Motorola Moto MAXX/Droid Turbo Gets Unofficial Android 7.0 Nougat Update

Owners of the Motorola Moto MAXX/Turbo/Verizon Droid Turbo can now enjoy the taste of Android 7.0 Nougat thanks to crDroid Android ROM. Check it out!

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First Google Tango Phone, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, Now Available in the USA for $499

A few months ago, Lenovo introduced its first smartphone with Google's Tango, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. This device was to be the first smartphone developed to showcase the technological innovations that grew out of Google's ambitious augmented reality (AR) project, formerly known as Project Tango. The Phab 2 Pro was scheduled to go on sale in mid September 2016, but after a little delay, it's finally here!

Even without all of its Tango tricks, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro sports some fairly decent specifications for its price. The front is dominated by a large 6.4″ QHD IPS display — a size necessary because the phone needs to incorporate a lot of additional sensors, though we might see smaller devices once more companies decide to invest in Tango. The Phab 2 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC, which might disappoint those of you expecting the latest and greatest Snapdragon 821, but the 652 is respectable in its own right. Couple that with 4GBs of RAM, 64GBs of internal storage and expandability up to 256GB via a microSD card slot through the hybrid dual-SIM tray, and you've got a pretty beefy device. Furthermore, the battery capacity of 4,050 mAh is certainly welcome keeping in mind the strain the display, Tango-related sensors, and the cameras will place on the device.

 

The main camera on the rear is a 16MP shooter with PDAF. Additional sensors on the back help it with motion tracking, depth sensing and 3D mapping. The front is a 8MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is the first device to support Google Tango, but more devices are expected in 2017 that will help build up the AR ecosystem. It is the first commercially available Tango device for the average consumer though, and with it being sold at an affordable price, the Phab 2 Pro seems primed for success. Assuming, of course, that the device is decently marketed to consumers.

So what about Tango makes this device so special? First of all, Phab 2 Pro utilizes its dual rear camera sensors along with a bunch of other sensors to create a 3D map of our physical surroundings. This 3D mapping is then displayed on the screen, supplemented by other elements and points of interaction that is filled in via software – thus creating an Augmented Reality experience on a smartphone. The uses of AR on a smartphone are limited as of now, albeit the possibilities are mostly left up to the imagination of developers. Currently, only a limited number of apps and games make use of the AR capabilities of the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Though with the crazy success of Pokémon GO, we can expect to see a lot more interest in AR now that the technology will be more widely available.

Google currently operates both Google Tango, its platform for Augmented Reality, and Google Daydream, its platform for Virtual Reality, under separate organizational heads. There is a chance that we might see a merge down the line, with phones coming in that might support both Tango and Daydream out of the box.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is available in the USA from today from Lenovo's official webstore or in select Lowe's retail stores. The phone will cost you $499.99, and shipping is expected to be within 4-5 weeks. At launch right now, only the Gunmetal Grey color is available, with the Champagne Gold color variant "coming soon".

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Would you be purchasing the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro? Would you like to see other smartphones with Google Tango? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out XDA's Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Forums!

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Android to iOS for 30+ Days Challenge

For this XDA TV video, Jared has switched from an Android device to using an iPhone as his daily driver. What happens when you no longer have lockscreen media control, app drawer, white balance and other android features? Check out this video and find out!

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Google Beefs Up Fraud and Spam Detection in the Play Store

As a developer, having your application rise to the top of the charts can mean the difference between having enough money to fund your next app or having to look for outside funding. You may not like it, but you can understand how a superior app beats your app in ratings. Competition will drive you to improve your app, and further satisfy your existing and potential customers. But it's completely different when you see an obvious spam app start to garner significant attention and bring in more revenue than a truly polished product.

Google uses a number of factors to determine an application's rank within the Play Store. These factors include things like the number of installs, highly-praised reviews, and how many stars a person is rating your application. The sad part is, some businesses have figured out ways to game these key factors and they sell services to desperate developers who want to increase the awareness of their application within the Play Store. This system is terribly unfair to developers who don't have the cash to spend to also use these systems, and it's unfair to users who are presented apps with artificially inflated ratings.

Google has been aware of this issue for awhile now, and they've been working hard to improve the experience for developers who are not trying to manipulate their app's rankings. The company has just announced some new and improved detection and filtering systems that will be able to spot these ranking abuses more effectively. Naturally, it is unlikely that this will be the end-all solution to the problem, but it's one much needed step further in the cat and mouse game between Google and Play Store ranking abusers.

Still, Google rolled out these new detection systems for the Play Store yesterday and they'll continue to improve them as they are able to collect more data. If Google's new systems detect an application's ranking is being manipulated, then they will simply filter out those changes. If a developer is caught manipulating the system for an extended period of time, then Google will remove all of their apps from the Play Store entirely.

