollipop, Marshmallow, and Nougat devices is a commercial product. Its regular price tag reads US$4.99, but this week it can be acquired for 30 percent less.

Google has launched a new payment service, Tez, which enables fast payments without the need to share information such as bank account numbers, fund transfer codes, or even pair up mobiles by NFC. The new service is compatible with any Indian bank that supports the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

The UMIDIGI S2 looks to be the OEM's take on the Samsung Galaxy S8. Impressive design language aside, the S2 offers solid mid-range features, with its 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, Helio P20, 18:9 aspect ratio, and 5100mAh battery standing out

The Nokia 9 may have just made its first appearance. Alleged renders of the device have surfaced in China showing a sleek device that is almost bezel-less.

Android Oreo launched a few weeks ago, and with Google releasing a vague statement on the plan for updates for devices outside its Nexus and Pixel lines, it's time we had a look at the plans of other OEMs. Hop in to know if your device will be receiving the Oreo update.
UPDATE 20/9/17: Motorola

A Galaxy S8 has been spotted running on Oreo. This lends credence to earlier information that Samsung was testing Oreo for the S8. Promising as this may be, it may yet be a while till S8 owners get the Oreo update.

The previously-rumored Zenfone 4V may simply be launching as the mainstream Zenfone V complete with USB Type-C and fast-charging features.

Lenovo has commenced the global rollout of its new Tab 4 series of Android tablets. Aimed at the mid- to low-end markets, they offer users good value and a recent version of Android.

The Maimang series offers upper mid-range devices for the Chinese market, with the devices being rebranded with the "G" prefix for western markets. The Maimang 6 is expected to feature quad cameras and an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Motorola has released a statement on its blog on its plans for Android Oreo, with all recent flagships set to get the update. Things are looking much less rosy for owners of budget devices and last-gen mid-rangers, though, as they'll be stuck on Nougat.

Integrating 16 separate 13 MP sensors that come in 28 mm, 70 mm and 150 mm lens sizes, the L16 camera can compose pictures up to 52 MP. It's as big as a regular smartphone, and features a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, as well as 256 GB internal storage.

The Nokia 2 is billed to be the archetypal budget device, with it opting for Qualcomm's entry-level Snapdragon 212, 1 GB of RAM, and an impressive chin. It's the very definition of a budget device, though, so those are about par for the most part.

Since it surfaced on both Geekbench and GFXBench running Android 8.0 Oreo, the Nokia 8 might soon become the first Nokia handset to get this major update. Unfortunately, the new firmware has no official launch date yet.

Google has uploaded a cryptic website indicating that we can expect a Pixel 2 announcement on the 4th of October. Earlier today and FCC ruling also showed that LG would be the manufacturer for the Pixel 2 XL, joining HTC who will manufacture the standard sized Pixel 2.

HMD's next flagship, the Nokia 9, looks to be shaping up as a solid competitor. The latest information suggests Android 8.0 Oreo, a Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB RAM, "bothie" camera setup, and IP68 certification.

According to reports, owners of faulty Huawei Nexus 6P devices who have returned their device to Google have received Pixel XLs as replacements. Customers in some regions, however, are more likely to receive a replacement Pixel XL than others.

Armis Labs discovered a Bluetooth vulnerability codenamed BlueBorne that could affect billions of devices including smartphones like Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy, tablets like Samsung Galaxy Tab, smartwatches like LG Watch Sport, or audio systems like the Pumpkin Car Audio System. BlueBorne can also attack unpatched Windows and Linux PCs, and a variety of smart appliances like TVs and security cameras. In order to avoid the proliferation of the BlueBorne vulnerability, users are cautioned to permanently disable their Bluetooth connections until proper patches are issued.

The Oppo A71 has been launched in its second market and is now available in India. The US$200 device has a 5.2-inch 720p screen, MediaTek MT6750 SoC, 3 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of storage.

Although new users will get the new uni-bar design by default, existing Firefox users who will update their browser will not lose the traditional search bar.

Qualcomm has published a blog post detailing some of the mobile innovations that were made possible by the collaboration with Google and other Android OEMs. Cheekily, the list of innovations seem to reflect some of the new features that will be debuting in the new iPhones set to be launched later today.

