This Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard Helps You Stay Productive on the Move

Many phones today are more powerful than laptops were five years ago. The only thing that prevents you from really getting things done on mobile is the touchscreen interface. With the Universal Mini Foldable Wireless Keyboard, you can easily turn your mobile device into a tiny computer. This lightweight accessory works with most phones and tablets, and it even has a built-in touchpad. Right now, you can grab it for just $103.99 at the XDA Developers Depot.

From writing an email to making changes to an important document, typing on a touchscreen can be a frustrating experience. As a result, you may find yourself taking your laptop everywhere. Instead, you could just pack this keyboard. 

When you need to write something, you simply unfold the keyboard and connect your device via Bluetooth. It works with Android, iOS, and Windows, including phones, tablets, computers, and even streaming boxes. The keyboard runs on a rechargeable battery, which lasts for 48 hours of typing and 560 hours on standby. 

Despite the mini layout, the keys are surprisingly comfortable and you should get good accuracy. In addition, the built-in touchpad allows you to navigate with greater precision on large screens. It’s the perfect upgrade for coders, writers, and other remote professionals.

Normally priced at $129, the keyboard is now only $103.99 with this deal.

Prices subject to change

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Fitbit is preparing to bring Google Assistant support to fitness watches

Late last year, Google announced its plans to acquire Fitbit for a reported $2.1 billion. The deal is still pending approval and we haven’t heard anything about it in a while. We still don’t know what the two companies plan to do, but it’s looking like Fitbit may be working on bringing Google Assistant support to its devices.

Currently, Fitbit supports Amazon Alexa on the Versa 2 fitness watch. The device doesn’t have a speaker for answers to be read aloud and there’s no hotword detection. The integration is rudimentary when compared to full-fledged smartwatches, but it’s better than nothing. Fitbit reportedly approached Google about bringing Assistant to the Versa 2, but the company was not super willing to make it happen. Strings found in a recent update to the Fitbit Android app seem to indicate things have changed.

The folks at 9to5Google found a few mentions of “Assistant” in the APK. These strings could easily be in reference to Amazon Alexa, but a few XML files clearly name “google_assistant.” The strings and XML files list basic things like activating Assistant, error messages, on-boarding, etc. The groundwork certainly seems to be in place for support.

<string name=”ga_activate_assistant”>Activate Assistant</string>
<string name=”ga_activate_assistant_general_error”>Unable to process request to activate Assistant</string>
<string name=”ga_deactivation_error”>Error deactivating Assistant</string>

• res/layout/a_google_assistant_on_boarding.xml
• res/layout/f_google_assistant_landing.xml
• res/layout/f_google_assistant_teaser.xml

Further digging into the Fitbit app, there is mention of only using one assistant at a time and being able to switch providers whenever you want. Users will likely get a choice at start-up between Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but they’ll be able to switch on a whim. That’s a great option for users who may be invested in either ecosystem.

As mentioned, Alexa support is currently available on the Fitbit Versa 2, which makes it a likely candidate for Google Assistant support. It’s also entirely possible that Fitbit will save it for a new product launch. This is certainly an exciting development for any Fitbit fans in the Google ecosystem.

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Source: 9to5Google

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Google’s Messages app will soon enable Bubble notifications in Android 11

Google introduced the new Bubbles notification API with Android 10 Beta 2 back in April last year. The API was initially offered as an opt-in feature for developers, allowing them to test it in their apps so that the apps were ready when the feature finally rolled out in a future Android release. As expected, the feature was enabled by default in the Android 11 Developer Preview 1, and in the leaked Android 11 beta, the API gained a user-facing setting. Back in December last year, we saw the feature in action on Android 10 in an APK teardown of the Google Messages app. Then, earlier this month, Facebook Messenger’s chat heads feature switched over to the bubbles notification API on Android 11 devices. Now, according to a recent comment on Reddit, the feature will soon be enabled in the Google Messages app on devices running Android 11 beta.

The comment in question comes from the official Android beta program account on Reddit, which states: “Bubbles for Android Messages will be enabled over the next month. If you’re in the Android Messages Beta, you’ll receive an update starting in the next week or two that enables the new feature…The feature is controlled on the application side, so you will be able to use the feature on 3rd party messaging apps as our partners start enabling it.”

Once the update rolls out, you will see a new option called Bubbles in the Google Messages settings with a toggle to turn it on or off. Enabling the feature will make all incoming text messages appear in a bubble. The notification bubbles will appear at the edge of the display with a photo of the contact, the app icon, and a preview of the message. If left untouched, the preview will disappear shortly thereafter and will be replaced by a notification dot. Tapping on the notification bubble will open up the conversation in an overlay, allowing you to quickly reply to the message. To dismiss the bubble, you’ll be able to tap and hold on it and drag it to the ‘x’ icon that appears towards the bottom.

