OPPO is selling a smartphone and several accessories with Neon Genesis Evangelion branding, but only in China

It’s a common trend for Chinese smartphone manufacturers to launch special edition variants of their phones in the domestic market. While some of these special edition variants offer better hardware specifications or a transparent back, most others offer a slightly different design/color based on a pop culture reference. For instance, the recently launched Vivo iQOO Z1 is also available in a special edition One Piece variant that has a bright yellow color and features the skull and bones logo from the popular anime/manga on the back. Vivo’s sister company OPPO is also known for launching similar special edition variants of its smartphones and, just last year, it released a Gundam Edition for the Reno Ace in China. And now, according to a recent post on Weibo, the company is offering a limited-edition Neon Genesis Evangelion edition of the OPPO Ace2 along with a couple of similarly themed accessories.

OPPO will be offering 10,000 units of this special edition Neon Genesis Evangelion model of the OPPO Ace2 starting from June 1st. The company was, most likely, able to obtain the Neon Genesis Evangelion branding license (from Japanese Studio Khara) for distribution only in China. The device is already up for pre-orders on Chinese eCommerce platform JD.com at a price of CNY 4,399 (~$615), which is exactly the same price as the regular 8GB/256GB variant of the OPPO Ace2.

For this price, you get a purple OPPO Ace2 with neon green accents on the back, Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 chip, 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage, a 90Hz high refresh display, and a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. Along with that, you also get a special edition case, charger/cable, wired earphones, and a unique cylindrical box. The Neon Genesis Evangelion special edition lineup also features a couple of accessories, including the Enco W31 TWS earbuds, the OPPO Watch, and a wireless charger.

The limited-edition device also appears to include some additions on the software front, including Neon Genesis Evangelion wallpapers and themes. Unlike the hardware changes, the custom themes will be made available to other OPPO users via the company’s theme store but they’re limited to just 1,000 copies on a first come, first serve basis.

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Source: Weibo (1,2)

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Free Android screen mirroring app “scrcpy” adds seamless copy-paste, stay awake option, and more

Working and interacting between devices with different operating systems can be a pain sometimes. There are few first-party tools available to set up multi-platform connections, and many of them require that you own devices from the same brand. Fortunately, third-party tools are there to save the day. A free and open-source project called scrcpy allows you to mirror your Android device’s screen to a personal computer, whether it’s running Windows, Mac, or Linux. It does that by using Android Debug Bridge as a connection tunnel and streaming the h.264-encoded video through it. Just yesterday, the developers of the project released a new version of the tool with some welcome features.

Seamless Copy-Paste

One of the most important of these features is the ability to seamlessly copy and paste between your phone and a computer, and vice versa. Copy-pasting UTF-8 encoded text from a computer to a phone works with Android devices running Android 7 and later. That’s because the command to inject the ‘paste’ key event via ADB was introduced in Android 7.0. Nevertheless, this newer approach definitely beats the older one which involved grabbing the copied text from Android’s clipboard.

Stay Awake

Another great new feature lets you force the device to stay awake. Combined with the command to turn the screen off, you can interact with your device on your PC while the actual device’s screen is turned off.

scrcpy -Sw # turn screen off and stay awake

You can also use the Ctrl + Shift + O shortcut to turn the screen back on.

The rest of the changelog of scrcpy 1.14 includes general fixes and workarounds for some bugs.

Download scrcpy 1.4

scrcpy 1.4 running on a Windows 10 PC

As I already mentioned, scrcpy is an open-source project. You can see and contribute to the repository on GitHub as well as download the tool. It’s a command-line tool so there’s no fancy GUI, so be sure to check the installation and configuration instructions there. Make sure to create issues and send pull requests to the repository if you encounter a bug.

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Via: OMG! Ubuntu!

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Xiaomi Mi 8 SE/9 SE/9 Lite and Mi 8 Lite/Max 3 Android 10 kernel source code now available

Qualcomm debuted their 700-tier chipset series with the release of the Snapdragon 710 SoC back in 2018, and Xiaomi was the first smartphone maker to adopt it with the Mi 8 SE. Later on, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 712 SoC with a little performance boost over the Snapdragon 710, and Xiaomi once again was first in line to utilize the then-new chipset on the Mi 9 SE. As the two platforms are software compatible, Xiaomi unified the kernel source code for the Mi 8 SE and Mi 9 SE. Now, Xiaomi has updated its kernel source code repository with the updated kernel sources corresponding to the Mi 8 SE and Mi 9 SE’s Android 10 update. Furthermore, Xiaomi has also merged the Mi 9 Lite’s sources with the same kernel source code tree.

