xda-developers https://www.xda-developers.com Android and Windows Phone Development Community Wed, 30 Mar 2022 08:11:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.2 OnePlus 10R looks a lot like the Realme GT Neo 3 in these leaked renders https://www.xda-developers.com/oneplus-10r-leaked-renders-specs/ https://www.xda-developers.com/oneplus-10r-leaked-renders-specs/#respond Wed, 30 Mar 2022 08:00:07 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620611 OnePlus’ 2022 number series currently only has one device: the OnePlus 10 Pro. But if a new leak has to be believed, the company will soon be expanding the lineup with a new model called the OnePlus 10R. According to tipster Yogesh Brar (via 91Mobiles), OnePlus is working on a new affordable flagship dubbed the

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OnePlus’ 2022 number series currently only has one device: the OnePlus 10 Pro. But if a new leak has to be believed, the company will soon be expanding the lineup with a new model called the OnePlus 10R.

According to tipster Yogesh Brar (via 91Mobiles), OnePlus is working on a new affordable flagship dubbed the OnePlus 10R. The new model will be a direct successor to last year’s OnePlus 9R. The leaker has also shared CAD renders of the OnePlus 10R, giving us our first look at the upcoming phone. As you can see in the attached images, the phone sports a centered hole-punch display on the front with very narrow side bezels and a rectangular camera module on the back housing three camera sensors.

Realme GT Neo 3 leak

OnePlus 10 Pro on the left, Realme GT Neo 3 render on the right.

The new model seems to drop the famous Alert Slider, which has been an integral part of the OnePlus number flagships, including the OnePlus 9R. An interesting bit to note here is that the design of the OnePlus 10R is quite similar to the upcoming Realme GT Neo 3. Except for the placement of the LED flash and the branding, both phones look identical.

OnePlus 10R front OnePlus 10R shown from the side OnePlus 10R back panel

In terms of specifications, the OnePlus 10R will reportedly feature a 6.7-inch Samsung E4 AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, the phone will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 chipset, paired with 8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 flash storage. The phone is said to sport a 50MP primary shooter, accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro sensor. We’re told the phone will come in two variants: one model packing a 4,500mAh battery with 150W fast charging support and the other with a 5,000mAh battery and 80W charging support. Other rumored features include stereo speakers, Dolby Audio support, and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

The rumors have it the OnePlus 10R will be unveiled sometime in May. However, OnePlus hasn’t officially confirmed anything about the phone so far.


Via: 91Mobiles

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OPPO Reno 4 and Reno 4 Pro get stable ColorOS 12 as Reno 7 Pro 5G receives its first beta update https://www.xda-developers.com/coloros-12-stable-reno-4-reno-4-pro-reno-7-pro-5g-beta/ https://www.xda-developers.com/coloros-12-stable-reno-4-reno-4-pro-reno-7-pro-5g-beta/#respond Wed, 30 Mar 2022 06:40:19 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620599 OPPO’s ColorOS 12 rollout is moving at a swift pace. Over the past weeks, we have seen the company releasing beta and stable builds of ColorOS 12 for several OPPO phones, including the Reno 5, Reno 4 Z, F17 Pro, F19 Pro, and more. Now the company is bringing the latest version of its custom

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OPPO’s ColorOS 12 rollout is moving at a swift pace. Over the past weeks, we have seen the company releasing beta and stable builds of ColorOS 12 for several OPPO phones, including the Reno 5, Reno 4 Z, F17 Pro, F19 Pro, and more. Now the company is bringing the latest version of its custom skin to a few more smartphones.

Stable update for Reno 4 Pro and Reno 4

As per recent announcements on the OPPO Community, OPPO has released a stable ColorOS 12 update based on Android 12 to the Reno 4 and Reno 4 Pro. The update is currently limited to the Indian and Indonesian models, with other regions to join in the coming weeks. If you own a Reno 4 Pro or Reno 4 and want to get your hands on the new update, you can look forward to receiving the OTA notification in the coming days. If you don’t want to wait for the automatic rollout, you can manually download the update by navigating to Settings > Software update > Trial version and clicking on “Apply now.”

ColorOS 12 beta for Reno 7 Pro 5G

The OPPO Reno 7 Pro 5G owners are also getting a taste of ColorOS 12 but in beta form. OPPO is inviting Reno 7 Pro 5G users in India to try out the new Android 12-based software and provide their feedback. The beta program is limited to 5000 users and will be open till March 31. If you want to sign up for the program, head to Settings > Software update > click on the gear icon in the top right corner, and click on “Apply for Beta Version.” If your application gets approved, you’ll receive the beta update in the next three days.

ColorOS 12 introduces several exciting features, including a new wallpaper-based theming system, Android 12’s Privacy Dashboard, camera and microphone indicators, Screen Translate, Background Stream Canvas AOD, etc. Check out our hands-on of ColorOS 12 if you want to learn more about the new software.


Source: OPPO Community [1], [2]

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Polestar 2 electric cars receive update to Android Automotive 11 https://www.xda-developers.com/polestar-2-android-automotive-11/ https://www.xda-developers.com/polestar-2-android-automotive-11/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 20:24:45 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620541 Android Automotive is Google’s custom build of Android intended to power car infotainment systems. Unlike Android Auto, it doesn’t rely on a connected smartphone, which means it has to be updated as if it was a smartphone or tablet itself. The Polestar 2 was one of the first cars to ship with Android Automotive, and

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Android Automotive is Google’s custom build of Android intended to power car infotainment systems. Unlike Android Auto, it doesn’t rely on a connected smartphone, which means it has to be updated as if it was a smartphone or tablet itself. The Polestar 2 was one of the first cars to ship with Android Automotive, and now it’s receiving an update to Android 11.

This isn’t a terribly exciting update, considering Google released Android Automotive 12 near the end of last year. Still, this marks the second major update for the car, which originally shipped with Android 9.0. Android Automotive 11 includes a new search function in the Settings, new sorting options for the Dialer, customizable spacing for icons, fast user switching, cover art for tracks playing over Bluetooth, and a handful of other minor improvements.

Polestar 2 Android Automotive 11 Update Changelog:

  • Android R: latest available Android Automotive OS that enables new app categories and future functionality.
  • In-car functionality improvements:
    • Connectivity stability improvements.
    • Improved radio reception.
    • Navigation stability improvements for GPS location and fix for interruption of navigation when switching profiles.
  • Polestar app functionality improvements:
    • State of charge (SOC): stability improvements and real-time SOC status available during charging.
    • Stability improvements for lock status.
    • Climate timers stability improvements and increased frequency of status updates.

Polestar says the update is rolling out as an Over-The-Air (OTA) upgrade, so you should be able to install it directly from your car. However, if that isn’t working, authorized Polestar workshops can also sideload the update.

Android Automotive adoption has been slow among car manufacturers. Polestar has seemingly invested the most in the platform, going as far as to partner with Vivaldi to bring a web browser to the Polarstar 2. Renault Group is working on models with Android Automotive, and other companies like Ford and Fiat are doing the same. In the meantime, the smartphone-based Android Auto remains far more common.

Source: Polestar 2
Via: Android TV Guide

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Motorola reportedly more than doubled smartphone sales in United States during 2021 https://www.xda-developers.com/motorola-us-smartphone-sales-2021/ https://www.xda-developers.com/motorola-us-smartphone-sales-2021/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:57:12 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620517 Motorola is immensely popular in Latin America and some other regions, but the company has struggled to maintain a decent marketshare in the United States, where competitors like Samsung and Apple dominate smartphone sales. However, if a new report is accurate, Motorola might have sold enough smartphones last year to reach third place in ‘Murica.

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Motorola is immensely popular in Latin America and some other regions, but the company has struggled to maintain a decent marketshare in the United States, where competitors like Samsung and Apple dominate smartphone sales. However, if a new report is accurate, Motorola might have sold enough smartphones last year to reach third place in ‘Murica.

Counterpoint Research, a firm that analyzes sales trends for mobile devices, Internet-of-Things products, and other electronics, reports that Motorola’s sales in the United States more than doubled in 2021. The company supposedly had a 131% Year-over-Year (YoY) growth during that time, allowing it to reach third place in US smartphone sales behind Samsung and Apple.

Chart showing Motorola overtaking LG in US smartphone sales

USA smartphone sales by brand (Source: Counterpoint Research)

The higher market share was primarily due to LG leaving the smartphone business in early 2021 — once retailers had sold most of LG’s leftover inventory, Motorola’s budget devices filled the gap. In other words, Motorola’s growth isn’t really an indicator of improving popularity or product quality, just the result of market consolidation.

