This Google Camera port can use the other cameras on the OnePlus 8 series without root

The OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro were launched in April this year. While the OnePlus 8 (review) carries forward a similar camera from last year, the OnePlus 8 Pro (review) with notable improvements in cameras over last year’s OnePlus 7T series. Among these changes is the bigger 48MP Sony IMX689 primary sensor while another 48MP sensor serves as the ultra-wide-angle camera. If you’re looking to pair the cameras on the OnePlus 8 series devices with Google’s rich photography skills, this Google Camera port linked below helps you use not just the primary camera but also the non-primary cameras on both the phones.

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Unofficial ports of Google Camera have surged to immense popularity over the last few years because they add the benefits of Google’s computation photography to non-Google devices. However, since Pixel devices have launched with at max two cameras yet, developers need to modify the Google Camera ports to add support for auxiliary – i.e. other than the primary – cameras like wide-angle or telephoto separately.

The latest Google Camera port by XDA Senior Member Urnyx05 for the OnePlus 8 series enables the telephoto as well as the ultra-wide-angle sensors on the flagship smartphones. More importantly, this Google Camera mod works without rooting or adding any configurations XML.

XDA’s Max Weinbach tried out the Google Camera mod on his OnePlus 8 Pro and the results are as shown below:

The images taken with the stock Camera app are on the left while those captured with the mod are on the right side of the gallery

Google Camera evidently captures more natural colors and better contrast. The highlights and the shadows in Google Camera’s images don’t appear overblown and have lesser color noise. The Google Camera mod doesn’t falsely crop the 3X telephoto image and also reverses any fish-eye effect giving a natural appearance instead of a warped one on the ultra-wide-angle camera

There are a few limitations of this mod and the first one is that the images are captured in 12MP resolution i.e. after 4-in-1 pixel binning from the 48MP sensors (the main sensors on both phones and the wide-angle sensor on the OnePlus 8 Pro) and there’s no way to capture images in full resolution. While Pixel binning is usually advantageous as it adds more light and clarity to images, some users might want to capture images in full resolution and that is inaccessible here. Furthermore, the macro camera on the OnePlus 8 is not supported on the mod currently.

If you own either of the devices, you can download the modded Google Camera port from the link below. Do note that this Camera mod may/may not work with older devices from the company.

Download Google Camera port for OnePlus 8/8 Pro

To enable support for the auxiliary cameras, the package name for this Google Camera mod has been set to “org.codeaurora.snapcam” which is a whitelisted package under the “vendor.camera.aux.packagelist” property in devices’ build.prop. To use the auxiliary cameras, however, they must be exposed to the Camera2 API by the OEM.

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Via: Reddit (r/OnePlus)

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A new POCO phone is coming to India in July, but it’s not the POCO F2 Pro

POCO, as a brand in India, has been making waves in the market, despite a very small and focused portfolio of products. The POCO F1 needs no introduction at this point, and the POCO X2 also trudged upon a similar trajectory with a robust value-for-money quotient. Internationally, we have the POCO F2 Pro as well, which is a rebranded Redmi K30 Pro 5G, and many had expected that the Snapdragon 865 device would also make its way to India soon. We know that POCO is working on its next smartphone for the Indian market, and our previous assessment of the situation indicated that this was not the F2 Pro. Now, in an interview, POCO India’s General Manager, Mr. C. Manmohan, has confirmed that the next device coming to India is not the POCO F2 Pro, but something else that has been made specifically for the Indian market.

In an interview with Mr. Amit Bhawani from PhoneRadar, Mr. C. Manmohan talked about a lot of POCO’s current and upcoming plans. When asked whether the POCO F2 Pro is coming to India as the same device or as something else (at 2:05), they reveal that the new phone that the POCO India team is planning to launch is not the F2 Pro. It is a different phone that is made specifically for India. They did not outrightly dismiss plans for bringing the existing F2 Pro to India, and instead, left the pathway open for the future. In a different part of the interview (at 18:00), Mr. Manmohan does mention that the upcoming phone is an India-first launch, meaning that it hasn’t launched anywhere else yet. While not mentioned in the interview, we expect the next phone to be the POCO M2 Pro with a mid-range processor, which aligns with the facts mentioned in the conversation. Mr. Manmohan does confirm (at 20:55) that the phone launch will take place in July 2020.

