As expected, after the Pixel's system images leaked it didn't take long for users to find a way of porting Google Assistant to other devices; Simply altering your build.prop and installing the latest Google App (Velvet) is sufficient on the Nexus 6P.
An experimental version of CyanogenMod 13 is now available for the Huawei P9 Plus. Be warned though, there are plenty of bugs, so make backups before you try this out!
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has become an unfortunate incident in the history of flagship smartphones. While other smartphones usually pulled out of the flagship race because of reasons based on their incompetency to reign supreme, Samsung's latest flagship is leaving the market in a rather unceremonious fashion.
But there is no denying that the Note lineup had an important part to play in shaping the smartphone market as it currently stands today. What started off as an experiment with larger screen smartphones called Phablets, transitioned into a device synonymous with the power user, and until recently it was the go-to phone for tasks of creativity and productivity. With the Note 7, Samsung was aiming for the premium market and would have achieved it, were it not for the exploding batteries.
What smartphone will fill the void the Note 7 left behind in the premium end of the market? Which smartphone is a viable choice for customers looking to replace the Note 7? Can Samsung create another premium-targeting phone in the near future? Will we see another Note device ever again?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Cyanogen Inc. is undergoing a bit of reform recently. The team had laid off a large portion of its staff in late July 2016, and there were reports and refusals of Cyanogen Inc. shifting focus towards apps. Cyanogen Inc. refuted by stressing on the point that they were still an OS company, but their latest announcement mentions otherwise.
As the Cyanogen Blog notes, the changes that Cyanogen Inc. is undergoing right now is the departure of Kirt McMaster from the role of CEO of the company. Kirt, famously quoted for his desire to "put a bullet through Google's head", is handing over the managerial reins of the company to Lior Tal, who was appointed as the COO around the same time the layoffs came. Kirt's current position within Cyanogen Inc. is of Executive Chairman, which as he reportedly notes, is more external-facing than internal. To add to the position shuffling, Steve Kondik is stepping down from his role of CTO and taking up the role of "Chief Science Officer", and will be reporting to Stephen Lawler, who is currently Cyanogen Inc's SVP of Engineering.
The other part of the changes comes with Cyanogen Inc. (and NOT CyanogenMod — sorry, but this needed to be made clear) moving out of the complete OS (full stack) business and venturing into a "modular" approach which is being called the Cyanogen Modular OS Program.
The new partnership program offers smartphone manufacturers greater freedom and opportunity to introduce intelligent, customizable Android smartphones using different parts of the Cyanogen OS via dynamic modules and MODs, with the ROM of their choice, whether stock Android or their own variant.
If we understand correctly, this is exactly what they had earlier refuted — moving from the OS business to Apps, albeit the form of it may have changed through the concept of MOD.
The announcement blog also mentions this:
At the same time, the program will offer the broader eco-system and developers the opportunity to tap into Cyanogen's expanding Artificial Intelligence cloud services, which learn usage patterns throughout the operating system and introduce smarter and more effective ways to resolve intent and interact with smartphones in a personalized and highly contextual way.
Details on the exact workings are sparse on this topic. Rather than speculate on what it is, we hope that more information is released on Cyanogen Inc's AI Cloud Services.
We will have to wait and watch what other developments take place with and within Cyanogen Inc., and whether their new mission is more feasible than their old one. With the reduced staff, a new CEO and a different purpose, Cyanogen Inc. certainly has another uphill battle ahead of it.
What are your thoughts on the recent changes within Cyanogen Inc.? How do you think these would affect the existing Android ecosystem? Let us know in the comments below!
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is turning out to be a bit of a blight to Samsung's otherwise impressive phone lineup, sales records and reputation in the market — all of which have taken a big hit ever since the Note 7's started catching fire. After the first few reports, Samsung had initiated a recall for the device and offered replacement units that were deemed to be "safe". But fresh reports pointed that these units were not any safer than the previous batch as several reports originated that these too had battery explosion issues.
Just as experts were pointing out that Samsung could face a second recall of the device, other stakeholders have swooped in to avert possible damage to customers. The latest in news comes from South Korea where it is being reported that Samsung has temporarily halted the production of the Galaxy Note 7. The halt is in cooperation with consumer safety regulators from South Korea, United States and China. The halt also includes a plant in Vietnam that was responsible for global shipments of the device.
In addition to this, shipment of replacement units to customers have also been paused. And to complement these moves, carriers around the world — including the Big Four in the USA and Telstra in Australia — have stopped selling the device. They are also advising customers to return the replacement units of the device as well. Many of the carriers are also offering customers the chance to pick up any other phone in the carrier's lineup as well, along with issuing refunds for accessories purchased in relation to the device.
There is strong insistence that the production halt is temporary in nature, but the carriers and the customers may not be as willing to give Samsung a third chance on this phone. The recall and its merits have been tarnished, and there is no way Samsung and the Note lineup walks out unscathed from this.
What are your thoughts on the overall scenario and its handling by Samsung? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
This week on The Android Cast:
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– The crew discusses the latest October Announcement from Google.
– We look into the implications of Google's shift away from the Nexus line
– Finally we wrap up on a discussion about the other recently announced hardware such as Google Home and Daydream VR.
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The Android Cast will bring you the best news each week from the perspective of the XDA team. Each week you can find our latest episode here, on Stitcher, on Google Play Music Podcasts, on TuneIn, on iTunes, on Youtube and on your favorite podcast app through the RSS feed: http://ift.tt/2cxz4n5.
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Today's cast includes:
Mario Serrafero: Twitter
Corey Feiock: Twitter
Daniel Marchena: Twitter
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Amidst all of the craziness of the October 4th event, one thing that stood out was Google working only with Verizon as a launch partner in the US for the new Pixel phones.
On the surface this is a good thing for Google, a manufacturer who wants to gain a foothold in the US. Verizon is still the largest carrier, and they have an excellent track record with exclusives with the long running Droid lineup still going strong. AT&T has had lackluster success with exclusives, and Sprint and T-Mobile have had next to none. It also makes sense in that Verizon is co-branding the Pixel marketing push and judging by Verizon's home page, there is a mutual benefit at play. While Google in theory stood to benefit from this push, it also is showing why carrier exclusives suck and how we all lose…
By not making the Pixel phone available to all carriers through their installment plans, Google stands to lose out on potentially millions of sales from current and future Note 7 owners. As odd as it sounds, if you want a comparable device and you are not on Verizon your choices are limited to the LG V10, the currently-unreleased and promising LG V20 (which should arrive at the same time as the Pixel devices), or the Galaxy S7 edge. While the S7 edge may still be a solid contender, some Note 7 owners may want to break free from Samsung entirely leaving them with few choices. Further, LG simply does not carry the clout or notoriety that Google, Apple, or Samsung carry making even their flagship devices feel like a step down from what consumers may have desired. Sadly this leaves many few choices and at least some will flee towards the newly announced, and hard to find, iPhone 7 Plus. The market is just begging for a top tier flagship Android device to fill the large shoes the Note 7 will inevitably leave empty, and Google's brand recognition can easily make up for what it lacks in history as an OEM.
Google could never have imagined that the Note 7 would go down in history in such a fireball of failure, but it just goes to show why carrier exclusives and backdoor deals just suck for consumers. Hopefully the rumors of that exclusivity only lasting a short time pan out, even if it is a case of too little too late. Until then, I have no clue what device I will replace my Note 7 with…
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