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samedi 29 février 2020

Realme Band with color display, IP68 rating, Cricket mode launching in India on March 5

The Indian fitness band market will soon heat up once again as Realme is all set to announce its first-ever fitness tracking wrist band in India. There were multiple leaks and rumors surrounding the Realme Band and now the company themselves have confirmed that they will indeed be launching the new Realme Band at their next launch event — taking place in New Delhi on March 5th. The event page for the Realme Band has gone live on Realme’s website which has, in turn, revealed the design and some key details of the fitness band.

Realme Band

As per the Realme’s event page, the band will feature a large color display with a circular touch-sensitive button at the bottom. It will be available in at least three color options: Yellow, Black, and Olive Green. It will feature heart rate monitoring along with 9 sports modes to track activities such as biking, hiking, walking, running, spinning, hiking, and more. It even has a Yoga mode and Cricket mode which Realme says they have designed specifically for the Indian market.

Moreover, the band is IP68 certified for water-resistant and will also support sleep tracking and show notification previews for incoming calls and IM apps and reminders. We also see a preview of a landscape mode, and the Band will charge directly through a USB Type-A port.

The company hasn’t revealed the pricing of the band but we can expect it to be very competitive to the likes of the Mi Band 4 and Honor Band 5. Realme’s launch event is scheduled to take place on March 5th at 12:30 pm IST where the company will unveil the Realme 6, Realme 6 Pro as well as the new Band.

As for availability, the Realme Band will go on sale on the launch day itself from 2 pm to 4 pm (IST) via flash sale, as recently revealed by Realme’s Twitter handle.


Source: Realme India

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vendredi 28 février 2020

Huawei is testing its own Search app for its smartphones

Since the middle of 2019, Huawei and its subsidiaries have been on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Entity List, which has prevented them from licensing Google Mobile Services for new devices. For the first few months, Huawei shifted its international smartphone release strategy to focus on releasing essentially rebranded versions of its existing, precertified devices. Behind the scenes, Huawei has also been working on AppGallery, its alternative the Google Play Store, and Huawei Mobile Services, its alternative to Google Play Services. With the recent launch of the Honor View30 Pro and the upcoming launch of the Huawei P40 series, Huawei will need to convince potential customers that they can live without Google apps. One of the most basic applications missing on Huawei’s Google-less devices right now is a dedicated search app, but that might be changing soon as Huawei is now beta testing the Huawei Search app.

Redditor /u/beingnull informed us that Huawei is recruiting users in the UAE to test the new Huawei Search application. The APK file is attached to the forum post, so XDA’s Max Weinbach loaded it on his Mate 30 Pro to give it a spin. Unlike the Google App which not only provides access to the Google search engine but also to Google Assistant, Google Lens, Google Podcasts, and more, Huawei Search is a basic search app that just lets you input a query to search the Internet for webpages, videos, news articles, or images. There is a shortcut to see the current weather, which brings up a widget of the current 24-hour forecast powered by Huafeng-AccuWeather, a joint venture that apparently sources forecast data from the China Meteorological Administration. There are also shortcuts for “sports,” “unit conversion,” and “calculator.” In Settings, the user can see their search history (or toggle it off), give feedback, change their search region and language, toggle safe search, or change the app’s search scope, which controls what Huawei applications the Huawei Search app can also search through. Oh, and the app supports EMUI 10’s dark theme.

Huawei Search Huawei Search main page Huawei Search dark theme Huawei Search settings

According to the User Agreement for Huawei Search, the service is operated by Aspiegel Limited, Huawei’s subsidiary based in Ireland. Huawei shifted much of its mobile software services to Aspiegel in 2019 to ease concerns over the company’s handling of user data. The User Agreement states that users “must have a Huawei ID” to use the service and that the service is “only available in the Huawei Device as an app or embedded search filed in Huawei services, such as Assistant (i.e. Search is not publically available in the web).” Interestingly, we discovered that Huawei Search can be accessed in any web browser by navigating to this URL. Huawei’s app may just be a WebView wrapper for this page.

