Here's what's New in Android 7.1 Nougat

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 12, 2016       

Days back, Google showed off Android 7.1 Nougat with Pixel Smartphones. Now Google has finally announced Android 7.1 Nougat, which is an incremental build over Android 7.0.



The Android 7.1 adds productivity, security, and performance to Android 7.0, along with a variety of optimizations and bug fixes, features, and new APIs (API level 25). 

• App shortcuts API — lets you surface key actions directly in the launcher and take your users deep into your app instantly. You can create up to 5 shortcuts, either statically or dynamically.

• Circular app icons support — lets you provide great-looking rounded icon resources that match the look of Pixel and other launchers.

• Enhanced live wallpaper metadata — lets you provide metadata about your live wallpapers to any picker displaying the wallpapers as a preview. You can show existing metadata such as label, description, and author, as well as a new context URL and title to link to more information.

• Image keyboard support — expands the types of content that users can enter from their keyboards, letting them express themselves through custom stickers, animated gifs, and more. Apps can tell the keyboard what types of content they accept, and keyboards can deliver all of the images and other content that they offer to the user. For broad compatibility, this API will also be available in the support library.

• Storage manager Intent — lets an app take the user directly to a new Settings screen to clear unused files and free up storage space on the device.

As said earlier, Android 7.1 Developer preview images will be soon be available for the Pixel C, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P, along with other devices at a later date.



Source:- Android Developers Blog

Google Announces Android 7.1, Developer Preview coming this month

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 12, 2016       

Days back, Google showed off Android 7.1 Nougat with Pixel Smartphones. Now Google has finally announced Android 7.1 Nougat, which is an incremental build over Android 7.0.



Android 7.1 Developer preview images will be soon be available for the Pixel C, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P, along with other devices at a later date.

The final release of Android 7.1 will happen in December and Supported Devices including Nexus 6, 5X, 6P, 9, Player, Pixel C, Android One, and the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones will get the new software update.



The Android 7.1 will bring the Circular icons, 3D Touch, Enhanced live wallpaper and much more..

Source:- Android Developers Blog

Its Official: You can now return your Galaxy Note 7 and Get a Refund

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 11, 2016       

Samsung is finally taking a big step and halting all sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 across the globe. Along with this, Samsung recommends Galaxy Note 7 owners to turn the device off and take the "take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase."



After the reports of exploding Safe Units of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Samsung wants you to get rid of your Galaxy Note 7 because consumers’ safety remains their top priority.

Here's the full statement from Samsung-

We are working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers’ safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.                                                                           
We remain committed to working diligently with the CPSC, carriers and our retail partners to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 should power down and take advantage of the remedies available, including a refund at their place of purchase. For more information, consumers should visit samsung.com/us/note7recall or contact 1-844-365-6197.

[Update] You can also Exchange your current Galaxy Note7 for a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and replacement of any Galaxy Note7 specific accessories with a refund of the price difference between devices.



Source:- Samsung

Here are some Google Pixel and Pixel XL Camera Samples and a 4K Video Sample

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 10, 2016       

During the launch of Google Pixel and Pixel XL,  Brian Rakowski called the Smartphones "the best smartphone camera ever made". The Google Pixel and Pixel XL comes out with 12.3MP Sony IMX378 sensor and even got the highest score i.e. 89 from DxoMark.

Isaac Reynolds, a Googler who is the product lead in cameras for the Pixel shows off how much Google Pixel's Camera is capable of, by sharing bunch of Images and a 4K Video Sample.

Check out Google Pixel/XL Camera Samples-

You can go through full gallery via this link.

Check out Google Pixel XL 4K Video Sample-

Via:- Google Product Forums

HTC's First Android Wear-powered Smartwatch leaked online

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 10, 2016       

Year back, there were rumors that HTC is working on and Smartwatch and it actually just leaked online. The new leaked photos are seem to be of HTC's Android Wear-powered Smartwatch codename "Halfbeak".



