XDA forums are open for the Realme GT Neo 2 and Honor 60

Early last month, Realme launched its affordable flagship phone — the Realme GT Neo 2 in India. The GT Neo 2 is a well-rounded smartphone with a major emphasis on performance thanks to the very capable Snapdragon 870 SoC. It also comes with a unique design and a colorway that makes it stand out from other generic smartphones. Speaking of unique-looking smartphones, the Honor 60 has recently leaked giving us a glimpse of the shimmery back and an almost bezel-less front with aggressive curves.

If you are interested in either of the two phones and want to discuss your take with others, we’re pleased to announce that XDA forums for the Realme GT Neo 2 and the Honor 60 are now open! If you want to know about the development scene for the devices, be it with regards to unlocking the bootloader, installing custom ROMs, etc., or you just want to share your home screen setup, the XDA forums are where you should be headed!

Realme GT Neo 2

The Realme GT Neo 2 is a minor upgrade over the Realme GT Neo, featuring a slightly updated design, a bigger display, a Qualcomm SoC, and a larger battery. On the front, it flaunts a 6.62-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. While the Realme GT Neo opted for a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, the Realme GT Neo 2 packs a Snapdragon 870 processor, paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. It looks unique and is surely one of the best phones launched by Realme in the recent past when you look at the value it offers.

Realme GT Neo 2 XDA Forums

Honor 60

 

The Honor 60 isn’t official yet but we’ve already started seeing renders and leaked specifications of the device. The device is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 778G Plus and might pack in a 6.67-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a 4800mAh battery. Rumors also suggest that the phone will have support for up to 66W fast charging. The primary camera on the rear might be a 108MP shooter. The Honor 60 is launching very soon so we should be getting the confirmed specs of the device a few hours after publishing this article.

Honor 60 XDA Forums

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No matter which device you have, the XDA forums are where you’ll find like-minded people discussing various aspects of it so head over to the forums and join the discussion!

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You can now scan documents and shoot videos via the camera on your Chromebook

Google has been pushing out constant updates to improve the user experience on Chromebooks. Recently, there were reports of upcoming Chromebooks getting an anti-snooping feature and an update for existing Chromebooks that would let you run your phone’s apps briefly. Now, Google is letting Chromebook users take full advantage of the camera on board to perform various tasks like scanning documents, QR codes, and more. If you have a Chromebook, these improvements will basically make your work easier if you’re a student or you attend a lot of classes or meetings online.

Scan Documents and QR Codes

The first new feature coming to the Chromebook’s camera is the ability to scan documents. While this is quite straightforward and could be done earlier by just snapping a picture via the camera, you will now be able to optimize the scan via the in-built camera app to make the document look more legible. Users can capture a document and convert it into a scanned copy either in JPG or PDF format. This feature is available regardless of whether your Chromebook only has a front-facing camera or a rear-facing one.

To use this feature, open the camera app and select the new Scan mode. This will trigger a frame that will automatically envelop the edges of the document you want to scan. If the auto-detected edges look fine, you can save the document as it is or edit the edges to suit your preference. The Scan option also gets the ability to scan QR codes natively which can be selected by toggling the scan mode from Document to QR Code.

Personalize Camera Angle

Another new feature added to the Chromebook is the ability to change and play around with various camera angles. This is only available with external cameras. If you’ve connected an external webcam, a new Pan-Tilt-Zoom function allows you to control what you want to see in the frame. If your camera is too wide, you can crop in or if it’s too high, you can tilt it lower. If you want to fit in more people, you can just pan out and fit more elements into the frame.

This too can be customized via the built-in camera app and your preferences will stay uniform throughout the different video conferencing apps that you use.

Videos, Self-timer, and more

Apart from these two highlighting features, there are a few smaller additions too with this new update. Users will now be able to shoot videos via the default camera app using the built-in camera on the Chromebook. Again, this works via both the rear camera (if your Chromebook has one) and the front-facing camera.

There’s also a new self-timer feature to take selfies or group pictures from a distance. This works just the way it does on any camera or smartphone. Just set up the timer for the required duration and it will take a picture at the end of the countdown.

Google has also announced that it’s working on another update that would let you make GIFs directly from the camera app which sounds pretty cool. A feature that’s currently in Beta but will soon be available to everyone is the ability to take pictures via voice commands on Chrome OS.

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Google clearly wants to improve the user experience on Chromebooks which will give it a bigger punch in terms of a laptop operating system. These added features are something students and professionals will surely benefit from. The features are rolling out with Chrome OS 96.