Motorola released a slew of smartphones throughout 2021, including several models in the company’s usual Moto G, E, and ‘One’ product lines. The Motorola Edge received an update in late 2021 with a 144Hz screen and Snapdragon 778G, and the company also released its first tablet in several years, the Moto Tab G20.

More recently in 2022, a new version of the Motorola Edge Plus became one of the first smartphones in the United States to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset — check out our full Motorola Edge Plus 2022 review for more information.

Samsung is also continuing to release new budget phones in the United States. The Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 5G were revealed two weeks ago, though the lower-power Exynos chipsets and missing headphone jacks make them less competitive than last year’s entries.

Source: Counterpoint Research

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Google Pixel 6 can use more USB devices on Android 12L QPR3 https://www.xda-developers.com/pixel-6-direct-usb-access-android-12l/ https://www.xda-developers.com/pixel-6-direct-usb-access-android-12l/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:05:26 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620479 Google started public beta testing for Android’s Quarterly Platform Releases, or QPRs for short, earlier this month with the release of Android 12 QPR3 Beta 1. There wasn’t a detailed changelog for the beta, which was updated a few days ago to fix bugs on the Pixel 6, but one helpful change has been discovered:

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Google started public beta testing for Android’s Quarterly Platform Releases, or QPRs for short, earlier this month with the release of Android 12 QPR3 Beta 1. There wasn’t a detailed changelog for the beta, which was updated a few days ago to fix bugs on the Pixel 6, but one helpful change has been discovered: Direct USB Access support on the Pixel 6.

XDA Recognized Developer Freak07 pointed out on Twitter that the kernel in Android 12L QPR3 Beta 1.1 includes support for Direct USB Access. That functionality allows more external USB DACs and 3.5mm headphone dongles to work, and fixes problems with audio apps like Tidal, Neutron, and USB Audio Player Pro.

Support direct USB access to allow APP to access external USB DAC directly for extending the hi-res USB audio and format support.

Commit in AOSP that enables Direct USB Access on Pixel 6

Assuming Google doesn’t reverse course, this change should mean that the next major Pixel Feature Drop (currently set for July) should improve support for USB audio devices on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Freak07 was also able to backport the change to the kernel found in this month’s stable Android 12L/12.1 update, which does fix problems with Neutron Player and other USB audio applications.

If you have a rooted/unlocked Pixel 6, and you want to try the new USB functionality right now without flashing QPR3 Beta 1.1 or waiting a few months, the latest version of Freak07’s Kirisakura-Kernel custom kernel for the Pixel 6 series includes the backported code.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 pro just received Android 12L, the March security patches, Verizon C-Band 5G support, and the March Pixel Feature Drop in a single combined update last week. The other Pixel phones received the same update earlier this month, minus the C-Band 5G support.

Source: Freak07 (Twitter)

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You might soon be able to co-author tweets with other Twitter accounts https://www.xda-developers.com/soon-co-author-twitter/ https://www.xda-developers.com/soon-co-author-twitter/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:55:35 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620449 Twitter has been actively developing and implementing new features lately. Some changes remain exclusive to Twitter Blue, while other ones are available for free and paid users alike. What once started as a basic platform for sharing information in under 140 characters has now evolved into a full-fledged service. Users can now engage in live

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Twitter has been actively developing and implementing new features lately. Some changes remain exclusive to Twitter Blue, while other ones are available for free and paid users alike. What once started as a basic platform for sharing information in under 140 characters has now evolved into a full-fledged service. Users can now engage in live audio chatrooms, exchange voice notes, and much more. The latest addition that could potentially make it to the app is all about collaboration. Have you ever wanted to post a tweet on your behalf and someone else’s simultaneously? The good news is that Twitter is developing a feature that allows users to co-author tweets with other accounts. The not-so-good news is that we don’t know when and if the addition will see the light of day.

Reliable reverse engineer and leaker Alessandro Paluzzi has shared his findings in a series of tweets. Twitter has seemingly been working on the co-authoring feature since at least December of last year. Considering this feature is still under development, it’s still unclear if the company will eventually release it widely.

As Alessandro’s screenshots display, the feature would allow two accounts to collaborate on a single tweet. There would be conditions for the co-authoring to work, though. For starters, you have to send an invitation to the co-author — who must follow you and have a public Twitter account. After they accept the invitation, the tweet would get posted on both of the accounts’ timelines for both sets of followers to see. Additionally, the tweet mentions both authors, rather than the original one only. The service already allows people to tag others in tweets and photos. However, tags don’t surface the tweets on the tagged person’s timeline.

Do you see yourself co-authoring tweets with other Twitter accounts if this feature gets released? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Google Nest Hub displays are bootlooping after buggy update https://www.xda-developers.com/google-nest-hub-display/ https://www.xda-developers.com/google-nest-hub-display/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:52:48 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620429 Google periodically updates its smart displays and smart speakers with new software, and the company has now started to roll out a new design for the Nest Hub’s software. However, there’s a catch: the update is sending some Nest Hub displays into a bootloop. The new software update appears to be limited to the Google

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Google periodically updates its smart displays and smart speakers with new software, and the company has now started to roll out a new design for the Nest Hub’s software. However, there’s a catch: the update is sending some Nest Hub displays into a bootloop.

The new software update appears to be limited to the Google Nest Hub Max and second-generation Google Nest Hub, not the original that was called the Google Home Hub at release. The design doesn’t look too different at a glance, but an app drawer is now visible on the bottom panel (accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the screen). The below video from Reddit user TheBlazed_13 shows off the updated interface.

However, there’s a problem with the update: it’s causing some Nest Hub devices to bootloop. That’s right, the Nest Hub is reliving the glory days of LG smartphones. In some cases, unplugging the smart display from power and plugging it back in after a few minutes solved the problem, but others had to factory reset their Nest Hub devices.

The Android-like app drawer in the new Nest Hub update is an interesting change, given that Google is adding many features to Android 13 that could be used in smart displays. Android 13 has new software features for user profiles and information overlays in screen savers, as well as a new “low light clock” that looks more or less identical to the clock on Nest Hub devices. The new app drawer could be intended as a transition towards a future Android-powered Nest Hub.

It’s not great when a piece of technology breaks after a software update, but at the very least, Nest Hubs don’t have any locally-stored data that you need to worry about losing.

Via: 9to5Google

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Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-1280P: Which laptop chip is better? https://www.xda-developers.com/apple-m1-vs-intel-core-i7-1280p/ https://www.xda-developers.com/apple-m1-vs-intel-core-i7-1280p/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:00:26 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=619195 Intel’s new 12th-gen Alder Lake mobile processor lineup has a lot of options to choose from. Besides the more powerful Alder Lake H-series chips, the P-series processors also look very promising on paper. The Core i7-1280P is the cream of the crop in this series, and we expect it to power a bunch of ultrabooks

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Intel’s new 12th-gen Alder Lake mobile processor lineup has a lot of options to choose from. Besides the more powerful Alder Lake H-series chips, the P-series processors also look very promising on paper. The Core i7-1280P is the cream of the crop in this series, and we expect it to power a bunch of ultrabooks this year. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-1280P to find out which laptop chip is better.

Navigate this article:

Specifications

Before we begin the comparison, let’s take a quick look at the specifications of each processor. In Apple’s M1 lineup, we’re looking at three chips in total including the M1, M1 Pro, and the M1 Max.

Specification Apple M1 Apple M1 Pro Apple M1 Max
CPU Cores Up to 8 cores Up to 10 cores Up to 10 cores
CPU Performance Cores 4 8 8
CPU Efficiency c0res 2 2 2
GPU cores Up to 8 Up to 16 24 or 32
Neural Engine Cores 16 16 16
Manufacturing Process 5nm 5nm 5nm
Transistors 16 billion 33.7 billion 57 billion
Unified Memory
  • 8GB
  • 16GB
  • 16GB
  • 32GB
  • 32GB
  • 64GB
Memory Bandwidth 68.25GB/s 200GB/s 400GB/s

Here’s a quick look at the specifications of the Intel Core i7-1280P processor to see how it stacks up against the Apple chips:

Specification Intel Core i7-1280P
Cores 14 (6P + 8E)
Threads 20
Base Frequency 1.8GHz (P-core) | 1.3GHz (E-core)
Max Turbo Frequency 4.8GHz (P-core) | 3.6GHz (E-core)
L3 Cache 24MB
Default TDP 28W
Max Turbo Power 64W
Processor Graphics 96EU

Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-1280P: Performance

The Intel Core i7-1280P is the top-of-the-line chip in the Alder Lake P-series. This one replaces the Core i9 in P-series with 14 cores and 20 threads. One of the main differences between this one and Core i9-12900HK, for instance, is primarily the clock speeds and TDP rating. The Core i7-1280P, as you can see, is clocked at 1.8GHz base and 4.8GHz boost on the P-cores. This is slightly lower than the 2.5GHz base and 5GHz boost speeds of the 12900HK.