The Smartwatch features a round 360 x 360 resolution just like the Moto 360. The back of the Device shows a Under Armour logo along with HTC logo. 

Via:- Techtastic

List of Motorola Moto Devices that are likely to get Android 7.0 Nougat

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 09, 2016       

[Updated] Official List Out

[Updated] ✔ means Officially confirmed Moto Device to get Nougat.

Google has finally released Android Nougat developer preview firmware images, Android N (Nougat) is the most enhanced and advance Android version after Android Marshmallow.

Motorola devices always get first Android Updates after Nexus and Android One Smartphones. Motorola Moto Phones will obviously get Android Nougat, but the question is which Motorola Smartphones will get it?

Android Nougat comes with many new features which includes- Split scree (Multi-Window), Quick reply from notifications, New Notification Bar and Quick Toggles, Night Mode and many more.

So Here are the list of Moto Devices that will (might) get Android N (Nougat)-

• Moto Z     ✔

• Moto Z Force     ✔

• Moto Z Play     ✔

• 2016 Moto G4 Plus     ✔

• 2016 Moto G ( 4th Gen )     ✔

• 2016 Moto G4 Play     ✔

• 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)     ✔

• 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)     ✔

• 2015 Moto X Play     ✔

• 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)

• Nexus 6     ✔

• Moto X Force     ✔

• DROID Turbo 2     ✔

• DROID Maxx 2     ✔

• 2015 Moto G Turbo Edition (3rd Gen)

• 2015 Moto G Turbo ( Virat Kohli edition ) 

Well, These are the Moto devices which will get Android N according to their specifications and release dates.

This time Motorola might not update Moto G 2nd Generation (3G) and Moto X 2nd Generation! 

Note :- This is not official statement from Motorola, But these are the devices that are likely to get Android N Nougat.

Update:- ✔ In front of Officially confirmed devices to get Nougat. While the Other devices might or might not get Nougat, The Official list of Moto Devices getting nougat will be coming very soon.

Nokia Android Smartphone Concept

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 09, 2016       

Nokia is finally all set to make a come back this Year with New Android Smartphones and Tablets. The new Nokia Smartphones are tipped to get revealed in the fourth quarter of 2016, While The company will launch the devices on early 2017.

Hope we will get our first look at Nokia Devices soon. We think that the upcoming Nokia Smartphones are going to be revolutionary.

Here's a Concept made by us-

Exclusive: rear e-ink display Moto Mod

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 08, 2016       

Months back, A whole new concept with innovative design "Moto Z" and "Moto Mods" were launched by Lenovo and Motorola. With this innovation Motorola took the Smartphone word to whole new level and probably shook the Smartphone industry.

The Swapable "Moto Mods" which gets easily attached to Moto Z through 16 magnetic pins makes Moto Z a Semi-modular Smartphone. For now there are 5 "Moto Mods" namely "JBL SoundBoost", "Moto Insta-Share Projector", "Hasselblad True Zoom", "Incipio offGRID Power Pack" and Moto Style Shell.

Lenovo and Motorola also allows Developers to participate and develop their own Moto Mods via Moto Mods development kit. 

According to a new information we got from our Source, Motorola is working on a new E-Ink display Moto Mod. Yes! You heard it right. Just Like Yotaphone, The Moto Z will be able to project the e-ink Screen on the rear. 

This new Moto Mod will covert the rear of Moto Z to a secondary e-ink display. Above Image is the prototype of upcoming e-ink display Moto Mod that will get attached to the Moto Z, projecting the secondary screen.

Nokia D1C specs leaked via AnTuTu, Android Nougat and Snapdragon 430 confirmed

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 08, 2016       

Nokia Concept Smartphone

Nokia is finally all set to make a come back this Year with New Android Smartphones and Tablets. The new Nokia Smartphones are tipped to get revealed in the fourth quarter of 2016, While The company will launch the devices on early 2017.