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Nothing launches the ear (1) wireless earphones in black, and we tried them out

Nothing’s first product launch was a pair of truly wireless earbuds that came with a transparent case and a see-through housing for the earbuds, with the company’s philosophy being to integrate tech into everyday life seamlessly. The company’s first earphones came in white and offered a pretty great experience for the price. My colleague Sumukh was a pretty big fan of them, and it seems a lot of other people were too. Now the company is back with another set of earphones, and this time, it’s the same earphones but in black. Nothing also announced that the ear (1) is now completely carbon neutral.

About this article: Nothing sent us the Nothing ear (1) earphones for review. The company did not have any inputs into the contents of this article.

“Nothing is here to make a positive difference. Our newly carbon neutral ear (1) is the first step in our journey to sustainability,” said Carl Pei, CEO and Co-founder of Nothing. “With ear (1) we’ve proven that new ideas, from design to distribution, can resonate with users and bring back the sense of excitement that’s been lacking in our industry. We hope this black edition raises a few more eyebrows in the months to come and that more tech brands add carbon transparency labelling to their products.”

Nothing has announced that the first 100 units of the ear (1) black edition will be engraved from 1 to 100, and there will also be a Nothing Kiosk in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London from the 4th of December. They will be available for wider purchase on the 13th of December on the company’s website, including in India at ₹6,999, or €99 in Europe. People will also be able to purchase these carbon-neutral earphones in select countries using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD Coin, or Dogecoin.

When connected to your phone, the Nothing ear (1) even shows up on the home screen of the official pairing app in black rather than white.

As for the case and the earphones themselves, they’re the exact same design as before, with the only change being that they’re black instead of white. They’ll be harder to spot dirt on as a result, and might also match your style more if you tend to wear darker clothing. The functionality is the same, and they offer the same battery life, active noise canceling, and other features that debuted with the Nothing ear (1). I personally prefer how these look in black over the white edition, and would certainly be my choice if presented with one between the two designs.

Nothing ear (1)

The Nothing ear (1) is a pair of Truly Wireless Earphones with ANC that comes with a distinct design.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

Buy Now

From my own experience with these earphones as well, I can confirm that they certainly get the basics right. They’re comfortable, sound good, and look great. In black, these earphones look even better, and I’m glad that Nothing is offering more options to choose from.

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Android TV 12 is officially out, but you can’t try it yourself just yet

Following multiple developer previews and beta releases, the final release of Android 12 for Android TV/Google TV is finally here. Although this is the final version, it’s still aimed at developers. That means you can’t just download it on your Chromebox or an Android TV streaming stick.

To try out Android 12 for Android TV, you’ll need a device called ADT-3, an Android TV dongle for developers. The public for Chromecast with Google TV and other compatible Android TV devices will likely arrive in early 2022.

With the official release of Android 12, we are also making the most recent platform release available for TV. Take this opportunity to start building and testing your apps to make it compatible with the latest Android release on the new Google TV experience

Android TV 12 is a big step up from the previous version and offers several exciting new features and improvements. It brings a redesigned UI with support for 4K UI rendering, dynamic refresh rate switching, background blurs, improved support for HDR formats and surround sound formats, Android 12-style microphone and camera indicators for enhanced privacy, and much more.

The full changelog for Android TV 12 is as follows:

• Media
  • Avoid motion judder during playback using refresh rate switching
  • Certified API-accuracy for reporting display modes, HDR formats, and surround sound formats
• User Interface
  • Background blurs using RenderEffect and in WindowManager
  • 4K UI support
  • Accessibility settings for font sizes
• Privacy & Security
  • Microphone and camera indicators
  • Microphone and camera toggles
  • Device attestation via Android KeyStore API
• HDMI & Tuner
  • Support for HDMI CEC 2.0
  • Tuner HAL 1.1 with DTMB support and performance improvements
  • Better protection model with Tuner Service

Google says those with an existing ADT-3 developer device will automatically receive an OTA to Android TV 12. If you haven’t received the update yet, you can also update your device manually by flashing the system image on your test device.

Android TV 12 comes about a month after Google officially released Android 12. The update has so far rolled out to the Pixel phones and Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series, with more smartphones to follow suit in the coming months.

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Google Messages’ new “nudges” feature goes live for some

In September we uncovered hints of a new “nudges” feature in the Google Messages app. The strings that we found within the APK revealed that the feature would help you stay on top of important conversations by sending reply reminders. While the feature wasn’t accessible to end-users at the time, Google has finally started rolling it out to users.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman, the latest Google Message update has begun rolling out the nudges feature for some users.