One of the questions we sought to answer is what search engine powers Huawei Search. We couldn’t match search results from Huawei Search with results from Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Ask, or AOL. In the Privacy Statement, Huawei says the user has the “right to request delisting of a search result” which is in accordance with GDPR. That Huawei is able to delist search results suggests that Huawei Search may not be using a third-party engine, but we aren’t entirely sure if this is the case. For now, the app seems pretty limited in what it can do, and the service itself seems to only be intended for use on Huawei’s smartphones. It would be premature to say that Huawei Search is an alternative to Google search or Microsoft Bing, but there’s a possibility that this service could evolve into a decent competitor down the line.

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This is the Samsung Galaxy A11, the successor to the best selling Android phone of 2019

The tech world talks a lot about big flagship smartphone launches, but flagships aren’t the phones that most people end up buying. In fact, most people aren’t even buying the mid-range phones that we occasionally talk about. The real best-sellers are the budget phones, a good example of which is the Samsung Galaxy A10, which we just learned was the best-selling Android phone of 2019 according to Canalys. The Galaxy A series has been a huge success for Samsung as they try to keep up with value-oriented brands like Xiaomi and Realme. Now, we’re learning that Samsung is preparing to launch the successor to that device, the Galaxy A11.

There are a couple of recent leaks with information about the Galaxy A11. Frequent Twitter tipster Ishan Agarwal shared some specifications with 91Mobiles, claiming the device will feature a 6.4-inch LCD, a 13MP primary camera, an 8MP front camera, a 4,000mAh battery, and Android 10. That 13MP camera will be one of three rear cameras, but the specifications of the other two cameras are unknown.

Image credits: AndroidHeadlines

We can also see a leaked photo (via 91Mobiles) and a render of the Galaxy A11 (via AndroidHeadlines), which reveal some extra details. The biggest change from the A10 to the A11 is the apparent inclusion of a fingerprint scanner on the rear. We can’t tell from the images if the A11 will have a USB Type-C port or a microUSB port like its predecessor. We also expect the Galaxy A11 to have a 3.5mm headphone jack like the A10 given it’s going to be a budget-oriented phone. That’s all we know about the device right now, though.

The Galaxy A10 launched exactly one year ago, so we can expect the Galaxy A11 to be announced soon. The Galaxy A41 also leaked earlier today, so it’s likely we’ll see Samsung unveil a slew of new Galaxy A series devices at once.


Source 1: 91mobiles | Source 2: Android Headlines

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Samsung’s budget Galaxy A41 leaks with 48MP triple camera, headphone jack, and Infinity-U display

The Samsung Galaxy A40 launched about a year ago, and it looks like its successor is coming soon. 3D CAD renders of the Galaxy A41 have leaked courtesy of @OnLeaks, and we’re also getting our first glimpse at some specifications. The Galaxy A41 makes some key improvements and shares a similar rear camera bump design with Samsung’s 2020 flagships.

The Galaxy A41 has the same Infinity-U notch as the A40. That notch sits atop a flat 6-6.1-inch display and houses a 25MP camera. The rear camera setup is where things really differ from the A40, though. The Galaxy A41 has triple rear cameras with the primary camera coming in at 48MP. One of the other cameras is said to be a 2MP macro camera. The design of the camera bump is very similar to what we’ve seen in the Galaxy S20 series.

samsung galaxy a41 samsung galaxy a41

Samsung is sticking with the 3.5mm headphone jack on the Galaxy A41. It also has a USB-C port for charging. We can’t see a fingerprint scanner in any of the renders, which means it could have an under-display scanner. The SoC is unknown at this time, but the A40 had the Exynos 7885, so we should see something a tick better than that. A Geekbench listing that’s allegedly from the SM-A415F, which is supposedly the model name for the A41, shows that it could have the MediaTek Helio P65 with 4GB of RAM and Android 10, but take this with a grain of salt since it’s uncorroborated.

As mentioned, the Galaxy A40 launched around this time last year, so expect to see the official announcement of the Galaxy A41 sometime soon.