Recently a new Nokia Smartphone, named "Nokia D1C" was benchmarked and leaks most of the device specifications. According to Geekbench listing, The Nokia D1C will come with Android 7.0 Nougat, Snapdragon 430 Octa-core SoC clocked at 1.40 GHz paired with 3GB of RAM.

Today Nokia D1C AnTuTu benchmark leaked online showing off device specification. According to the AnTuTu Screenshot, The Nokia D1C features a 1920 x 1080 resolution display, 8 MP front and 13 MP rear camera. As leaked earlier, the device will be powered with Snapdragon 430, Adreno 505 GPU paired with 3GB of RAM. There is going to be a 32GB Internal storage, which may or may not be expendable. 



Comment below, if you are ready for the new Nokia D1C Smartphone!

Samsung Galaxy S8 to come with complete bezel-less display and dual rear camera

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 07, 2016       

Image by Zaur191

After the non-stop Samsung Galaxy Note 7 battery issues, company is planning to launch the Samsung Galaxy S8 much earlier then expected. 



A report out of South Korea predicts that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will feature completely bezel-less display. Along with Curved side-edges, the S8's curved display could extend to the top and bottom also.

The report also says that There's gonna be no home button, moreover fingerprint will be implemented into the display it. The Device will also feature the dual-rear cameras.



Just imagine, A completely bezel-less smartphone with fingerprint-sensing display and dual rear cameras. If the report is true, Samsung Galaxy S8 is going to be the Game changer smartphone.

Source:- etnews | Via:- PhoneArena

OnePlus CEO Teases Android 7.0 Nougat update for the OnePlus 3

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 07, 2016       

Recently OnePlus revealed that the company is working on Android 7.0 Nougat update for OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3 was launched with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and has already got tons of stability and improvement update since then. 



The Company's CEO Pete Lau is now teasing Android 7.0 Nougat on OnePlus 3 via a video posted on twitter.

Already hard at work on the latest and greatest. #NeverSettle pic.twitter.com/pirsJS3jOD

— Pete Lau (@petelau2007) October 4, 2016

There's no ETA for this new update, but as video shows Nougat actually running on the OnePlus 3, and hopefully, end users won't have to wait too long for the OTA.

Nokia D1C leaked online: features Android 7.0 Nougat and 3GB RAM

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 06, 2016       

Image: Nokia Concept Smartphone

Nokia is finally all set to make a come back this Year with New Android Smartphones and Tablets. The new Nokia Smartphones are tipped to get revealed in the fourth quarter of 2016, While The company will launch the devices on early 2017.



Recently a new Nokia Smartphone, named "Nokia D1C" was benchmarked and leaks most of the device specifications. According to Geekbench listing, The Nokia D1C will come with Android 7.0 Nougat, Snapdragon 430 Octa-core SoC clocked at 1.40 GHz paired with 3GB of RAM.

As leaked earlier, The 2016 Nokia Smartphones will be high-end and are tipped to come with 5.2 and 5.5-inch QHD OLED displays, a 22.6MP camera, and a metal body with water and dust resistance. The Smartphones will run Android 7.0 Nougat.

Nokia D1C leaked Specs-

• HD Display
• Snapdragon 430
• 3GB of RAM
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• 1.40 GHz

Google Pixel & Pixel XL gets listed on Flipkart, Here are the pricing details

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 06, 2016       

Days back, Google just revealed its first ever Smartphone i.e the Google Pixel. Made by Google inside and out, Google decided to take the next step by bringing hardware and software design together under one roof.

The Pixel comes in two size i.e. 5.5" and 5" and three colors i.e. Very Silver, Quite Black and our limited edition for the U.S. only, Really Blue.