Google Messages 10.8.260 adds nudges so you won’t forget to reply to important conversations.

H/T Nick Cipriani

Grab the APK from @APKMirror https://t.co/kP9D1wqDzO pic.twitter.com/oBDEFqgtAl

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) November 30, 2021

Users can activate the feature by going to Settings > General > Suggestions > Nudges. There are two settings: “suggest reply reminders” and “suggest follow-up reminders.” The first option, when enabled, automatically displays “messages you might have forgotten to respond to” at the top of your inbox. Meanwhile, the second option will draw your attention to ”messages you might need to follow up on.”

The nudges feature appears to be rolling out with Google Messages version 10.8.260 beta. However, it’s most likely a server-side rollout as some users are seeing the feature appearing on version 10.6.240 as well. In any case, if you want to try out nudges, download the latest beta version of Google Message from the Play Store. If you’re not a beta tester, you can sign up here. Alternatively, you can also grab the latest beta APK from APKMirror.

Google Messages is one of the best text messaging apps for Android. Over the past months, it has picked up several new features and improvements, including the ability to star important messages, AI-powered message sorting, auto OTP deletion, and more. It also received a Material You makeover a couple of months back, which adds a new pill-shaped search bar, a rounded rectangle floating action button, and support for Android 12’s dynamic wallpaper-based theming.

Messages (Free, Google Play) →

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Xiaomi reveals the first Snapdragon 8 powered smartphone

Today on the Big Island in Hawaii, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, its next-generation flagship mobile chipset. As usual, the company is also unveiling partners that will be using the new product, but it went a step further this time. Xiaomi actually announced a new device, the Xiaomi 12 Series, and it’s going to be the first to use Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

The company didn’t say anything else about the device. That includes what the Xiaomi 12 Series will actually look like, or even which features of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 it will include. Remember, not all OEMs use all of the features that are available on the chipset.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 does have an entire host of new features. It has a brand-new triple ISP that can do things like record 8K video in HDR. It’s also got a fourth ISP that’s on all the time. This allows for things like always-on facial recognition, so you wouldn’t have to wake the device to use it. Other camera features include better portrait mode video that uses AI and more.

Of course, AI is a theme, something that we’ve been seeing more and more of over the last several years. Qualcomm touted its seventh-generation AI Engine, and that should work to improve the rest of the experience. Vice President of Product Management for Snapdragon Roadmap & Application Processor Technologies Ziad Asghar told me that AI is a horizontal feature, meaning that it works across the full range of features rather than being one thing that you can pinpoint.

While the Xiaomi 12 Series is going to be the first with the Snapdragon 8 Series, there will be plenty more to come, and soon. We usually see these devices start arriving in the spring, and we’re expecting to see them from Realme, Samsung, OnePlus, and a number of other smartphone OEMs.

Disclaimer: Qualcomm sponsored my trip to Kona, Hawaii, to attend the Snapdragon Tech Summit. The company paid for my flight and hotel. However, they did not have any input regarding the content of this article.

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The Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip

We recently got our first look at leaked renders of the Realme GT 2 Pro — the “ultra-premium flagship” that Madhav Sheth talked about in an interview last month. The renders gave us a good look at its unique design and also highlighted some of its specifications. Soon after the renders popped up online, Realme’s founder and CEO Sky Li confirmed the Realme GT 2 Pro moniker. Now, the company has officially announced that it will feature Qualcomm’s latest flagship SoC.

Qualcomm unveiled the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform at its annual Snapdragon Tech Summit earlier today. Right after Qualcomm’s keynote, Realme’s VP Chase Xu has announced that the upcoming Realme GT 2 Pro will be one of the first phones to launch with the new SoC. While Realme hasn’t shared any other details about the Realme GT 2 Pro so far, previous leaks suggest that it will pack a massive 6.8-inch WQHD+ flat OLED display with a 120Hz peak refresh rate, 12GB RAM, and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

In addition, the device will reportedly feature a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, and a 32MP selfie shooter. On the software front, the Realme GT 2 Pro will likely run Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 out of the box. Rumors suggest that the phone might make it to the market by early next year. But Realme is yet to share any details on that front. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we learn more.

Since the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is now finally official, more OEMs will likely come forward with information about their next-gen flagships. Xiaomi was one of the first OEMs to launch a phone with the Snapdragon 888 last year, and we’re expecting the company to announce the upcoming Xiaomi 12 series in the coming days. Samsung and OnePlus might also make announcements about the Galaxy S22 series and the OnePlus 10 Pro, but we haven’t heard anything from the companies so far.

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