As far as the TDP is concerned, the Core i7-1280P defaults to 28W and tops out at 64W. This is significantly lower than the TDP ratings of the 12900HK. The lower TDP ratings allow it to be used in thin and light form-factors without having to deal with the high-thermal output.

Intel Core P-series chips

The laptops powered by the new Core i7-1280P are yet hit to hit the shelves. We’re expecting a lot of the new ultrabooks powered by this new chip to be available soon, we’ll have more talk about them once we get a chance to use them. We expect the 14 cores to easily beat pretty much every 35W CPU from the outgoing 11th gen lineup. The overall performance sustainability, however, will entirely depend on the power limits and how good the thermals of a given system are. We think a high-end laptop powered by the Core i7-1280P should be able to handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

We expect the general performance of the chip to be on par with some high-end chips from the Alder Lake H-series, including the Core i7-12800H. In fact, we expect the Core i7-1280P to match the general performance of the 12900HK in some tasks. This means the new 1280P should easily be able to beat Apple’s older M1 chip. While we don’t expect the 1280P to beat the new M1 Max chip, we think it should be able to keep up the performance of the M1 Pro.

Adobe Premier Pro on the new MacBook Pro

The built-in Iris Xe graphics adapter with 96EUs in the Core i7-1280P is essentially the same as the one that was built into the 11th-gen Tiger Lake-UP3 chips. While this graphics chip running at 1.45GHz should be able to handle the gaming workloads very well, we think it’ll have a hard time going against the M1-powered MacBook even it comes to content creation workloads. Both the new M1 Pro and the M1 Max chips have powered graphics units that is ideal for those who are looking to create content on the go.

Pricing & Availability

The laptops powered by Intel’s new Core i7-1280P chip, as we mentioned earlier, are yet to be available on the market. They’re expected to hit the stores soon, so keep an eye on this space for more info about the pricing and availability. Dell’s XPS 13 Plus is one of the first few laptops to be powered by this new chip. It’s not available to purchase just yet but you can check out our first impressions of the Dell XPS 13 Plus to find out what we think of that notebook.

Dell XPS 13 Plus

Apple’s M1-powered MacBooks, on the other hand, are readily available to buy right now. We’re leaving links to buy both the older M1-powered MacBook Pro and the new M1 Pro-powered 14-inch MacBook below.

    13-inch MacBook Pro
    Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M1 chip is a solid notebooks for basic productivity and even some content creation workloads.
    14-inch MacBook Pro
    You can buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro with either an M1 Pro or an M1 Max chip.
    Dell XPS 13 Plus
    The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a modern and powerful laptop with 28W Intel P-series processors.

Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-1280P: Which one should you buy?

While there are bound to be some performance differences between the Core i7-1280P and Apple’s M1 chips, we think they’re largely going to be better than a lot of older machines. In Core i7-1280P’s case, the general performance also depends on things like the accompanying graphics unit, the thermal performance of the laptop and more. That being said, you can’t possibly go wrong with either Apple M1 chips or the new 1280P processor.

The decision to buy either a Windows laptop or an M1-powered MacBook also largely comes down to the software and user experience. Both Windows and macOS have their pros and cons, so the choice largely comes down to personal preference. That being said, we think the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro systems are great for content creators. You can read our 16-inch MacBook Pro review for info. We’ll have more talk about the performance of the Core i7-1280P processor once the new laptops go on sale.

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Verizon customers are receiving spam texts from their own number https://www.xda-developers.com/verizon-spam-texts-own-number/ https://www.xda-developers.com/verizon-spam-texts-own-number/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 15:06:47 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620319 SMS isn’t the most robust technology around, and it has often been used to send scam and spam messages while obscuring the original sender. However, Verizon customers have been dealing with an especially ridiculous form of text spam: messages that appear to come from their own phone number. There have been many reports from Verizon

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SMS isn’t the most robust technology around, and it has often been used to send scam and spam messages while obscuring the original sender. However, Verizon customers have been dealing with an especially ridiculous form of text spam: messages that appear to come from their own phone number.

There have been many reports from Verizon subscribers about spam texts from their own phone number, many of which are disguised as confirmation messages for bill payment with a shortened link. The problem also seems to be affecting Verizon’s MVNO (or “digital carrier,” as the company insists on calling it), Visible. However, it doesn’t seem to be a problem for other MVNOs using Verizon’s network, such as Xfinity Mobile or Spectrum Mobile.

The Verge noted that the links sent to its writers redirected to the website for Channel One Russia, a state TV network. Links in spam texts are fairly common, but the sender usually appears as a number other than the recipient’s, which makes the new trend more unusual.

At the very least, Verizon appears to be working on a fix. The company said in a support tweet, “We understand how scary this can be getting messages from your own number. We are currently working on getting this corrected as quickly as possible.”

Verizon’s main focus over the past few months has been enabling C-Band 5G across the United States, to compete with T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G in performance and range. However, the C-Band rollout hasn’t been problem-free, either — confusion over interference with altimeters in planes caused a temporary disruption to global air travel.

Source: The Verge, Verizon

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Microsoft’s Clipchamp video editor now lets you create 1080p videos for free https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-clipchamp-1080p-video-free/ https://www.xda-developers.com/microsoft-clipchamp-1080p-video-free/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:47:47 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620307 The included video editor in Windows 11, Clipchamp, is getting a long-overdue improvement following its lackluster initial launch. Microsoft is bringing support for 1080p video exports to the free tier of Clipchamp, meaning you no longer have to pay a premium for what should be a relatively basic feature. Clipchamp is a cloud-based video editor

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The included video editor in Windows 11, Clipchamp, is getting a long-overdue improvement following its lackluster initial launch. Microsoft is bringing support for 1080p video exports to the free tier of Clipchamp, meaning you no longer have to pay a premium for what should be a relatively basic feature.

Clipchamp is a cloud-based video editor that Microsoft acquired last year in the lead up to the release of Windows 11. Upon launch, Windows 11 came with a shortcut for a Clipchamp PWA, which had to be downloaded and installed, but Microsoft recently started preinstalling the app with the OS. That’s when some users noticed that the pricing structure seems like a rip-off, considering the free tier only allowed users to export video at a measly 480p resolution. Even the first paid tier, which cost $9 per month, would only give you 720p exports.

Now, 1080p video exports are included all the way down to the free tier. All the other perks from the paid tiers are the same, which includes unlimited cloud storage and audio stock in the Creator tier ($9/month), a brand kit in the Business tier ($19/month), and unlimited video and image stock in the Business Premium tier ($39/month). Oddly enough, Microsoft still isn’t allowing users to export video at a resolution higher than 1080p on any of the Clipchamp tiers. If you’re interested in 4K video, this is still not ideal.

Clipchamp pricing tiers including 1080p video xports on all tiers

Still, this is a very necessary change, and an interesting one considering Microsft said it wasn’t going to be making changes to the pricing structure of Clipchamp. To be fair, the prices are the same as before, but the value proposition has changed significantly with 1080p video being available to everyone. It remains to be seen if new value will be added to the higher tiers or if Microsoft will just simplify the pricing structure in the future.

It would make sense for additional features to be tied to Microsoft 365, but there’s been no official indication of that happening. We’ve reached out to Microsoft about these changes and we’ll update this article if we hear back.


Source: FireCube (Twitter)
Via: Neowin

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Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service is getting a much-needed overhaul in June https://www.xda-developers.com/sony-playstation-plus-overhaul/ https://www.xda-developers.com/sony-playstation-plus-overhaul/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:45:25 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620177 In a bid to keep up with Microsoft’s excellent Xbox Game Pass offerings, Sony is giving its PlayStation Plus subscription service a much-needed revamp. The company has announced that the all-new PlayStation Plus will launch in June with over 700 games and several other benefits. In December last year, we first saw reports about Sony’s

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In a bid to keep up with Microsoft’s excellent Xbox Game Pass offerings, Sony is giving its PlayStation Plus subscription service a much-needed revamp. The company has announced that the all-new PlayStation Plus will launch in June with over 700 games and several other benefits.

