OnePlus' Product Manager defends OnePlus 5 design, says you can't judge the design and build quality of a smartphone just on the basis of its renders

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 11, 2017       

As you all know, OnePlus is hosting an event on June 20 to show off its new hardware to take us through 2017. OnePlus will also hold pop-up events starting June 20 in different countries, where users will be able to grab the OnePlus 5 and some exclusive stuffs.


The design of the OnePlus 5 is no longer a mystery, as the company has officially revealed the render of this upcoming beast! The Smartphone do looks similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, but before criticizing the design, you should wait to see it in the real life.

Recently, OnePlus Product Manager responded to a question on Zhihu (Chinese question-and-answer website, similar to Quora) about the OnePlus 5's design. Obsessed with the design criticism, he defended the design of the Smartphone with multiple points.

One cannot simply judge the design and build quality of a smartphone just on the basis of its renders. Remember when the OnePlus 3 was leaked via TENNA before launch? Everyone on the internet called the design as ugly and boring. But after the release? Everyone who got their hands on the OnePlus 3 were impressed with the design and build.

He also states that the recent renders of the OnePlus 5 cannot define the quality of the phone or its workmanship. You will be able to compare the OnePlus 5 and other similar looking Smartphones only after holding them in your hands.

Thoughts?

Via | Source

Twitter 7.0 Beta adds new round UI, revamps icons, and more

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 10, 2017       

A new update is now available for Twitter beta testers and surprisingly this update revamps the whole UI, rounding everything.

The update is available only for Twitter 7.0 (Beta) through a server-side change. So, it might take a few hours for beta testers to get the new twitter UI.

With this new update, icons are more rounded, increased font size, there's a new retweet icon, profile pictures are circles now, the header photo is gone from the menu, it also rearranges the options in the menu. The new UI looks pretty good, you can easily opt in for twitter Beta by following the below steps.

• Join this Google Group.

• Visit this link and click "Become a Tester" to opt into the program.

• Click "Download Twitter from the Play Store" to update your app

Screenshot: Reddit

OnePlus 5 leak hints at 2 variants with 6GB, 8GB RAM

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 10, 2017       

As you all know, OnePlus is hosting an event on June 20 to show off its new hardware to take us through 2017. OnePlus will also hold pop-up events starting June 20 in different countries, where users will be able to grab the OnePlus 5 and some exclusive stuffs.


The design of the OnePlus 5 is no longer a mystery, as the company has officially revealed the render of this upcoming beast! The Smartphone looks similar to the iPhone 7 Plus and is confirmed to feature Snapdragon 835 processor.

Now, the OnePlus 5 has been spotted in GeekBench benchmark listing confirming the 8GB RAM option. Moreover, the 8GB RAM variant was also spotted earlier at Amazon India landing page's source code. 

Additionally, the earlier AnTuTu benchmark listing suggests that there might be a 6GB RAM model of the OnePlus 5 as well. If the leaks are believed to be true, then the OnePlus 5 might come in two variants, 6GB RAM/64GB ROM and 8GB RAM/128GB ROM.

Source: Geekbench | AnTuTu

Motorola sends out invites for June 21st event, likely for new phone

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 10, 2017       

After announcing the Moto Z2 Play this month, Motorola is all set to launch another new Smartphone on June 21 at an event in Brazil.

As per reports Motorola has sent out media invites for the event to be held in Brazil on 21.06.17 at 19h. However, there is nothing revealed on what Motorola will launch at the event.

However, the teaser shows the image of Moto G5 looking Smartphone, which is an indication that Motorola will probably announce the Moto E4 series or Moto GS series. That said, We will let you know once more information is available.

Via

Moto G4 and Moto G5 Vulnerable to Root Shell Attacks, Patch in May's Security Update

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 09, 2017       

Discovered by Aleph Research, the Moto G5 and the Moto G4 is vulnerable to a kernel command-line injection attack. This initroot attack vulnerability was first discovered inside the Nexus 6.


According to the reports, Android Bootloader (ABOOT) on the Moto G4, Moto G5, and other possible Motorola devices were vulnerable to the same attack that they announced for the Nexus 6 (CVE-2016-10277).

As explained by XDA developers, this whole process allows the attacker to inject a parameter (named initrd) which is able to force the Linux kernel to populate initramfs into rootfs from a specified physical address. The attack also allows an attacker to abuse the download function in ABOOT to put a malicious initramfs at a known physical address. Moreover, the attacker is able to gain an unrestricted root shell.

However, Google has patched this issue in May’s security update. OTA updates of May Android patch is already available for a few Moto Z Play and Moto Z Smartphones. We will let you know once the update is out for the Moto G4, Moto G5, and other Motorola devices.

Via: XDA Developers | Source: Aleph Research

Google Pixel XL 2 Leaks: 5.6-inch Display with 18:9 aspect ratio and more!!!

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 09, 2017       

Alright Guys! There's no denying the fact that Google has already started working on next generation Pixel Smartphones. Already there are couple of leaks speculating the codenames of the phones- walleye, muskie, and taimen.

As spotted by Roland Quandt of Winfuture, the 2017 Google Pixel XL under codename muskie has appeared in the GFXBench revealing most of the specification of the Smartphone.


Starting with the display, the Pixel XL 2 will feature a 5.6" 2560 x 1312 Screen resolution. The device could join the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the LG G6 with an unusual 18:9 aspect ratio. The leak also reveals that the device will be powered by a Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and 128GB Internal Storage.

As far as the camera is concerned, the Pixel XL 2 will feature a 12MP Rear Camera, we don't have any info whether the camera is a Dual or Single. There's going to be a 8MP front-facing shooter and It will support 4K Video recording as well. The Google Pixel 2 is expected to come with a much improved camera hardware with the key focus on enhancing the low-light photography. 

The device will feature almost all the sensors except altimeter (altitude meter) and heart rate sensor. You will find the latest bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and Android 7.1.1 or Android 8.0 (if released) out of the box. Speculations are also such that the Pixel 2 is reported to ditch the 3.5mm audio jack. All said, we now have the upcoming Pixel XL phone specs confirmed. 

Thoughts?

Via: Winfuture | Source: GFXBench

Android O Developer Preview 3 now Available for Pixel and Nexus Phones

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 09, 2017       

The Android O Developer Preview 3 Factory Images are now available for the Nexus and Pixel Smartphones. For those not in the Android Beta Program, have to flash the firmware manually.

The new Android O Developer preview 3 has build OPP3.170518.006 for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, and Nexus Player. You can download the Factory Images from the link below.

Android O Preview 3 Images | Release Notes

Grab the Moto Z2 Play Wallpaper here!

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 09, 2017       

The Moto Z2 Play was officially unveiled by Motorola at a press event this month, so as is the case shortly after these get-togethers, the wallpapers from the device are now in the wild.

You can download the below wallpaper. To do so, simply right-click on the Image, select open link in new tab, save it to your PC or Smartphone.

Google now lists expiry dates for Nexus and Pixel Telephone, Online support

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 09, 2017       

We already know that approximate length of Nexus and Pixel Devices to get Android software updates is 18 months and Security Patch is 3 years after available on the Google store and Google already made this clear by providing the exact end-of-life (EOL) dates.


Now, Google has updated its Android updates page to clarify how long they will support both Nexus and Pixel devices with telephone and online support.The Pixel and Pixel XL will be getting Online and Telephone support until October 2019 and so (three years after their initial launch), Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X until September 2018, and Nexus 9 or Nexus 6, until October 2017.

Via: Google Support