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE Forums ||| Xiaomi Mi 9 SE Forums ||| Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite Forums

You may already know that the Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite is yet another example of Xiaomi’s rebranding strategy because the device is a clone of Xiaomi’s China-exclusive Mi CC9. Xiaomi decided to use the aging Snapdragon 710 on this phone but kept the original source code release independent from the Mi 8 SE to date. Given that all of these SD71x-powered smartphones received their respectively Android 10 updates around the same time, it seems justified for Xiaomi to maintain a unified kernel source code tree from now on. Note that the Mi CC9 Meitu Edition (code-name “vela”) is also covered under this new branch named “sirius-q-oss”.

Mi 8 SE/Mi 9 SE/Mi 9 Lite/Mi CC9/Mi CC9 Meitu Edition Android 10 Kernel Sources

Xiaomi took a similar approach in the case of the Mi 8 Lite and the Mi Max 3. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 636-powered Mi Max 3 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660-powered Mi 8 Lite picked up their Android 10 updates last month, so Xiaomi has now uploaded kernel sources for both of these devices based on their respective Android 10 updates.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Forums ||| Xiaomi Mi Max 3 Forums

Mi 8 Lite/Mi Max 3 Android 10 Kernel Sources

 

 

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[Update: Official] YouTube tests video chapters to help you jump forward to specific parts

Update (5/28/20 @ 5:00 PM ET): YouTube video chapters for timestamps are now official.

YouTube videos are available in a variety of lengths, starting from 30-second short videos and going all the way up to 12 hours, even though you can even find much longer videos from the past. While watching long content like tutorials, it is common to skip forward to the intended time. So to help with that, YouTube is adding new functionality in the form of “video chapters” that lets you can skip forward or rewind to any specific part of the video without having to drag the scrubber.

Video chapters on YouTube are based on the timestamps for different parts of the video as mentioned in the description. For instance, a video with an entire album or a live concert can have timestamps for different songs. So, with video chapters, users will be able to jump to different tracks through the entire video by clicking or tapping on the different parts of the scrubber. When you just hover the mouse pointer above any section or chapter, you will see the title which is also fetched from the video description along with your current progress in the section.

Image by Android Police

Android Police confirms that as of now, chapters are solely based on description time stamps and YouTube will not add chapters automatically. However, we can expect Google to infuse some of its machine learning prowess to slice the videos into chapters.

YouTube’s video chapters are already available to some users on the web player interface. Some others also reported having received the feature in the Android app and the same has been confirmed by Google to be a “test.” The feature is said to be available on certain videos on the web as well as Android and iOS apps. If you’re a creator and want to opt out, make sure the first timestamp in your video description is anything but 0:00.

Don’t worry if the feature is not available to you since it is still under evaluation by the YouTube team. It appears to be rolling out to a small group of users and we’ll let you know when it reaches a wider userbase.

Thanks to Twitter user @QueBottler for the screenshots.

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Update: Official

0:00 We heard you and added Video Chapters.
0:30 You liked it.
1:00 Now it’s official: Video Chapters are here to stay.
1:30 Creators, try Chapters by adding timestamps starting at 0:00 to your video description. Viewers, scrub to find exactly what you’re looking for.
2:00 Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/bIHGsGVmyW

— YouTube (@YouTube) May 28, 2020

YouTube’s new “Video Chapters” feature is now official. If a video has timestamps in the description, the Video Chapters are shown on the progress bar, making it easy to scrub and find a section. YouTube was apparently just testing this feature before, but it’s now here to stay since so many people are enjoying it.

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Google Maps is making it easier to share your location with “Plus Codes”

Addresses are something most of us take for granted. These strings of numbers and words make it easy to navigate practically anywhere. However, as magical as addresses may seem, they do have limits. Not every location has an address that can be easily shared. Google Maps is hoping to fix that with “Plus Codes.”

According to Google, 2 billion people don’t have an address or their address isn’t easy to locate. Google actually started to tackle this problem back in 2015, when they originally launched Plus Codes. A Plus Code is essentially a digital address and it’s derived from latitude and longitude coordinates. A Plus Code can be generated for any location.

Google is now integrating Plus Codes into Google Maps for Android. To create a Plus Code, simply tap the blue dot on the map that represents your current location. You’ll be brought to a screen that shows the six-digit Plus Code along with some other useful info and options. You can then copy the code and share it with others. Much easier than finding coordinates or enabling location-tracking.

Plus Codes can also be generated by long-pressing any location on the map to drop a pin. You can find a location using a Plus Code by entering it in Google Search or Google Maps. These codes are completely free to use and open source. You never have to use a strange description to help someone navigate to your location again. There are certain places in the world that can really benefit from these digital addresses.