In December last year, we first saw reports about Sony’s plan to launch a PlayStation competitor for the Xbox Game Pass. Sony has now confirmed its plans in a blog post, which highlights all the changes coming to its PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscription services. To begin with, Sony is combining the two into an all-new PlayStation Plus subscription. The new subscription service will be available in three membership tiers across the world, offering the following benefits:

  • PlayStation Plus Essential
    • Benefits:
      • Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today, such as:
        • Two monthly downloadable games
        • Exclusive discounts
        • Cloud storage for saved games
        • Online multiplayer access
      • There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this tier
    • Pricing for PlayStation Plus Essential remains the same as the current price for PlayStation Plus
      • US: $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $59.99 yearly
      • UK: £6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly
      • Europe: €8.99 monthly / €24.99 quarterly / €59.99 yearly
      • Japan: ¥850 monthly / ¥2,150 quarterly / ¥5,143 yearly
  • PlayStation Plus Extra
    • Benefits:
      • Provides all the benefits from the Essential tier
      • Adds a catalog of up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games – including blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. Games in the Extra tier are downloadable for play.
    • Pricing:
      • US: $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 yearly
      • UK: £10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly
      • Europe: €13.99 monthly / €39.99 quarterly / €99.99 yearly
      • Japan: ¥1,300 monthly / ¥3,600 quarterly / ¥8,600 yearly
  • PlayStation Plus Premium
    • Benefits:
      • Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
      • Adds up to 340 additional games, including:
        • PS3 games available via cloud streaming
        • A catalog of beloved classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations
      • Offers cloud streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP and PS4 games offered in the Extra and Premium tiers in markets where PlayStation Now is currently available. Customers can stream games using PS4 and PS5 consoles, and PC
      • Time-limited game trials will also be offered in this tier, so customers can try select games before they buy.
    • Pricing:
      • US: $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $119.99 yearly
      • UK: £13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly
      • Europe: €16.99 monthly / €49.99 quarterly / €119.99 yearly
      • Japan: ¥1,550 monthly / ¥4,300 quarterly / ¥10,250 yearly

In markets where cloud streaming is not available, Sony will offer a PlayStation Plus Deluxe tier. It will be a bit cheaper than the Premium tier, and it will offer the same benefits except for cloud streaming support.

As far as the game library is concerned, Sony says that the new subscription will offer the following titles at launch:

  • Death Stranding
  • God of War
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  • Mortal Kombat 11
  • Returnal

Sony also says that it’s working with its game developers and third-party partners to bring more titles to the new PlayStation Plus library.

Sony will go with a phased regional rollout for the new subscription service, starting with several markets in Asia this June. North America, Europe, and the other regions where PlayStation Plus is currently available should receive the revamped subscription shortly thereafter. The service should become available globally by the end of H1 2022. For additional details, check out Sony’s official blog post by following the source link below.


Source: PlayStation Blog

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Razer Blade 15 (2022) vs Alienware x15 R2: Which gaming laptop to buy? https://www.xda-developers.com/razer-blade-15-2022-alienware-x15/ https://www.xda-developers.com/razer-blade-15-2022-alienware-x15/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:30:21 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=617359 The launch of Intel’s new 12th gen Alder Lake mobile processors was followed by the arrival of a new range of gaming notebooks on the market. Both Razer and Dell were one of the first manufacturers to launch new gaming laptops powered by the new Intel chips. In this article, we’re going to take a

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The launch of Intel’s new 12th gen Alder Lake mobile processors was followed by the arrival of a new range of gaming notebooks on the market. Both Razer and Dell were one of the first manufacturers to launch new gaming laptops powered by the new Intel chips. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the Razer Blade 15 vs Alienware x15 R2 comparison, to find out which one’s the better gaming laptop to buy in 2022.

Both of these machines are fully kitted with some of the best internals that you’d find on all the modern gaming laptops out there. We’ll be taking a detailed look at the specifications table first before diving deep into some other aspects of the notebooks including the display, design, ports, and more. So without further ado, let’s dive right into the comparison to see which one’s making the cut to our collection of the best 15-inch gaming laptops.

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Razer Blade 15 vs Alienware x15 R2: Specifications

Before we begin the comparison, here’s a quick look at the specifications of each notebook:

Specification Razer Blade 15 (2022) Alienware x15 R2
CPU
  • 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 5GHz, 24MB cache)
  • 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12800H (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 24MB cache)
  • 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 5GHz, 24MB cache)
  • 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12800H (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 4.8GHz, 24MB cache)
Graphics Discrete:

  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (6GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (16GB GDDR6)

Integrated:

  • Intel UHD Graphics
Discrete:

  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (6GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8GB GDDR6)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (16GB GDDR6)

Integrated:

  • Intel UHD Graphics
RAM Up to 32GB DDR5 4800MHz dual-channel memory Up to 32GB DDR5 5200MHz dual-channel memory
Storage Up to 1TB SSD (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4) Up to 4 TB RAID 0 (2 x 2 TB), M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Display
  • 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 360Hz, up to 100% sRGB
  • 15.6-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) IPS, 240Hz, NVIDIA G-SYNC, 100% DCI-P3
  • 15.6-inch Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) IPS, 144Hz, 100% DCI-P3, Corning Gorilla Glass
  • 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 165Hz, 3ms
  • 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 360Hz, 1ms
  • 15.6-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS, 240Hz, 2ms
Battery
  • 80Whr battery
    • 230W charger
  • 87Whr battery
Ports
  • 3 x USB3.2 Gen 2 Type-A Ports
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Ports (USB-C)
  • 1 x HDMI 2.1
  • 1 x UHS-II SD Card Reader
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Power port
  • 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port with PowerShare
  • 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
  • 1 Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
  • 1 Universal Audio Jack
  • 1 HDMI 2.1 port
  • 1 power-adapter port
Audio Stereo speakers Stereo speakers, stereo tweeter 2 W x 2 = 4 W total
Webcam 1080p Full HD webcam + IR camera Alienware HD (1280×720 resolution) camera
Windows Hello Facial recognition with IR camera Facial recognition with IR camera
Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • Bluetooth 5.2
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • Bluetooth 5.2
Color Black with green Razer logo Lunar Light
Size (WxDxH) 355 x 235 x 16.9 mm (13.98 x 9.25 x 0.67 in)
  • Alienware x15 165Hz & 360Hz:
    359.70 x 277.33 x 16.75 mm (14.16 x 10.91 x 0.66 in)
  • Alienware x15 240Hz:
    359.70 x 277.33 x 17.15 mm (14.16 x 10.91 x 0.67 in)
Weight
  • 2.01 kg (4.4lbs) (Most SKUs)
  • 2.08 kg (4.59 lbs) (4K display)
  • 2.35 kg (5.20 lbs)
Price
  • Starting at $2,499.99
  • Starting at $2,149

Both the laptops, as you can see, are pretty much identical in terms of specs, They both can be configured with Intel’s new Alder Lake H-series chip and have Nvidia’s new RTX 30-series GPUs including the RTX 3070 Ti and the RTX 3080 Ti. It’s safe to say that both notebooks are equally capable of running modern games without any issues. Now let’s dive a little deep into the specifications to see what are the other differences that each of them brings to the table.

Performance: Ultimate gaming machines

Both the Razer Blade 15 and the Alienware x15 R2 gaming laptops are powered by Intel’s new 12th generation Alder Lake mobile processors. As high-performance gaming notebooks, these machines pack the Alder Lake H-series processors. These new 12th-gen chips have Intel’s new hybrid architecture with performance and efficiency cores. Both the Intel Core i9-12900H as well as the Intel Core i7-12800H have 14-cores in total along with 20 threads.

The Core i9 variants in both notebooks are obviously going to be more powerful as they can hit a peak frequency of up to 5GHz. We haven’t had a chance to test these machines for a head-to-head comparison, but Intel says that the new Core i9 mobile chip is roughly 30% faster than the outgoing Core i9-11980HK processor. You can also check out our Intel Core i9-12900HK review to get an understanding of the kind of performance you can expect from this chip.

Intel 12th-gen H-series mobile chip performance

Both laptops in this comparison are equally powerful in the graphics side of things too as we’re looking at Nvidia’s new 30-series discrete graphics units. In fact, you get the option to configure both laptops with up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, the latest and greatest from Nvidia in the notebook space. Even the lowest configuration of each notebook comes with an RTX 3060, which we think is very much capable of running even the modern AAA titles out there in 2022. We suggest you check out our review of the ASUS ROG Strix G15 (2022) with the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to see how this GPU performs.