Source 1: Pricebaba | Price 2: GalaxyClub

The post Samsung’s budget Galaxy A41 leaks with 48MP triple camera, headphone jack, and Infinity-U display appeared first on xda-developers.



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Google Contacts can now back up and sync contacts saved to device storage

Google Contacts is Google’s first-party contacts app on Android. The app is the default Contacts app on Pixel and Android One phones, and can be downloaded for other phones via the Play Store. Over the years, it has become a feature-rich app, and its design is in conformity with Google’s Material Theme guidelines. It has a dark theme, too. Google has now addressed a feature gap of the app. It wasn’t able to backup and sync contacts that were saved to a phone’s device storage instead of being saved to a Google Account. Now, thanks to a server-side switch, it can – at least on some phones.

The background: On Android, there are three ways of saving a new contact in most contacts apps. You can either save them on your Google account, or you can save them on your phone’s internal storage. The final option is to save them to the user’s SIM card in the phone. The option of saving contacts to a Google Account has been better until now as it ensures that contacts are backed up and synced online, so the chances of losing them in the event of a hardware failure or factory reset are negligible. Contacts saved to a phone’s internal storage, however, would have been lost until now if a phone stopped working, or if it was factory reset.

Last year, Google added a feature to Google Contacts that let users move individual contacts from their phone’s storage to their Google account without doing a full export or import. Now, the app can read and sync contacts that are saved to the user’s device automatically, so users won’t have to worry about manually moving them to their Google account.

There is a catch, though. This feature will work on only some phones, for now. On the Google Pixel, it’s actually not possible to save contacts to internal storage in the first place, as they can only be saved to a Google account. On phones from other device makers, though, it’s common to find an option to save to internal storage when creating a new contact. This is the information that Google Contacts will now back up.

Google Contacts Google Contacts Google Contacts

Android Police was able to get this feature with the latest Google Contacts APK to work on a Samsung Galaxy S10+, where the Contacts app showed a popup asking if the user wanted to sync device contacts to their Google account. This means the feature is optional—users will have to manually enable it. (It also doesn’t work with either G Suite accounts or a child’s account.) In addition, there is a settings section named “Contact sync settings” where the user can change this sync setting. It’s present on the Pixels even though they don’t actually allow users to save contacts to internal storage. The feature hadn’t rolled out for Android Police on a OnePlus 7T Pro despite using the same version of the app, which means it’s likely a server-side change. The option to move a contact from a Google account to a phone’s internal storage was available on the second device, though. This means that it hadn’t got the new functionality yet, which would have superseded the older feature.

Google notes in its support page that this doesn’t affect contacts saved on a user’s SIM card or on other cloud services such as Microsoft Exchange/Yahoo, as Google Contacts still won’t sync them to a user’s Google account automatically.

Users can download the latest version of Google Contacts from the Play Store or from APK Mirror. It’s fair to expect Google to complete the feature roll out in the coming weeks.

Contacts (Free, Google Play) →


Source: Google | Via: Android Police

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10 High-Tech Chargers to Maximize Your Space and Productivity

Every new device you purchase comes with some form of charger. However, such accessories are not always the most efficient or convenient forms of power delivery. If you would like to charge faster and save space, these options at the XDA Developers Depot are definitely worth your attention — now with up to 71% off MSRP.

Naztech Fast Multi-Port Wall Charger

Drawing power from a single wall socket, the Naztech charger offers two AC outlets and four USB ports. IntelliQ smart chips deliver the correct amount of power to each device, while the OmniProtect feature prevents short circuits and overcharging. Normally priced at $39.99, the charger is now only $25.

Naztech Wireless Power Hub 5

With four USB ports and a built-in charging pad, this compact hub can power all your devices. Compatible with Qi-enabled devices, the pad can fill your iPhone or Android phone at twice the speed of regular Qi chargers. Usually priced at $54.99, the Power Hub 5 is now only $44.99.