The interview goes on to talk about POCO’s plans in the truly wireless earphones (TWS) product segment. We already know that POCO is working on its own TWS solution, which will be called the POCO Pop Buds. The interview explores the company’s process of selecting TWS as the next category of interest in a community-driven decision-making environment. Further, when asked whether the upcoming TWS would be based on an existing Xiaomi product solution, Mr. Manmohan reiterated that POCO does share a centralized product R&D with Xiaomi. It is the other legs of the business, such as the go-to-market strategy and sales that are independent and differentiated from Xiaomi. POCO’s strength apparently lies in the community and its feedback, which is where the team can work and build upon. The interview stopped short of disclosing further details about the TWS product.

Next, the interview also touches upon the topic of advertisements. Xiaomi’s product model hinges upon serving affordable hardware and complementing them with ads within the products. We’ve seen Amazon do the same with the Amazon Moto G4 Play, but Xiaomi’s business implementation has reached a better scale and success in a different region. With POCO’s roots going back to Xiaomi, the question does come up frequently on how far along POCO would be considering adopting the same business model. In the interview (at 17:05), Mr. Manmohan clarifies that “POCO does not have ads in the UI, but it has some recommendations,” and these will continue (within the context of the next phone to be launched). The jury is still out on what classifies as an ad and what classifies as a recommendation and how far different are the two from each other. Mr. Manmohan does assert that POCO is open to hearing suggestions on the same.

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Opera’s GX “Gaming Browser” for PC adds an integration with Discord

Opera GX is a PC web browser built with several features to appease gamers. Some of these are the CPU and RAM limiter options, color picker, in-built VPN and ad-blocker, and integration of messaging services such as Twitch, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. Opera GX has turned a year old and is being upgraded to “LVL2” with several new features such as Discord integration, forced dark mode, and a “Hot tabs killer” to identify and kill demanding tabs.

With the Opera GX LVL2 update, you will be able to use the full web version of Discord from the sidebar in the browser. Now just that, Discord can be used even without leaving the current tab, sparing you from the hassle of switching tabs or apps to keep the communication going. This can be useful if you’re streaming live and interacting with viewers on multiple platforms simultaneously.

Besides announcing Discord integration, the team behind the browser has also launched a Discord server to interact with fans on the browser’s first birthday celebration. You can join the Opera GX Party server by clicking on this link.

Opera GX also gets a new “Force Dark Pages” switch which – as the name clearly suggests – will force websites to load with the dark background instead of light ones. The feature is currently in beta so you can expect to see some erratic behavior while converting light pages into dark ones.

Apart from these two features, the browser also receives a new performance optimization feature to complement the already existing CPU and RAM limiters. Called “Hot tab killer,” it can be used to identify and eliminate resource-hungry, especially when they’re running in the background and eating up more resources than they should.

Opera GX’s LVL2 will be available starting today and can be downloaded using the link below.

Download Opera GX for Windows and macOS

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Google releases new Chrome extension for linking directly to specific text on a page

It’s not often that Google releases its own new Chrome extensions, but today it did just that. The company’s latest extension is called “Link to Text Fragment” and it allows you to link to a specific section of text on a webpage. Rather than linking to an entire article, you can share a link directly to a part on a page you want someone to read.

The Link to Text Fragment extension is very simple to use. Once installed in Chrome or a Chromium-based browser with extensions support, all you need to do is highlight some text on a webpage and right-click. You’ll see “Copy Link to Selected Text” as an option in the menu, which will automatically copy the link to your clipboard. When someone visits the created link in Chrome (or another Chromium-based browser like Microsoft Edge), the text that you selected will appear highlighted in yellow. It does work on Android as well.

The extension is using a feature that was recently added to Chromium called “Text Fragments.” It basically adds extra information to a URL after the “#” to navigate to a specific part. Google is already using this technology to link to specific parts of web pages from Google Search. The links created with the Link to Text Fragment extension will work in Chromium-based browsers version 80 and up. As mentioned, that includes the Chrome for Android browser.

You can download the Link to Text Fragment extension in the Chrome Web Store right now or view its source code here. Admittedly, this may be a niche extension, but it can be extremely useful for people who often share long articles. It’s super easy to use and you won’t realize it’s there until you need it. Check it out.