Both the Smartphone features a 2.5D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 on the front display and back glass to accent the aerospace grade aluminum body. The Pixel Smartphone comes out with the best smartphone camera featuring a 12.3MP rear cam with an f/2.0 aperture and big 1.55 micron pixels. The Pixel are powered with Snapdragon 821 64-Bit Quad-Core Processor, 4GB RAM and comes out with Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

The Devices will be available exclusively on Flipkart. The Pre-Order will start from 13th October. The Devices are now listed on Flipkart with Pricing details.

Google Pixel-

Google Pixel (Quite Black, 32 GB)-  ₹57,000
Google Pixel (Very Silver, 32 GB)- ₹57,000

Google Pixel (Quite Black, 128 GB)- ₹66,000
Google Pixel (Very Silver, 128 GB)- ₹66,000

Google Pixel XL-

Google Pixel XL (Quite Black, 32 GB)-  ₹67,000
Google Pixel XL (Very Silver, 32 GB)- ₹67,000

Google Pixel XL (Quite Black, 128 GB)- ₹76,000

Google Pixel XL (Very Silver, 128 GB)- ₹76,000

Source:- Flipkart

Motorola: If you can update the Moto G4 Play, then what's the problem in updating Moto G3/Turbo?

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 05, 2016       

A day back, Motorola revealed its plans to update Moto Devices to Android 7.0 Nougat. The expected devices that were missing from the list were 2015 Moto G, Moto G Turbo edition, 2016 Moto E3 and Moto E3 Power. 

The Moto E3 and E3 Power will probably get listed later on, but What about Moto G 3rd Generation and Moto G Turbo edition? This is unacceptable, The best selling 2015 smartphone is seeing software support drop. Could it be a result of the Lenovo acquisition and subsequent job cuts? Seems It certainly could.

Motorola either needs to commit to updating the 2015 Moto G smartphones, or it needs to stop selling it. 

Also Forget that thing that "Moto G3 cannot run Android Nougat because of its specifications". If The Moto G4 Play which is not that popular smartphone and features same specifications as the 2015 Moto G3 is getting Nougat update, then what's the problem in updating the G3? Moreover The Moto G Turbo edition which was expected to get Nougat is missing from the list. 

Let's take a few, select quotes from Motorola users and see what they think-

Moto g 3rd gen is best budget phone ever!! And 7.0 naugot update was not listed by Motorola to moto g 3 . I got angry on Motorola I next move was not to buy Motorola phones !! Their cheating the people in form of software updates. - Prashanth Reddy Nalla

Next move on moto is stop publishing and promoting such brand and their products and stop buying such idiotic products!!! Stupid lenovo-moto - Puppala Raj Kumar

Years a fan but now its time to jump ship, didnt expect this, no update for moto g turbo which is not even a year old .. Bye Bye Moto -  Vishal Kadakia

Nougat should run on Moto G Turbo Edition, I'm feeling so angry on moto!!!! - Samz Msd

This is cheating moto g3 and moto g turbo are popular phones .Motorola compulsory give the Nougat update to these phones. -Uday Kumar Chaduvula

Do you hear that, Motorola or Lenovo? Either update your Smartphones or stop selling them and start loosing your customers! 

Here are the new features of Android 7.1 Nougat

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 05, 2016       

Last night, Google just unveiled the Pixel and Pixel Smartphones which runs on Android 7.1 Out of the box. The Android 7.1 Nougat comes with some new features specific for Pixel and for non-pixel Devices.

As posted by AndroidPolice, Here is Android 7.1 Nougat changelog-

Pixel product-specific

• Pixel Launcher - swipe up for all apps, new Search Box, date/weather header on home
• Google Assistant
• Unlimited original quality photo/video backup to Google Photos
• Smart Storage - when storage is full, automatically removes old backed up photos/videos
• Phone/Chat support (new support tab in settings), screen-share functionality
• Quick switch adapter for wired setup from Android or iPhone
• Pixel Camera:
• Electronic Image Stabilization (“video stabilization”) 2.0
• Pro Features
• White Balance Presets
• Exposure Compensation
• AE/AF Locking
• Viewfinder grid modes
• HW-accelerated (on Qualcomm Hexagon coprocessor) HDR+ image processing
• Smartburst
• Sensor Hub processor with tightly integrated sensors (accel, gyro, mag) + connectivity (Wi-Fi, Cell, GPS)
• Cosmetic
• Solid navbar icons with home affordance for Assistant
• SysUI accent color theming
• Wallpaper picker with new wallpapers and sounds
• New setup look and feel
• Dynamic calendar date icon