Between the CPU and Nvidia’s latest graphics options, we’re looking at two ultimate gaming machines that are kitted to deliver the best experience in gaming. The difference in performance between these two similarly specced variants of the Razer Blade 15 and the Alienware x15 R2 will purely depend on well each of them handle the thermals.

On the memory and the storage side of things, both laptops are kitted with the new DDR5 memory modules. The Alienware x15 R2’s dual-channel DDR5 modules have a slightly higher frequency, but we doubt if that will make a significant difference. On the storage side, however, the Alienware x15 R2 is a clear winner as it can be configured to have up to 4TB compared to just the 2TB on the Razer Blade. It’ll certainly cost you more but you can never have too much storage, can you?

Display: High-refresh rate or high-resolutions?

The displays on these two laptops are also very similar. Both laptops have 15.6-inches panels as standard, but you get the option to choose between different resolutions. The Razer Blade 15’s display is available in FHD, QHD, and UHD resolutions with 360Hz, 240Hz, and 144Hz refresh rate options, respectively. Dell, on the other hand, is only offering the Alienware x15 R2 with an FHD or a QHD panel. You get the option to choose between a 360Hz or 165Hz for the FHD panel, whereas the QHD panel is locked at 240Hz. The Razer Blade 15 is definitely the better pick in terms of the display option. That UHD panel option is great for content creators too, so that’s something you might want to consider.

Razer Blade 15

Razer Blade 15

For a gamer, we think both laptops offer a good selection of panels with high resolutions and quick response times. We suggest you take a look at the specifications table once again to find out the best option for you. We think the QHD 240Hz panel on both laptops is going to be the one to go for as it offers the best of both worlds. Unless you are specifically working with 4K footage as a content creator, we think you are not going to notice a lot of differences between a 1440p and a 4K panel, especially on a 15.6-inch display. Thankfully, both laptops also retain the webcam on top of the display, but the Razer Blade 15 has a superior 1080p webcam as opposed to just a 720p camera on the Alienware x15.

Design: The Razer Blade 15 is more compact and lighter

Moving on to the design, we think the Razer Blade 15 looks a bit more professional. It’s still a powerful gaming machine but Razer has always managed to deliver some clean designs with minimal flair. While the new Alienware x15 R2 looks better than some of the previous chunky Alienware notebooks we’ve seen in the past, it still retains a lot of  “gamer” aesthetics with sharp edges and RGB lighting. The Razer Blade 15 is also more compact and lighter than the Alienware x15 R2, but they both are pretty much identical in terms of thickness.

Alienware x15 R2 body

You also get a decent keyboard with per-key RGB lighting on both machines, but the Alienware X15’s keyboard deck also has top-facing speakers along with a bunch of vents next to the Alienware logo. The Razer Blade 15’s keyboard deck, on the other hand, is very minimal with the to-facing speakers. While the design is purely subjective, we think the Razer Blade 15 looks more subtle and doesn’t come out as an overly obnoxious gaming laptop. It’s one of those machines that you can comfortably carry to a professional meeting and be totally fine with it. That being said, the Alienware x15 R2 also looks great. This machine has changed a lot over the years and we really like how these new Alienware laptops look. But if we were to pick one on the basis of portability overall, then we think the Razer Blade 15 is probably the better option.

Ports and Connectivity

Both laptops are well-equipped when it comes to the ports selection but we think the Razer Blade 15 has an edge over the Alienware x15 R2. The Razer Blade 15 has three USB3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports whereas the Alienware x15 R2 only has a single Type-A port. We’re also looking at two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports on the Razer Blade 15 versus a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DP and PD, and a single Thunderbolt 4 on the Alienware x15 R2. The Razer Blade 15 also earns brownie points with its SD card reader, which is a great addition for content creators. The good thing about both laptops is that they’re both rocking an HDMI 2.1 port.

Razer Blade 15 front side views

It’s also worth mentioning how the ports are evenly distributed on both sides of the Razer Blade 15 whereas you’ll find all the ports on the back of the Alienware x15 R2. This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker but we think it can be a little difficult to reach the ports at the back at all times, so the Razer Blade 15 makes it more convenient.

Alienware x15 R2 ports

As for wireless connectivity, both the Razer Blade 15 and the Alienware x15 R2 come with support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. This isn’t all that surprising because we expect to see these new connectivity options on all modern laptops in 2022.

Razer Blade 15 vs Alienware x15 R2: Which one should you buy?

If you read through the entire comparison, then you probably already know how both of these laptops are equally powerful in terms of specs. They both have newer 12th-gen Intel Core processors, the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs for running modern games, high-resolution panels, and more. The overall performance of the laptop itself will depend on how well each of them handles thermals. Alienware is said to have used a new cooling tech for its X-series gaming laptop, so it’ll be interesting to see how that performs in real-world scenarios.

But as far as other factors like ports, connectivity, design, etc., are concerned, we think the Razer Blade 15 has a slight edge over the Alienware x15 R2. Not only does the Razer Blade 15 has a better port selection, but it’s also more compact and weighs slightly less overall. It also comes down to your personal preference, though. If you are somebody who wants to buy a more compact machine with a minimal design then we think the Razer Blade 15 is the way to go. But if you are on the lookout for a gaming laptop with a striking design and a ton of RGB flair, then you can’t go wrong with the Alienware x15 R2. The Alienware laptop also costs slightly less for the base model compared to the Razer Blade 15, so keep that in mind.

    Razer Blade 15 (2022)
    The Razer Blade 15 (2022) is powered by Intel's 12th-generation Core processors and comes with DDR5 memory.
    Alienware x15 R2
    The Alienware x15 R2 is one of the newest gaming machines from Dell that's powered by Intel's new 12th gen processors.

Regardless of the one you pick, you’re bound to get a solid gaming performance out of it. They both pack some powerful internals that’ll allow you to play even some of the modern titles out there. You can explore more size options as both the Razer Blade and the Alienware X-series laptops are available in a smaller 14-inch form-factor too.

If none of these laptops have managed to catch your attention, then you might want to take a look at some of our collection articles including the best laptops or the best Dell laptops. Alternatively, you can also join our XDA Computing Forums to get more recommendations from the experts in our community.

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It’s now easier to change the default browser in Windows 11 https://www.xda-developers.com/easier-change-default-browser-windows-11/ https://www.xda-developers.com/easier-change-default-browser-windows-11/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:08:28 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620205 Microsoft is making it easier for users to change their default browser on Windows 11, after the initial release infamously made it harder to stop using Microsoft’s own Edge browser. The change was rolled out with Windows 11 build 22000.593, which was made available to everyone yesterday as an optional update. In its initial release,

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Microsoft is making it easier for users to change their default browser on Windows 11, after the initial release infamously made it harder to stop using Microsoft’s own Edge browser. The change was rolled out with Windows 11 build 22000.593, which was made available to everyone yesterday as an optional update.

In its initial release, Windows 11 made some baffling changes to the way app associations work. Instead of being able to set a general default for tasks like web browsing or playing media, you now have to set associations for each protocol manually. That means you have to change the associations for HTTP and HTTPS protocols, plus things like HTML files if you want to open them with your default browser. This made the process much more tedious for end users.

With the latest update, if you go into the default apps page (Settings -> Apps -> Default apps) and you select a browser from the app list, such as Google Chrome or Vivaldi, you’ll now see an option at the top of the Settings page that lets you set it as your default browser. This will change all the web browsing-related associations to that browser in one go, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of doing it for each file type or protocol.

Default associations page for Vivaldi browser in Windows 11 Settings with new option to set the default browser

Microsoft had begun testing this change with Insiders in the Dev channel back in December, and it wasn’t immediately clear how it would be rolled out, but it looks like you won’t have to wait for a big feature update. It’s certainly a welcome change, considering the initial approach forced browser vendors like Mozilla to circumvent Microsoft’s guidelines in order to make it easier for users to change their default browser.

If you want to be able to change your default browser right now, all you need to do is check for updates in the Windows 11 Settings app (in the Windows Update section) and download install update KB5011563, which is an optional update. If you’d rather wait a little longer, this change should also be included in next month’s Patch Tuesday, which will be on April 12th. That will be a mandatory update, so that’s when most users will likely get it.