Maps - Navigate & Explore (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: Google

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Google Chrome 84 will automatically minimize abusive permission/notification requests

Earlier this year, Google Chrome 80 started making website notification prompts less intrusive. These “quieter” notifications were enabled by default for people who typically block notification requests and on sites with low opt-in rates. Google is taking the next step on combatting websites that abuse notifications and permissions requests.

There are several ways in which websites can abuse permission and notification requests. Most of the time the notification requests are just plain annoying, but they can be deceptive as well. A website could require the user to enable notifications in order to access the content. Fake chat messages and warnings are another common misleading tactic to get the user to allow permissions. Starting in Chrome 84, the browser will automatically minimize these abusive requests.

desktop UI

Websites with abusive permission requests and notifications will automatically be enrolled in Google Chrome’s aforementioned quieter notification UI. In addition, notification prompts will advise users that the site may be trying to trick them. If a website requires notifications to view content, you’ll see a message that reads “This site may be trying to trick you into allowing intrusive notifications” when accessing the menu.

mobile UI

The warning message will appear on Chrome for desktop and mobile, as shown above. Site owners can check the Search Console to see if they have received any Abusive Notifications Reports. For users, these changes will only apply to new notification requests, but in the future, Google may add protections for permissions that have already been granted from abusive sites.

Google Chrome 84 is set to be released to stable on July 14th, 2020.

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Source: Google

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Google releases Android Studio 4.0 with a new Motion Editor, Build Analyzer, and more

It seems like just yesterday (if yesterday was February) that Android Studio 3.6 was released with a bunch of useful additions and needed fixes. Now, a day (three months) later, Google has pushed Android Studio 4.0 to stable with even more useful additions and needed fixes. Read on to learn more about what’s new.

Motion Editor

The first feature we’re going to talk about is the Motion Editor. For almost a couple of years now, AndroidX has had a subclass of ConstraintLayout called MotionLayout. MotionLayout’s purpose is to help you animate between layout states more easily. The only problem was that you would have to create the transitions in XML yourself. With Android Studio 4.0, there’s a new Motion Editor interface that lets you visually create and edit transitions and animations in a MotionLayout. It all ends up in an XML file anyway, but you no longer have to write it out yourself.

New Layout Inspector

A very useful tool that Android Studio has had for a while now is the Layout Inspector. On debuggable apps, it lets you see exactly how your app is laid out on-screen, along with their various attributes. In Android Studio 4.0, the New & Improved Layout Inspector expands on the old version. While you can still use it for simple view-tree inspection, it now includes features like live refreshing. Paired with devices running at least Android 10, you’ve got even more features, like more detailed View attributes and a 3D representation of what’s on-screen.

Layout Validation

One of the more difficult aspects of designing an app is, arguably, creating the layouts. You might create a layout using the built-in preview in Android Studio, only to have it look terrible on your actual phone or tablet. While it’s possible to switch among different screen sizes and resolutions in the preview, it can be a hassle. If this is something that’s bothered you, you’re in luck! Android Studio 4.0 adds a Layout Validation view, which lets you see how your layout will look on a variety of different screen sizes and resolutions, all at once.

Java 8 Desugaring for all APIs

Another annoying part of developing for Android is trying to use Java 8 features. Maybe you found some code that implements a Stream or you want to use a lambda function. Maybe there’s even a Java 8 API that you need that just isn’t practical to work around. For a while now, the Android Gradle plugin has been able to compile some Java 8 features to older APIs, but starting with Android Studio 4.0, all Java 8 functionality should now be supported.

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This list is far from exhaustive. These are just some of the more interesting additions in Android Studio 4.0. Here’s a summary of the major new enhancements and features introduced in the latest release, courtesy of Google:

Android Studio 4.0 Changelog Overview

Design

• Motion Editor: a simple interface for creating, editing, and previewing MotionLayout animations
• Upgraded Layout Inspector: a real-time & more intuitive debugging experience
• Layout Validation: compare your UI across multiple screen dimensions

Develop & Profile

• CPU Profiler update: improvements to make the UI more intuitive to navigate and the data easier to understand
• R8 rules update: smart editor features for your code shrinker rules, such as syntax highlighting, completion, and error checking
• IntelliJ IDEA 2019.3 platform update with performance and quality improvements
• Live Template update: Android-specific live templates for your Kotlin code
• Clangd support: Clangd and Clang-Tidy turned on by default

Build

• Build Analyzer: understand and address bottlenecks in your build
• Java 8 language support update: APIs you can use regardless of your app’s minimum API level
• Feature-on-feature dependencies: define dependencies between Dynamic Feature modules
• buildFeatures DSL: enable or disable discrete build features, such as Data Binding
• Kotlin DSL: essential support for Kotlin DSL script files

If you want to learn more about this update, be sure to check out Google’s blog post and the release notes for the full details or watch the video embedded below for a visual overview.

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