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Source: Reddit

Note: The attached screenshots are from an APK teardown of the Google Messages app running on Android 10.

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Google Maps now supports YouTube Music playback controls

Back in October 2018, Google Maps received a major update which introduced new commute features to the app, along with music player integration. The music player integration added playback controls to the navigation screen within the app, allowing users to play/pause music and switch tracks without pulling down the notifications shade. At the time, the music player integration feature supported three of the most popular music players — Spotify, Google Play Music, and Apple Music. Now, with the latest update (v10.43.2), Google has added YouTube Music support to Google Maps.

In case you use YouTube Music and listen to songs during your commute, you can now add YouTube Music’s playback controls to the navigation screen. To do so, tap on your profile picture in the top right corner of Google Maps and then tap on the Settings option. In the Settings menu, select Navigation settings and then tap on the toggle next to the “Show media playback controls” setting. Then select YouTube Music from the pop-up window, tap on Next, and then OK to confirm your selection.

In case you’ve been using the playback controls feature with a different music player, you can skip the aforementioned steps and just select YouTube Music by tapping on the Default media app option. Once you have the feature enabled, you’ll see a YouTube Music icon on the navigation screen. You can tap on the icon to bring up the playback controls, which shows the current track, a play/pause button, previous/next track buttons, a progress bar, and a browse button for quick access to your playlists.

It’s worth noting that the playback controls aren’t as easily accessible in the landscape orientation and you have to tap on the arrow icon in the bottom right corner to bring them up. The app also doesn’t show the YouTube Music icon in the landscape orientation.

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Via: Reddit

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Download: iQOO 3 5G, iQOO 3 4G, Vivo Nex 3S 5G receive Android 11 Beta builds

It’s raining Android 11 Beta builds! First, the main announcement for Android 11 Beta 1 dropped builds for the supported Google Pixels, namely within the Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and 4 series. Next, OnePlus followed up with builds for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Other OEMs have also promised builds in the near future, increasing the device coverage to OPPO Find X2, OPPO Find X2 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10, Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro, and the Realme X50 Pro. Now, Vivo is offering its customers a treat by releasing Android 11 Beta 1 builds for the Vivo Nex 3S and the iQOO 3.

The Vivo Nex 3S 5G is one of Vivo’s current flagships in China, launched in March 2020. To the best of our knowledge, the device has not made its way out of China, despite coming with some killer specifications and a waterfall display design. But still, having Android 11 Beta 1 available on this device will help out developers in the Chinese region to ensure that the apps and games they develop will remain flawlessly compatible with the latest Android version when it rolls out for the public.

Similarly, Vivo has also released the iQOO 3 in China, coming only in a 5G variant. iQOO operates as a Vivo sub-brand in China, but it claims to operate as an independent brand within India. For the Indian market, iQOO launched the iQOO 3 4G and iQOO 3 5G, with the Snapdragon 865 on both the variants. What really helps the iQOO 3 stand out is the fact that it is the cheapest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 smartphone in the Indian market, helped by the recent price cuts offered by the brand. For perspective, the base variant of the iQOO 3 (4G) costs the same as the base variant of the OnePlus 7T.

iQOO 3: XDA Forums || Buy on Flipkart

iQOO 3 5G Review – One of the Fastest but not Smoothest Smartphones

Android 11 Beta 1: Vivo’s Update Schedule

Vivo mentions that there will be two Betas for Android 11 for the Nex 3S, the iQOO 3  (China), and iQOO 3 5G/4G (India). The first Beta build has been released, and the second beta will be released in late July 2020. Vivo expects Google to release the public version of Android 11 in August 2020, at which time, Vivo will halt further releases and concentrate on stable releases.

Download Android 11 Beta 1 for iQOO 3 and Vivo Nex 3S

Caution: The builds mentioned on this page are for developers only and are not intended to be used by end-users. These builds are early releases and contain bugs and other system instabilities. They also wipe your device completely. It is highly recommended that you back up your data before proceeding. Please exercise your own discretion.

You can download the builds from the links below. Downgrade builds are also mentioned:

• Vivo Nex 3S 5G:
  • Download Android 11 Beta 1 for the Vivo Nex 3S 5G
  • Downgrade package
• Vivo iQOO 3 (China)
  • Download Android 11 Beta 1 for the iQOO 3 (China)
  • Downgrade package
• iQOO 3 5G/4G (India)
  • Download Android 11 Beta 1 for the iQOO 3 5G (India)/iQOO 3 4G (India)
  • Downgrade package

To update, download the file mentioned for your device and place it on the root directory on your phone. Use the local update method (Settings > System Update > Local Update) and choose the downloaded file. Downgrading instructions remain the same, with the difference being in the package downloaded.