Naztech Ultimate Power Station

Drawing up to 50W from a single outlet, the Ultimate Power Station can charge six devices at the same time. Along with a wireless Qi charging pad and five USB ports, it has a built-in 4,000mAh battery for charging on the move. Normally $59.99, the Naztech charger is now $49.99.

3-in-1 Qi Wireless Charging Stand

Perfect for any nightstand or desk, this elegant charging stand helps to clear the cable clutter. It provides an upright charging pad for any Qi-enabled phone, plus docks for your Apple Watch and wireless earbuds. The stand is currently 40% off MSRP at $29.95.

POWERSLIM6 6,000mAh Power Bank: 2-Pack

At just 0.33 inches thick and 5.3 ounces in weight, the POWERSLIM6 lives up to its name. This portable power bank has dual USB charging ports and a capacity of 6,000mAh — enough to charge most smartphones twice over. Order now for $39.99 to grab a two-pack, worth $140. 

SURGE DUO Dual USB & Dual Surge Charging Station

If your desk is always covered in cables, you might want to invest in this desktop hub. The SURGE DUO offers quick access to two USB ports and two AC outlets, with individual switches to control the power. Normally priced at $49.99, the charging station is now only $18.99.

PowerStick: 2,200mAh Rechargeable Battery

The PowerStick is easily small enough to fit in your pocket. However, this power bank holds the equivalent of 150% charge for a phone or tablet. Available in three colors, the battery offers good durability thanks to a rubberized shell. Worth $25, the PowerStick is now just $14.99

HyperCharger PRO V.2 All-in-One Charger

With built-in Apple Lightning, micro-USB, and USB-C cables, the HyperCharger PRO V.2 can power almost any portable device. It weighs only 5.5 ounces, but the charger has a capacity of 8,000mAh and 25W of output power. You can grab one now for $24.99, saving 50% on the standard price. 

HyperCharger X Wireless Charger: 2-Pack

This sleek power bank doubles as a 7.5W wireless charging pad, with a 15W USB port for older devices. The HyperCharger X is about the same size as an iPhone X, but it contains a 6,000mAh battery for charging on the move. Order now for $34.99 to get a two-pack, worth $60.

iPM Smart Home Power Strip

It might look like an ordinary power strip, but this smart home accessory from iPM works seamlessly with Alexa and Google Assistant. This means you can control the power supply to any plugged-in device using voice commands or smart schedules. Normally priced at $49.99, the iPM Power Strip is now only $19.99.

Prices subject to change

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[Update 3: 512GB S10 Lite for India] Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite

Update 3 (02/28/2020 @ 9:35 AM ET): Samsung is launching a 512GB storage variant of the Galaxy S10 Lite in India.

Update 2 (01/23/2020 @ 2:40 AM ET): After the Note 10 Lite, Samsung has also launched the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite in India.

Update 1 (01/21/2020 @ 3:45 AM ET): Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note 10 Lite in India. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on January 3, 2020, is preserved as below.

We’ve been tracking the Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite for a while now. The first rumors of Samsung working on “Lite” versions of the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 popped up back in October. Since then, information and leaked renders have slowly trickled in, but today Samsung made both devices official ahead of CES.

Galaxy S10 Lite Galaxy Note 10 Lite
Display 6.7-inch Full HD+
Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O Display
2400×1080 (394ppi)
6.7-inch Full HD+
Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display
2400×1080 (394ppi)
* Super AMOLED Plus display creates ergonomic design with thin and light display panel by adopting flexible OLED technology.
* Screen measured diagonally as a full rectangle without accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
Camera Rear Triple Camera
– Macro: 5MP, F2.4
– Wide-angle: 48MP, Super Steady OIS AF F2.0
– Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2
Triple Camera
– Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2
– Wide-angle: 12MP, Dual Pixel AF F1.7 OIS
– Telephoto: 12MP, AF F2.4 OIS
Front 32MP, F2.2 32MP, F2.2
Body 75.6 x 162.5 x 8.1mm, 186g 76.1 x 163.7 x 8.7mm, 199g
AP 7nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Max. 2.8GHz + 2.4GHz + 1.7GHz) – Snapdragon 855 10nm 64-bit Octa-core processor (Quad 2.7GHz + Quad 1.7GHz) – Exynos 9810
Memory 6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage 6/8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage
* May differ by model, color, market and mobile operator.
* User memory is less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software used to operate the device features. Actual user memory will vary depending on the operator and may change after software upgrades are performed.
Battery* 4,500mAh (typical) 4,500mAh (typical)
* Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4,370mAh. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
OS Android 10.0

The Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite are actually very similar, which is a little weird. The regular Galaxy S10 and Note 10 are quite different, but the Lite versions have a lot in common. Both devices feature triple rear cameras, 32MP front cameras (in hole punch), 6/8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 6.7-inch AMOLED Full HD+ displays, in-display fingerprint scanners, and 4,500mAh batteries.

Galaxy Note 10 Lite

That’s a lot of the key specifications, but there are a few things that differentiate these two phones. The most obvious difference is the Galaxy Note 10 Lite has the S Pen. Samsung barely mentions it in its announcement, but the fact that you can get the S Pen in a more affordable device is pretty cool. Another big difference is the processor. The Note 10 Lite features Samsung’s Exynos 9810 chipset, while the Galaxy S10 Lite has the newer Snapdragon 855 SoC.

Galaxy Note 10 Lite XDA Forum || Galaxy S10 Lite XDA Forum

As mentioned, both devices feature triple rear cameras, but the specifications are different. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite has a 12MP main, 12MP Ultra-Wide, and 12MP telephoto. The Galaxy S10 Lite features a 48MP main, 5MP macro, and 12MP Ultra-Wide. The cameras are also positioned slightly different with the Note 10 Lite having a square bump and the S10 Lite is more of a rectangle.

Galaxy S10 Lite

One small difference is the display panel. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite’s display is Super AMOLED, while the Galaxy S10 Lite’s display is Super AMOLED Plus. The color options are different as well, with the Note 10 Lite being available in Aura Glow, Aura Black, and Aura Red, and the S10 Lite being available in Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue.

Samsung did not share the exact release date of either phone just yet, but the Galaxy Note 10 Lite will cost €599 and the Galaxy S10 Lite will be €649. The S10 Lite has slightly better specifications, but it doesn’t have the S Pen. That’s really what the choice comes down to. What do you think of Samsung’s Lite phones?

Source: Samsung


Update 1: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite launched in India

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite has been launched in India and will be available in Aura Glow, Aura Black, and Aura Red colors. The phone will cost ₹38,999 (~$548) for the 6GB variant and ₹40,999 (~$576) for the 8GB variant. Pre-bookings for the device begin from January 21 at 2 PM IST, while sales begin from February 3 across major retail stores, online stores, and Samsung.com. You also get a 3.5mm wired earphone from Samsung included in the box.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite: Hands-On


Update 2: Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite launched in India

Following the launch of the Note 10 Lite, Samsung has also launched the Galaxy S10 Lite in India. The S10 Lite will only be available in a singular 8GB + 128GB configuration, at a price of ₹39,999 (~$561) for any of the colors: Prism White, Prism Black, and Prism Blue colors.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite: Hands-On

Pre-bookings for the S10 Lite begin from January 23 across Flipkart, Samsung.com, and leading retail stores. The phone goes on sale on February 4. Pre-bookings also get a one-time screen replacement at ₹1,999 covering accidental screen damage within 1 year of purchase, as well as an additional ₹3,000 cashback with ICICI Bank Credit Cards.


Update 3: 512GB S10 Lite for India

Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 Lite in India last month, but it was only available with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A new variant with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is now being launched in India as well. This model will be available on March 1 for ₹44,999 (~$620) in the same color options as the 128GB model. Samsung is offering an upgrade bonus of ₹5,000 if you trade in your old phone.

Source: NDTV Gadgets

The post [Update 3: 512GB S10 Lite for India] Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note 10 Lite appeared first on xda-developers.



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