Google still encourages that developers use 3rd-party marketing companies to promote their application, but asks that you follow the rules outlined in the Developer Support Resources.

Source: Android Developers Blog

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Xiaomi is Testing Devices in US Wireless Carrier Labs

Xiaomi has become a well-known smartphone OEM in countries like China, India, Russia, Mexico and the Middle East. These are the markets where they currently push their smartphones and they are working to get their smartphones sold in Poland, Vietnam, Thailand plus some Latin American markets soon. The causal smartphone owner in the United States likely will have never heard of them, but us enthusiasts have had them on our radar for years.

Just about every time someone in the United States interviews Hugo Barra, they inevitably ask when the company will start to sell smartphones in the country. Barra has said that the United States is certainly on their list of markets to expand into, but also frequently pointed out the number of hurdles the company would have to be ready for ahead of time. These hurdles range from patents to distribution to servicing centers and marketing. They realize it will be a wasted effort if they don't have plans for these things before launch.

This week we're seeing a report that sheds some new light on this move though. Engadget is speculating that Xiaomi could launch their smartphones in the United States as early as 2017. There's still a lot of work they have to do between now and then, but Xiaomi seems to believe they are getting close. Barra reveals that his team is currently in multiple carrier labs throughout the United States so they can test their smartphones.

The cellular bands that US wireless carriers use aren't the same ones that the rest of the world uses. So not only does a phone have to support that band, but they also have to pass strict compatibility tests before they're allowed to be sold on the carrier's network. Assuming everything goes smoothly, Xiaomi will likely have their phones sold directly from the carriers as opposed as directly to the customer (like we see with OnePlus).

Source: Engadget

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Photos Allegedly Reveal the Upcoming Mate 9 from Huawei

Huawei has a product launch event coming up this week, so it's not surprising that we're seeing an influx in rumors surrounding their next flagship smartphone. The company launched the Mate 8 last year in November, so everyone is expecting to see the Mate 9 during the November 3rd product launch. Rumors about the Mate 9 started all the way back in April of this year when the device was rumored to launch with the Kirin 960 and a dual 20MP rear camera setup.

We don't know if the two rear cameras will be 20MP or not, but the company did officially announce the Kirin 960 SoC recently. A couple of months ago Huawei trademarked the name SuperCharge in the EU and many are speculating that this be the name of the company's fast charging technology for the upcoming Mate 9. Then it was just last month that we had two leaks about how the device will look from none other than Evan Blass himself.

The first image showed that Huawei is likely to be launching two models of the Mate 9. One with a flat screen and then one with a dual curved edge screen (similarly to what Samsung does). Then toward the end of last month Evan was able to get his hands a high quality render of what he believed to be the Huawei Mate 9. He also revealed that his sources told him the device would have a 5.9″ display, 4GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.

The most specced-out version of the Mate 9 is even said to cost upwards of $1,300 if rumors are to be believed. So today, there has been four different real life photos leaked of what looks like the Mate 9. The photos match up with the press renders that we've seen, and seem real convincing that this will be the device Huawei officially announced on November 3rd. Check out all the images at the source!

Via: Phone Arena

Via: Source

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Honor 8 Camera Focus: Road Trip to Big Android BBQ

Miles from XDA TV set out to test one of the best features of the Honor 8 phone by taking it on a road trip all the way to the Big Android BBQ in Texas. This video takes a look at some of the photos and videos that were taken so you can see the quality for yourself. If you want to read more about the Honor 8's dual-camera setup and how it works, you can read our explainer.

The first photo is from a hotel in Texas. This is a prop of an old vintage camera. This was taken with the wide aperture mode in the Honor 8 camera app. Taking wide aperture photos can produce images with a shallow depth of field. In this photo you can see how the lens of the vintage camera is the part that is in focus and the background is blurred. This gives this picture a very professional look. This effect is handled entirely in the software side of the phone.

This is a picture of the conference building that the Big Android BBQ took place in. The camera did really well in handling this type of condition. On the right you have strong shadows coming from the trees, the sky is bright and even the building has a shadow over it. Normally this would make for a difficult picture to take. Notice how the shadow areas are still visible, the sky isn't blown out at all, and you can even see the small details on the building in the distance.

While it look like this video was taken at day time with good lighting conditions, it was actually taken in a dark restaurant at night time. There is virtually no noise and colors and details looks great. You can easily read the small text on the menu sitting on the table.

This is one of the best photos taken on this roadtrip. HDR mode was used to improve the details in the lightest and darkest areas of this photo. Look at how consistent the details are throughout the picture, even though you have varying levels of light going on.

Thanks to Honor for making this post possible. As a reminder, we have a partnership going with Honor which includes, among other things, an incentive program where you can win prizes just by being active in Honor forums on XDA.

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