Via: Neowin

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Here’s what Android 13’s hidden screen saver complications look like in action https://www.xda-developers.com/android-13-colors-screen-saver-complications-first-look/ https://www.xda-developers.com/android-13-colors-screen-saver-complications-first-look/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:00:04 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620109 Android 13 Developer Preview 2 was released two weeks ago. While we have already gone over major changes and features introduced in the second developer preview release, the new software contains references for several in-development features that will likely arrive in future beta releases. Last week, we learned about Google working on revamped screen savers

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Android 13 Developer Preview 2 was released two weeks ago. While we have already gone over major changes and features introduced in the second developer preview release, the new software contains references for several in-development features that will likely arrive in future beta releases. Last week, we learned about Google working on revamped screen savers that could display additional information overlays. Now we are getting our first look at the feature.

Esper‘s Mishaal Rahman managed to activate the hidden complications for the “Colors” screen saver. “Colors” is a screensaver that exists alongside the Clock and Photos screen savers. Meanwhile, “complications” refer to pieces of data that are displayed over the screen saver. They can be activated by enabling the “Show additional information” toggle within the screen saver settings. When activated, users will see At A Glance widget, date and time, weather, and battery info overlayed on top of the screen saver, as seen in the video below.


While Android has supported screen savers since the days of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, they have hardly seen any major revamps. But it looks like Google is ready to give the feature a big and much-needed facelift in Android 13.

Note that the new complications aren’t live in Android 13 Developer Preview 2. The feature will likely go live in future beta releases. However, it’s not uncommon for Google to scrap in-development features, so we’ll have to wait and see if the feature makes it to the final Android 13 release.

Android 13 DP2 also includes code for a new wallpaper effects generation API that will allow users to apply various cool effects to their wallpapers.

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Samsung’s decision to drop the “Z” from its foldable branding is a welcome change that I hope persists https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-foldables-remove-z-branding/ https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-foldables-remove-z-branding/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:30:01 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=619965 Smartphones are everywhere, and smartphone brandings are everywhere too. And I mean the latter in less of an “omnipresent” sense and more of an “all-over-the-place” idea. Because of the super-commoditized nature of a smartphone, what we call every smartphone is as important as what that smartphone is. Names stick, and they accumulate reputation and identity

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Smartphones are everywhere, and smartphone brandings are everywhere too. And I mean the latter in less of an “omnipresent” sense and more of an “all-over-the-place” idea. Because of the super-commoditized nature of a smartphone, what we call every smartphone is as important as what that smartphone is. Names stick, and they accumulate reputation and identity that become very important to make your product stand out in a sea of me-too’s. That is why every Samsung phone is called a Galaxy and every Apple phone is called an iPhone. Call it a part of their identity, or a badge of honor — names are important, even on smartphones.

We’re decades into the smartphone business now, and phone brandings date back to the very early days of their company’s smartphone business themselves. Every product success since the start has added its own piece of identity to the history of the lineup, making it harder for the next product to shake off the weight of expectations that comes with the moniker. So when product names stray from their expected trajectory, consumers yearn for explanations. Where is the OnePlus 4? Why is there an iPhone X and not iPhone 9 and 10? Has it been 22 phones already since the first Galaxy S? Why is the Galaxy S22 Ultra not a Galaxy Note? What even is a Pro Max, and is it better than an Ultra? The answer to each of these questions is different, but the essence remains the same: Why are you changing things when things didn’t need changing? Why are you taking away my familiarity?

The polar opposite to this familiarity is the introduction of new technology, and along with it, new product lines. Companies introduce new brandings all the time, and most such introductions are accompanied with an attempt to string the new product back to its ancestors and carry over some goodwill. When Samsung announced its entry into the foldable smartphone space, it did so with the “Samsung Galaxy Fold” — a name that carried the legacy of “Galaxy” forward into the foldable era. The name made sense: You could expect all the hallmarks of an Android smartphone from the house of Samsung, and then it would fold. Pros and cons of the phone aside, the name was simple and familiar, and I personally felt that Samsung had something very impactful and long-lasting in this name.

Samsung’s next foldable came in the form of the flip-phone-reminiscent “Samsung Galaxy Z Flip”….wait, where did the “Z” come from? Samsung suddenly decided to christen its foldables as “Z”, even though the shape that these phones made when folded/flipped was a very clear “L” or “V”. There was nothing Z-like on the Galaxy Z Flip, apart from Samsung’s insistence on adding this double-hinged letter to denote a single-hinge foldable. Then came along the Galaxy Z Flip 5G, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Galaxy Z Flip 2, and the realization that the Z is here to stay for these foldables.

Schrödinger’s Z: Z and no Z at the same time

As the company was quoted at the time:

“With the Z Series, we are adopting a new naming convention for our foldable portfolio that shows our commitment to expanding the category to offer a variety of experience. We chose ‘Z’ for this series because it intuitively communicates the idea of a fold while delivering a dynamic, youthful feel.”

Do you know what else intuitively communicates the idea of a fold? Fold and Flip. The Z felt out of place then, and it continues to feel out of place even in 2022. It even makes the full name of the phone difficult to roll off the tongue and makes creating content about the phone avoidably cumbersome. It might have made sense to club Samsung’s foldables under the Z umbrella — but relegating them to an experimental niche is in stark contrast to attempts at mainstreaming then. If foldables are the future, then why can’t foldables sit alongside our Galaxies? Further, the price tag of these phones has so far ensured that Gen Z has largely stayed away from them. So who exactly was “Z” appeasing?

Here a Z, there a Z. But not everywhere a Z.

News now arrives that Samsung has removed the “Z” branding from the name of its foldable in some European nations. Samsung has not shared any official statement on the reason for this removal, but speculation is that it has to do with the current geo-political scenario in Europe. As you can see below, regions like Estonia and Latvia now refer to the foldables as Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Flip, omitting the Z from the name.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 now being called Galaxy Fold 3

Samsung has not rolled out the shorter name to the rest of Europe and the world, and there’s nothing to indicate that they will be doing so. But a disjointed branding hurts the prospects of future devices, especially when the speculated geopolitical triggers behind this change continue to remain uncertain and seemingly indefinite. Within the narrow topical confines of smartphones, it brings us back to a situation where a name was forcefully introduced and familiarized and is now being rolled back, snatching away the newfound familiarity. Will the next Galaxy foldable be called the Galaxy Z Fold 4 or the Galaxy Fold 4 across the world? Too early to speculate, but we hope for the latter, simply because it would make it simpler and easier to follow for everyone.

What’s in a name?

What’s in a name, you ask? To this I say, a lot. I have always been a function-over-form person, and the idea that a name could affect how a product performs sounded patently illogical to me in the past. But over the years, the realization has grown on me that names do hold considerable value, especially on a commodity like smartphones. Names breed familiarity and set expectations. And expectations set benchmarks that decide what is considered good and what is considered bad. These factors may not be enough to redeem a bad product nor sink a good one. But they do affect how an average consumer subconsciously perceives what is in front of them.

Companies have taken undue liberty of chaining together alphabets and letters, resulting in a confused cacophony of S, R, T, Z, SE, FE, Note, Lite, Mini, Pro, Max, Pro Max, Pro Plus, Ultra, and more, with 4G and 5G sprinkled on top as the garnish that nobody asked for. What we have ended up with is a web of rebranding and copycat names that reeks of misdirection and ends up making the smartphone space difficult to follow for the average consumer. It’s high time we hit the reset button on these 10-20 syllable names, and I hope OEMs and their marketing departments introspect.

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YouTube starts testing timed emoji reactions on some channels https://www.xda-developers.com/youtube-timed-reactions-experiment/ https://www.xda-developers.com/youtube-timed-reactions-experiment/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:15:43 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=619975 YouTube has started testing a new feature that will let you share reactions at an exact moment in a video. It follows the timed comments feature that YouTube started testing in April last year, shortly after it first removed the dislike count on some videos. The feature is currently available on a small number of channels

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YouTube has started testing a new feature that will let you share reactions at an exact moment in a video. It follows the timed comments feature that YouTube started testing in April last year, shortly after it first removed the dislike count on some videos. The feature is currently available on a small number of channels on the platform.

According to a recent post from YouTube, the new timed reactions feature will let you easily post a reaction at any given point in the video by opening the comments section and tapping on the reaction panel. The feature will also show you the moments that other viewers are reacting to, but the reactions will be anonymized. The following GIF showcases how timed reactions will appear on videos.