Android Nougat 7.1

• Night Light
• Touch/display performance improvements
• Moves (Fingerprint swipe down gesture - opt-in)
• Seamless A/B system updates
• Daydream VR mode
• Developer features:
• App shortcuts / shortcut manager APIs
• Circular app icons support
• Keyboard image insertion
• Fingerprint sensor gesture to open/close notification shade
• Manual storage manager Intent for apps
• Improved VR thread scheduling
• Enhanced wallpaper metadata
• Multi-endpoint call support
• Support for various MNO requirements
• PCDMA voice privacy property
• Source type support for Visual Voicemail
• Carrier config options for managing video telephony
• Manual storage manager - identifies apps and files and apps using storage

The way how Pixel is different from other Android Devices is Pixel runs its own UI with some Pixel-exclusive features. 

Source:- AndroidPolice

Motorola Moto E3 Power hands-on: Decent phone, but priced high

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 05, 2016       

Weeks back, Lenovo launched the Motorola Moto E3 Power in India for ₹7,999. The Device is exclusively available on Flipkart and as reported earlier, One hundred thousand units of the smartphone got sold withing few minutes. 



The Mediatek powered Lenovo-Motorola Smartphone comes with a bigger battery. I spent some time with my new Moto E3 Power and here are my first impression.




One of the great feature that Motorola Moto E3 Power offers is the 3500mAh battery, plugging it in for 15 minutes will give you up to five hours of battery life with the 10W charger. 

Starting with the Box, It contains the Moto E3 Power itself, battery, charger, USB cable, Earphones, Manuals and a Screen Protector. The box has same design and dimensions as G4 Play box.



Out of the box, The Moto E3 Power is really a light and premium design Smartphone. 

At the front the device has speaker grilles both above and below the display. The 5-inch screen makes this phone feel taller than the original Moto E and Moto E 2nd gen. There's a 5 MP front facing camera.

At the back there's a secondary microphone, a 8 MP rear camera with flash and a not so deep "Moto" Dimple. Inside removable back cover, there's two sim tray, a microSD card slot and removable battery slot.

With the metal frame, the device feels quite premium. The volume and power buttons are on the right, while the left is blank. The 3.5mm audio jack is on top, and the Micro-USB charging port is on the bottom.

The Device is powered with Mediatek MT6735P chipset paired with 2GB RAM. You get 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot that accepts cards of up to 32GB in capacity. 

Overall the Moto E3 Power is a Decent Smartphone with nice specification. The high priced smartphone is not a budget king, but its a great device.

OFFICIAL: list of Motorola phones getting Nougat

 By Felipe Berhau on October 05, 2016       

Motorola just posted on their blog the official list of devices getting the newest Android version. As usual, expect this year products and also some of the 2015 portfolio to get the new Android N, or Nougat 7.0 by the fourth quarter. Here's what Motorola says about the new update and what it will bring to the Moto phones:

Are you ready for the sweetest OS update yet? It’s one that speaks your language (particularly if you speak fluent Emoji), offers the ability to seamlessly switch between apps with just a double-tap, more efficient notification controls and improved battery and data saver features.