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Source: Google | Via: The Verge

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Dish Network is taking over Sprint’s prepaid business, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile on July 1st

The Sprint/T-Mobile merger finally went through in April and we’ve been slowly seeing the effects of it. While T-Mobile’s big plans will take some time to develop, we’ve already seen the carrier expand its 5G network. One part of the puzzle that allowed the merger to happen was Dish Network buying Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Sprint’s prepaid business.

Back in July of 2019, the US Department of Justice approved the merger after Dish Network agreed to acquire Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Sprint’s prepaid business. Amazon was initially reportedly interested, but ultimately Dish stepped up to the plate. We now know that the deal with Dish will finally happen in two weeks, on July 1st, according to SEC filings.

We don’t have all the exact details, but it was previously reported that Dish Network agreed to spend $1.4 billion on Sprint’s prepaid business. According to Fox Business‘s Charles Gasparino, the Department of Justice forced Dish to complete the deal after it was reportedly trying to negotiate better terms.

According to details from the deal last summer, Sprint and T-Mobile will be required to provide at least 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations to Dish Network. T-Mobile is also required to give Dish “robust” access to its network for 7 years while Dish builds out its 5G network. This aid is due to the DOJ wanting to maintain four major carriers in the US, with Dish stepping into that fourth role.

Will Dish actually be able to fill the hole left by Sprint? Only time will tell, but it won’t happen overnight if it does.

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Source: TmoNews | SEC Filings: T-Mobile, Dish Network

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Google removes 70 malicious Chrome extensions that tracked user data and browsing history

One of the best things about the Google Chrome browser is the wide variety of extensions at your disposal. These extensions can go a long way in making your web browsing experience better. However, as we’ve seen in the past, extensions can be malicious, and Google isn’t always quick to catch them. Recently, Google removed 70 such extensions, but not before they were downloaded 32 million times.

According to a report by Reuters, researchers at Awake Security discovered a large spyware campaign through Chrome extensions. Developers of the extensions disguised their identities with false information and the tools were designed to circumvent antivirus software. The extensions were able to send user data and browsing history through a network of more than 15,000 malicious domains, which all happened to be bought from a single registrar in Isreal. The company, called Galcomm, denies having anything to do with the malicious activity.

Since the initial report, Awake Security has published the full list of Chrome extensions that were removed. Most of these extensions were advertised to warn users of questionable websites or convert files. The researchers claim this was the most far-reaching malicious Chrome store campaign to date.

Google has given the typical response to these situations, saying it does routine security sweeps and removes malicious extensions when necessary. This isn’t the first time developers have used Chrome extensions for malicious reasons and it won’t be the last. Google has said it would improve security, but as mentioned, this was the largest campaign to date. The situation doesn’t seem to be improving.

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Source: Reuters | Via: Android Police

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Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are getting a dark theme on Android

Remember dark themes? There was a time where it felt like we were writing about dark themes being added to new apps every day. Android 10 brought a system-wide dark theme and many apps implemented it pretty quickly. Google Drive has a dark theme, but the accompanying Docs, Sheets, and Slides don’t. That appears to be finally changing.

A teardown of the three Google editing apps by 9to5Google reveals introductory prompts for a dark theme. Assets for dark themes were added to Docs, Sheets, and Slide a few weeks ago, but it’s now looking like the apps are getting ready to use them. The dark theme applies to the document browser and the actual editor view in Docs and Sheets (changing the background color is already a common function in Slides).

Google calls the dark theme in the document editor “dark mode canvas.” Users can quickly preview how things look in the light theme from the menu. We were able to partially enable the dark theme in the document browser view for Docs, Sheets, and Slides (gallery above). Twitter user and developer Alessandro Paluzzi was able to enable the dark theme in the document editor for Docs (below) and Sheets.

Obviously also the document editor will have dark mode pic.twitter.com/IR1TQj0qIb

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) June 18, 2020

The dark theme for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides is in version 1.20.242.2, but it’s not visible yet. This is likely coming in a server-side switch. Anyone who does late-night writing and editing is about to be very happy.

Google Docs (Free, Google Play) →

Google Sheets (Free, Google Play) →

Google Slides (Free, Google Play) →

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