 

At the moment, YouTube is testing the feature with multiple sets of reactions, including Heart, 100, Question mark, Light bulb, Sun, and more. The platform plans to add or remove reactions based on how the experiment progresses, so the feature might roll out with a different set of reactions when it’s finally ready for primetime.

YouTube timed reactions available emoji

Since the reactions feature is currently available on a small number of channels, you might not see it right away. But if you happen to come across a supported video, you should see a pop-up highlighting the experimental feature. It’s worth noting that the feature is not available in the experimental features section on YouTube on any of our devices, but your mileage may vary. Sadly, Google has not released any information about the channels with which it is currently testing the feature. So, if you chance upon a video that supports the feature, make sure you drop the link in the comments to give other users a chance to experience the feature.

What do you think of YouTube’s new timed reactions feature? Would you use it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


Source: YouTube

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The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is a $1,999 graphics card for your 8K gaming needs https://www.xda-developers.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3090-ti-officially-launched/ https://www.xda-developers.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3090-ti-officially-launched/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:00:42 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=619825 A couple of months after teasing the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card at CES 2022, Nvidia is finally ready to bring the new member of the RTX 30-series to market. Today, Nvidia has officially launched the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, a new Ampere graphics card that’s more powerful than the previously released RTX 3090

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A couple of months after teasing the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card at CES 2022, Nvidia is finally ready to bring the new member of the RTX 30-series to market. Today, Nvidia has officially launched the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, a new Ampere graphics card that’s more powerful than the previously released RTX 3090 GPU. The new RTX 3090 Ti comes with upgraded internals to deliver better performance across different workloads.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Specifications

For starters, the RTX 3090 Ti features a record-breaking 10,752 CUDA cores and boasts 78 RT-TFLOPs, 40 Shader-TFLOPs, and 320 Tensor-TFLOPs of power. It packs 24GB of the fastest 21Gbps GDDR6X memory, which is the same amount of memory, but slightly faster. This flagship Ampere SKU, featuring the GA102-350 GPU is also the first Nvidia GPU ever to use a PCIe Gen5 16-pin power connector. This connector replaces NVIDIA’s 12-pin Molex MicroFit 3.0 plug.

The new 16-pin connector is expected to make it other partner card designs too, as it can feed more power to the GPU. This is crucial because some RTX 3090 Ti designs are expected to have a TDP even higher than 450W. This is a good time to remind you to buy a new and more powerful PSU if you are planning to upgrade to the new RTX 3090 Ti. You can find some good options in our collection of the best power supply units.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition

Here’s a quick look at the specifications of the new GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card (FE) to see how it competes with the older RTX 3090 GPU (FE) on paper:

Specification GeForce RTX 3090 Ti GeForce RTX 3090
GPU GA102-350 GA102-300
GPU Clusters 84 82
CUDA Cores 10752 10496
RT Cores 84 82
Tensors/TMUs 336 328
Memory 24GB GDDR6X 24GB GDDR6X
Bus 384-bit 384-bit
Memory Clock 21 Gbps 19.5 Gbps
Bandwidth 1008 GB/s 936 GB/s
TDP 450W 350W

As far as the gaming performance is concerned, the new GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is said to be 9% faster than the previous RTX 3090, and on average up to 64% faster than the RTX 2080 Ti. It can also be used to play, capture, and watch games in 8K HDR with DLSS. The RTX 3090 Ti, however, is more than just a simple GPU for gaming. It’s ideal for various other workflows including content creation, AI, and, processing large sets of data, more. This GPU is said to be capable of delivering anywhere between 42%-102% more performance than the RTX 2080 Ti and TITAN RTX in content creation workloads. We’ll have more to talk about the general performance of the RTX 3090 Ti once we manage to get our hands on this particular GPU for testing.

Pricing & Availability

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card is now available to purchase for a starting price of $1,999. The Founders Edition version of the RTX 3090 Ti will available from Best Buy online in the US. You can also pick up one of the partner cards instead of the Founders Edition unit from OEMs like ASUS, MSI, and more.

PNY XLR8 RTX 3090 Ti on a plain white-colored background

PNY is also one of the manufacturers to launch its custom RTX 3090 Ti called ‘PNY XLR8 RTX 3090 Ti’. In fact, PNY is also launching an overclocked version of the GPU called ‘PNY XLR8 RTX 3090 Ti Overclocked’, in case you need that additional power out of the box. The PNY card, as you can see, comes with a triple fan configuration and EPIC-X RGB lighting, both of which are not available on Nvidia’s Founders Edition design.

Partner cards may or may not have the new 16-pin connector, though, and it’ll be interesting to see how the market adapts to that. The pricing of these partner cards tends to be higher than the Founders Edition. We’ll add a couple of these new GPU variants to our collection of the best graphics cards, so be sure to take a look at them.

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Xiaomi brings the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus, Redmi Note 11S, and Redmi 10 5G to international markets https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-redmi-note-11-pro-plus-note-11s-redmi-10-5g-global-launch/ https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-redmi-note-11-pro-plus-note-11s-redmi-10-5g-global-launch/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:45:41 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=619217 Shortly after debuting the Redmi Note 11 lineup in China, Xiaomi launched four Redmi Note 11 series devices globally. However, the devices launched in international markets did not feature the same hardware as the Chinese models, even though they featured the same design and marketing names. It seems like Xiaomi has no plans to abandon

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Shortly after debuting the Redmi Note 11 lineup in China, Xiaomi launched four Redmi Note 11 series devices globally. However, the devices launched in international markets did not feature the same hardware as the Chinese models, even though they featured the same design and marketing names. It seems like Xiaomi has no plans to abandon this annoying trend, as the company has now launched three more devices in international markets that are rebranded versions of existing Xiaomi/Redmi phones.

At today’s launch event, Xiaomi unveiled three new devices for international markets — the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G, the Redmi Note 11S 5G, and the Redmi Note 10 5G. If these names sound familiar to you, that’s because Xiaomi has already launched devices with these marketing names in other regions. But, while they may look the same as the existing models, they’re completely different internally. Check out the table below for a quick rundown of their specifications.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G, Redmi Note 11S 5G, and Redmi 10 5G: Specifications

Specification Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G Redmi Note 11S 5G Redmi 10 5G
Dimensions & Weight
  • 163.65 x 76.19 x 8.34mm
  • 204g
  • 163.56 x 75.78 x 8.75mm
  • 195g
  • 163.99 x 76.09 x 8.9mm
  • 200g
Display
  • 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay
  • 120Hz refresh rate
  • 360Hz touch sampling rate
  • DCI-P3 wide color gamut
  • 1200nits peak brightness
  • 6.6-inch FHD+ DotDisplay
  • 90Hz refresh rate
  • 240Hz touch sampling rate
  • DCI-P3 wide color gamut
  • 6.58-inch FHD+ Dot Drop display
  • 90Hz refresh rate
SoC MediaTek Dimensity 920 MediaTek Dimensity 810 MediaTek Dimensity 700
RAM & Storage
  • 6GB+128GB
  • 8GB+128GB
  • 8GB+256GB
  • 4GB+64GB
  • 4GB+128GB
  • 6GB+128GB
  • 4GB+64GB
  • 4GB+128GB
Battery & Charging
  • 4,500mAh
  • 120W wired fast charging support
  • 120W charger included
  • 5,000mAh
  • 33W wired fast charging support
  • 33W charger included
  • 5,000mAh
  • 18W wired fast charging support
  • 22.5W charger included
Security Side-mounted fingerprint sensor Side-mounted fingerprint scanner Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)
  • Primary: 108MP Samsung HM2
  • Ultra-wide: 8MP
  • Telemacro: 2MP
  • Primary: 50MP
  • Ultra0wide: 8MP
  • Macro: 2MP
  • Primary: 50MP
  • Depth sensor: 2MP
Front Camera(s) 16MP 13MP 5MP
Port(s)
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone hack
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • USB Type-C
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
Audio
  • Super linear dual speakers tuned by JBL
  • Hi-Res Audio certification
  • HI-Res Audio Wireless certification
  • Dolby Atmos certification
  • Dual speakers
Single bottom-firing speaker
Connectivity
  • 5G
  • Bluetooth
  • Wi-Fi
  • 5G
  • Bluetooth
  • Wi-Fi
  • 5G
  • Bluetooth
  • Wi-Fi
Software MIUI 12.5 MIUI 13 MIUI 13
Colors
  • Graphite Gray
  • Star Blue
  • Forest Green
  • Midnight Black
  • Twilight Blue
  • Star Blue
  • Graphite Gray
  • Chrome Silver
  • Aurora Green

Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G

In January, Xiaomi debuted the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge in the Indian market. The new Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G is the same device with a different name, but don’t confuse it for the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G that is also available in the Indian market. The Indian Xiaomi Mi 11i and the Global Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G are identical in terms of design and hardware, with the Xiaomi/Redmi branding on the back panel being the only difference between the two. As such, the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G features a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1200nits of peak brightness, MediaTek’s Dimensity 920 SoC, a 108MP triple camera setup, a 16MP selfie shooter, and a 4,500mAh battery with 120W wired fast charging support.