The list of Motorola devices getting Nougat includes:

• Nexus 6
• Moto X Style
• Moto X Play
• Moto X Pure Edition (Style)
• Moto X Force
• Droid Turbo 2
• Droid Maxx 2
• Moto G4
• Moto G4 Plus
• Moto G4 Play
• Moto Z
• Moto Z Droid
• Moto Z Play
• Moto Z Play Droid
• Moto Z Force Droid

That's 15 Moto devices getting Nougat! Isn't that cool! As Moto said, expect the update to come before the end of the year to the current 2016 portfolio and for the other devices it will come later on.

Source: MOTOROLA

Google Pixel XL Official Specs

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 04, 2016       

Google Pixel XL Specifications
OS And Hardware
OS	Android OS, v7.1 (Nougat)
Processor	2.15 GHz Quad Core CAT9-12
Chipset	Snapdragon 821
GPU	Adreno™ 530 GPU
Body
Dimensions	154.7 x 75.7 x 8.6 mm
Weight	168 grams
Colors	Very Silver, Quite Black and Really Blue
Display
Type	Quad HD Amoled
Screen Size	5.5 inches (~69.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels (~534 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch	Yes
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Sensors	Pixel Imprint, a fast fingerprint sensor | Accelerometer/Gyroscope | Magnetometer | Barometer | Proximity sensor/Ambient light sensor | Hall sensor | Android Sensor Hub
Memory
Card slot	No
Internal	32 | 128 GB
RAM	4 GB
Camera
Primary	12.3 megapixels (1.55um big pixel f/2.0)
Secondary	8 MP
Multimedia
Music play	Yes
Radio	FM Radio
Games	Yes
Battery and Power
Type	3450 mAh
Stand-by	456 hours
Talk time	26 hours
Releasing Date
Status	Launched, Oct 4
Expected Price
US Dollor	Starting from 649$
Indian Rs.	-

Google Pixel Official Specs

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 04, 2016       

Google Pixel Specifications
OS And Hardware
OS	Android OS, v7.1 (Nougat)
Processor	2.15 GHz Quad Core CAT9-12
Chipset	Snapdragon 821
GPU	Adreno™ 530 GPU
Body
Dimensions	143.8 x 69.5 x 8.6 mm
Weight	143 grams
Colors	Very Silver, Quite Black and Really Blue
Display
Type	Quad HD Amoled
Screen Size	5 inches (~69.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels (~441 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch	Yes
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Sensors	Pixel Imprint, a fast fingerprint sensor | Accelerometer/Gyroscope | Magnetometer | Barometer | Proximity sensor/Ambient light sensor | Hall sensor | Android Sensor Hub
Memory
Card slot	No
Internal	32 | 128 GB
RAM	4 GB
Camera
Primary	12.3 megapixels (1.55um big pixel f/2.0)
Secondary	8 MP
Multimedia
Music play	Yes
Radio	FM Radio
Games	Yes
Battery and Power
Type	2770 mAh
Stand-by	552 hours
Talk time	32 hours
Releasing Date
Status	Launched, Oct 4
Expected Price
US Dollor	Starting from 649$
Indian Rs.	-

Google announces Pixel

 By Vaibhav Jain on October 04, 2016       

The tech giant has finally announced its first ever Smartphone i.e the Google Pixel. Made by Google inside and out, Google decided to take the next step by bringing hardware and software design together under one roof.




The Pixel comes in two size i.e. 5.5" and 5" and three colors i.e. Very Silver, Quite Black and our limited edition for the U.S. only, Really Blue.



Both the Smartphone features a 2.5D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 on the front display and back glass to accent the aerospace grade aluminum body. The Pixel Smartphone comes out with the best smartphone camera featuring a 12.3MP rear cam with an f/2.0 aperture and big 1.55 micron pixels. The Pixel are powered with Snapdragon 821 64-Bit Quad-Core Processor, 4GB RAM and comes out with Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.



Read Full Specifications of Pixel

• Google Pixel 5"
• Google Pixel 5.5"

Pixel is available for pre-order today starting at $649 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia. Pre-orders in India will begin October 13 exclusively on Flipkart.