Samsung's head of mobile Koh Dong-jin has revealed that the next Galaxy Note will be foldable. Although still facing some technical hurdles, Samsung believes that its foldable AMOLED display tech will make it to market in time for a 2018 launch.

Samsung India has officially unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 in India shortly after its global launch. The handset, which retails at ₹67,900 (US$ 1,060), will go on sale in the country starting September 22.

This new feature introduced by Android Oreo arrives for Nova Launcher 5.5 beta users running Android Lollipop or later. This popular Android launcher now provides the ability to automatically scale and shape legacy icons for consistency.

Vivo has teased images of a special edition variant of its upcoming X20 smartphone. The all-black Mars Edition is set to be fully unveiled on September 21 alongside the standard model.

After initially claiming that the Google Pixel 2 smartphone will be the first with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 836, Evan Blass now suggests that it will miss out on the unannounced chipset.

Next year's flagship SoC from Qualcomm seems to be a bit better than Apple's A9 chip, but it's still behind the A10 and most likely A11 chips when it comes to single core performance tests.

Apple seems intent on making sure that its next flagship iPhone packs a performance punch. Leaked code from a Gold Master build of iOS 11 indicates that it will feature a hexa-core processor.

The Huawei Band 2 Pro which was announced back in July, is now available in the United States via Amazon at US$69. The fitness wearable features an integrated GPS to track activities such as running and swimming without the need to carry your smartphone with you.

The Chinese manufacturer quietly unveiled its budget 8.4-inch Hi9 tablet at IFA 2017 to little fanfare.

The LG V30 has captured a lot of interest since its official reveal. Among its many features, LG claims it has the world's largest aperture in a smartphone camera to date at f/1.6. But is all as it seems?

A bug in Android 8 'Oreo' is causing the operating system to ignore any connected WiFi networks and default to using mobile data.

Scoring a 4 out of 10 in iFixit's most recent teardown, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 received positive praise for its modular internal components but was criticized for a heavy use in difficult to remove adhesive.

The new Huawei Honor V9 Play is a 5.2-inch smartphone that sports a MediaTek MT6750 processor, 3 GB or 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB internal storage. Sadly, it has no dual camera setup and retails for more than US$150.

The CEO of RED has put a press release post on their user forums detailing their partnership with Leia Inc, a holographic LCD technology company who specialize in 'Lightfield' holographic products.

An unannounced BLU S1 mid-range smartphone has been leaked on the Best Cellular site and it is said to be a Sprint exclusive. It includes a 5.2-inch HD display, while it is powered by Mediatek's MTK6750 octa-core SoC clocked at 1.5 GHz coupled with only 2 GB RAM. Best Cellular is selling it for US$159.95

Even the most minor of damages could ring up expensive repairs. The Essential Phone carries an inaccessible 11.7 Wh battery and a soldered USB port that is prone to wear.

The 6-inch smartphone features an 18:9 aspect ratio, a scree-to-body ratio of 84%, and a 24 MP selfie camera, all for IN₹21,990 (about US$344). Preorders in India begin today. The V7+ should start shipping out on September 15th.

HTC has been bleeding money from its sinking smartphone business for years even after launching lauded flagships from the One M8 up to the new U11.

Chinese researchers have been able to launch malicious voice command attacks on every major voice assistant including Siri and Alexa. Using ultrasonics, the researchers were able to hack devices with any victim completely unaware that their device had been compromised.

The HP Pro 8 tablet is an 8-inch Android device which can be used in tough environments and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor. It has a price tag of around US$300 and features 4G connectivity.

A few videos recently posted to YouTube took a closer look at the Doogee Mix and found that the dual-camera setup actually uses one camera and some software tricks to simulate effects that would otherwise require two camera modules. The problem seems to be rampant among cheap Chinese smartphones.

The 5.2-inch ZTE Blade A2S is a new handset with a price slightly higher than US$100. Its list of specs includes an octa-core processor by MediaTek, 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB internal storage.

Huawei is now the second most popular smartphone maker, according to data from Counterpoint. Although the iPhone 7 range is still the most popular on the market, Huawei's popularity in China has driven its sales success.

The new Mi A1 smartphone comes with stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat on board but uses Xiaomi's own photo app. It sports a dual camera with 2X optical zoom and a price of less than US$235.

Set for release on September 11, a photo of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 live and in the flesh has surfaced ahead of its official launch.