The phone runs an older version of Xiaomi’s custom Android skin, MIUI 12.5, out of the box. Xiaomi has not clarified whether the software is based on Android 11 or Android 12. But it’s safe to assume that the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G is running Android 11 out of the box as the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge also launched with MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11.

All colors of the global Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G on white background

Other noteworthy features include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm headphone jack, AI Face Unlock, and TÜV Rheinland’s Safe Fast-Charge System certification. The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G comes in three colorways — Graphite Gray, Star Blue, and Forest Green.

It’s worth repeating that the new Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus global variant is NOT the same device as the one that Xiaomi launched in India earlier this month. Although the Indian variant features the same display and camera hardware, it packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC, a larger 5,000mAh battery but with slower 67W wired fast charging support, and it runs MIUI 13 based on Android 11.

Redmi Note 11S 5G

The new Redmi Note 11S 5G is a 5G-enabled version of the Redmi Note 11S that Xiaomi launched in January. But it features the same hardware as the Redmi Note 11T 5G, which landed in India back in November last year. However, unlike the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus and the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge, there are some minor differences between the Redmi Note 11S 5G and the Redmi Note 11T 5G.

The new Redmi Note 11S 5G features the same design as the Indian variant of the Redmi Note 11T 5G. The devices are pretty much identical hardware-wise, featuring the same 6.6-inch 90Hz IPS display, MediaTek’s Dimensity 810 SoC, a 5,000mAh battery with 33W wired fast charging support, and similar RAM/storage configurations.

All colors of the global Redmi Note 11S 5G on white background

However, while both phones feature the same 50MP primary and 8MP ultra-wide cameras, the new Redmi Note 11S 5G features an additional 2MP macro sensor on the back. For selfies, the phone packs a 13MP front-facing camera instead of the 16MP sensor found on the Indian Redmi Note 11T 5G. Other noteworthy features include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and AI Face Unlock. The Redmi Note 11S 5G comes in three colorways — Midnight Black, Twilight Blue, and Star Blue.

It’s worth noting that the new Redmi Note 11S 5G and the Indian Redmi Note 11T 5G share the same hardware as the Chinese Redmi Note 11, with the third camera sensor and the selfie shooter being the only exceptions. Xiaomi also sells the same device as the POCO M4 Pro 5G in some markets.

Redmi 10 5G

The new Redmi 10 5G is also a rebranded Redmi Note 11 series device. It features the same design and hardware as the Redmi Note 11E 5G, which Xiaomi launched in China earlier this month. The device features a 6.58-inch 90Hz display with a waterdrop-style notch for the selfie camera, a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired fast charging support, and a 50MP plus 2MP dual-camera setup on the back.

All colors of the global Redmi 10 5G on white background

The Redmi 10 5G also features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a 5MP selfie shooter, and AI Face Unlock support. On the software front, it runs MIUI 13 out of the box. The Redmi 10 5G comes in three colorways — Graphite Gray, Chrome Silver, and Aurora Green.

It’s worth mentioning that Xiaomi will likely launch the device as the Redmi 10 Prime Plus 5G in the Indian market and the POCO M4 5G in some regions.

Pricing & Availability

At the moment, Xiaomi has not shared the final availability details for the three new devices. However, the company has released the recommended retail price for all variants. Check out the section below for more information.

  • Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G (Global)
    • 6GB+128GB: $369
    • 8GB+128GB: $399
    • 8GB+256GB: $449
  •  Redmi Note 11S 5G (Global)
    • 4GB+64GB: $249
    • 4GB+128GB: $279
    • 6GB+128GB: $299
  • Redmi 10 5G (Global)
    • 4GB+64GB: $199
    • 4GB+128GB: $229

You can head over to Xiaomi’s website for regional pricing and availability details.

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Instagram is working on several new features, including improvements to Story replies https://www.xda-developers.com/instagram-working-on-new-features/ https://www.xda-developers.com/instagram-working-on-new-features/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:35:40 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=620051 Instagram continuously works on adding new features to its app. Some of which are original ideas, while the rest are inspired by other platforms. The Meta-owned service — which first started as a basic photo/video sharing app — has become a feature-rich destination that many users like to seek. And as new additions land, users

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Instagram continuously works on adding new features to its app. Some of which are original ideas, while the rest are inspired by other platforms. The Meta-owned service — which first started as a basic photo/video sharing app — has become a feature-rich destination that many users like to seek. And as new additions land, users are getting their hands on more ways to express themselves in the digital world. The company is currently developing at least five new features that could eventually become available to users. Considering they’re still under active development, there’s a chance that Instagram will scratch some (or all) of them before they see the light of day.

Upcoming Instagram features

Reliable reverse engineer and leaker Alessandro Paluzzi has shared some of the new features Instagram is working on.

Exclusives tab

Instagram appears to be working on a tab for exclusive subscriber content. So if you’re paying a creator, you would be able to easily access the section — which displays all of the paid goods they post.

Image replies to Instagram Stories

The company is also developing an option to reply to a certain Story with an image of your choice.

Voice note replies to Instagram Stories

Similarly, Instagram is working on a new voice note button that is included as a reply option when viewing a Story.

Sharing Instagram posts through QR codes

Instagram already allows users to directly share a post to several other social media platforms. The company is now implementing a QR code option that would provide you with an additional way to share a post with your friends.

Disappearing Story Reactions

Lastly, Instagram is developing Disappearing Story Reactions. These would vanish once the recipient views them — instead of sticking around in the chat history. The company already provides users with a Vanish Mode that affects regular direct messages (DMs).


All of these new Instagram features are currently under development, and there’s no way to tell when and if they’ll make it past this stage. It’s not uncommon for corporations to work on new features — only to drop them altogether later on. Considering all five could come in handy, we only hope that the company releases them to end users down the road.

Do you still actively use Instagram? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Android TV 13 to bring an “expanded” picture-in-picture mode https://www.xda-developers.com/android-13-tv-expanded-picture-in-picture-mode/ https://www.xda-developers.com/android-13-tv-expanded-picture-in-picture-mode/#respond Tue, 29 Mar 2022 11:45:43 +0000 https://www.xda-developers.com/?p=619961 Picture-in-picture mode is one of the most useful features of Android. It was first introduced on Android TV devices with Android 7.0 Nougat and was expanded to smartphones and tablets with Android 8.0 Oreo. Picture-in-picture, also known as PiP, is a multi-window mode that allows users to play videos in a small, floating window. And

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Picture-in-picture mode is one of the most useful features of Android. It was first introduced on Android TV devices with Android 7.0 Nougat and was expanded to smartphones and tablets with Android 8.0 Oreo. Picture-in-picture, also known as PiP, is a multi-window mode that allows users to play videos in a small, floating window. And the feature is set to get even better in Android 13.

As discovered by Esper‘s Mishaal Rahman, Android 13 will introduce a new expanded picture-in-picture multi-window mode that will allow developers to create longer and wider PiP windows than it’s currently possible. But it seems the feature is intended for Android TV devices and not for smartphones.

The default aspect ratio of a picture-in-picture mode is 1.777778:1 (16:9). However, app developers can choose a custom aspect ratio between 1:2:39 to 2:39:1. But with Android 13’s new expanded picture-in-picture window, developers will be able to set a PiP window to be less than 1:2:39 or bigger than 2:39:1. As noted by Esper, the code for the expanded PiP multi-window mode can be found in the classes under com/android/wm/shell/pip/tv in SystemUI. The code also suggests that users will be able to move around the expanded multi-window on screen using DPAD key events.

In addition, Esper notes that Android 13 may also allow users to dock the expanded PiP windows side by side on Android TV devices. Note that Google hasn’t yet announced Android TV 13, so there’s no official documentation or guidance about the new expanded PiP mode.

Android 12 brought several refinements and improvements to PiP mode, including the ability to pinch-to-resize to make the PiP window smaller or bigger and stashing, which allows users to hide a window without having to completely close it by stashing it to the side.

Source: Esper

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