Known Bugs

The following bugs are known to exist on these builds:

• Under-display fingerprint sensor does not work
• Status bar icons sometimes overlap
• Google Chrome does not show any existing Google account sign-in on first boot

This is not a comprehensive list, and other bugs may also persist. Nonetheless, if you need to install Android 11 for testing apps, this presents itself as a decent option to do so.

Android 11 News on XDA

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Galaxy Tab S7 leaked renders show Samsung’s answer to the Apple iPad Pro

We already know that Samsung is prepping up to launch the successor to last year’s flagship Galaxy Tab S6. Previous leaks about the upcoming tablets have revealed that Samsung might offer two size variants this year — the Galaxy Tab S7 with an 11-inch display and a Galaxy Tab S7+ with a 12.4-inch display. The larger Galaxy Tab S7+ has also been spotted on Bluetooth SIG, and we have reason to believe that the tab will feature 5G support. Now, renowned leakster @OnLeaks has shared renders of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, giving us our first look at the Apple iPad Pro competitor.

The leaked renders reveal that the Galaxy Tab S7 will look almost identical to last year’s Galaxy Tab S6. It will feature slim bezels around the display, a dual-camera setup with LED flash on the back, a slight indent to hold the S-Pen, and antenna lines on the top and bottom.

A report from Pigtou on the matter also reveals the exact dimensions of the Galaxy Tab S7 — 253.7mm x 165.3mm x 6.3 mm — which means that it’ll be slightly larger and thicker than its predecessor and the 11-inch iPad Pro (2020). While the design remains mostly the same, Samsung has changed the location of the selfie camera, and it now resides in the top bezel when the tablet is in the landscape orientation.

As of now, Samsung has released no official information about the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+. However, we believe that the tablets will feature Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 SoC and might include improvements in the camera department. Additionally, a leaked 3C listing of the Galaxy Tab S7 suggests that the tablet will feature a 7,760mAh battery, which is slightly larger than the 7,040mAh battery on the Galaxy Tab S6.

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Source: Pigtou

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ASUS ROG Phone II update brings Google Phone app support and VoLTE/VoWiFi to more European carriers

ASUS is rolling out a new software update to the ROG Phone II. This new update takes care of many annoying bugs and also brings along some interesting changes, including support for VoLTE and VoWiFi support for European carriers. The update carries software version 17.0240.2004.9 and is already rolling out in batches to ROG Phone II owners globally.

ASUS ROG Phone II XDA Forums

Most notably, the update fixes the ASUS launcher crash bug, a video recording failure issue when connected to a Bluetooth accessory, as well as a bug related to NFC service. Furthermore, ASUS notes the camera stability has been improved, and they have also fixed the issue of trimmed videos not being saved in the Gallery app.

ASUS ROG Phone II Developments: Google Camera, LineageOS 17.1, and more

Besides, not mentioned in the changelog is the fact that this update enables support for installing the Google Phone app from the Google Play Store.

The Google Phone app was initially available on the Google Pixel and Android One smartphones only, but it has slowly been making its way to non-Google phones as of late. While it was always possible to install the app through unofficial means, ROG Phone II owners can now install the latest version of Google Phone directly from the Google Play Store. This ensures that you also get the latest update delivered right on your phone without needing to check for it manually.

Phone (Free, Google Play) →

Since this is a staged rollout, it might take some time for the update to reach your device. You can head to Settings > System to see if the update is available for you. In case you don’t want to wait, you can also install this new update manually using the OTA links provided below.

Download 2004.9 Full OTA ZIP || Download Incremental Update from 2004.60

The full update changelog  for the ROG Phone II is posted below:

• Fixed issue where Video Recording failed when connected to BT
• Fixed ASUS launcher crash issue
• Added “Neplayer” APP for JP
• Enabled VoLTE and VoWiFi on Tele2 (Sweden)
• Enabled VoLTE and VoWiFi on Bouygues Telecom (France)
• Fixed “NFC service isn’t responding” issue if the user quickly clicked the NFC icon in Quick Settings.
• Fixed issue where duplicated game covers appear in the game list in Armoury Crate
• Fixed issue where trimmed videos sometimes won’t be saved in the Gallery Application
• Fixed device hang issue when playing “V4:跨界戰”
• Improved Camera stability

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Source: ASUS ZenTalk

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