Technology Mania

Friday, November 11, 2016

OnePlus 3 to get Nougat by the end of the year; Oneplus X gets OxygenOS 3.1.4 OTA

Image Credit: OnePlus

By tech2 News Staff / 11 Nov 2016 , 13:17

OnePlus is working on bringing latest software updates to all generations sold by the company. According to a recent report by Engadget, the company is planning to bring the latest version of Android, Android Nougat 7.0 to OnePlus 3 before the end of the year. The report says that the company will bring the beta version of Android Nougat 7.0 based Oxygen OS to its Community Builds before the end of this month with the final version rolling out before the end of the year.

The company teased that it is working on Android Nougat 7.0 a few weeks back in a teaser video on its Twitter account. OnePlus has received a lot of criticism for the slow pace of updates to its limited product lineup. The company has merged the OxgenOS, the global variant of its Android forked system and HydrogenOS, the variant shipped with OnePlus devices sold in China to improve the software update speed. This has resulted in improved alignment of resources and faster pace of updates.

The company also outlined its detailed Beta program in a blog post giving details about Android development in the company and the different branches like the internal build, community build and stable build. OnePlus has reassured users that it is working on Android Nougat updates for OnePlus 2 users. One this to point is that the track record of providing updates has vastly improved with the launch of OnePlus 3. However, things have not improved for OnePlus 2 or OnePlus X users.

OnePlus announced the rollout of new Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 based Oxygen OS 3.1.4 to OnePlus X users in coming days. This is the second update that the company has issued in a long time. The first major update (Marshmallow update) was pushed in October. The new update doesn’t bring any groundbreaking changes and limits itself to bug fixing for launcher and screen brightness while improving system stability and Google Security Patch for November. This comes right after the official confirmation that OnePlus 3T will launchwith Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 on November 15,2016.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Tim Cook asks employees to work together and move forward after surprise Trump victory

Image: Reuters.

By Aditya Madanapalle / 10 Nov 2016 , 17:28

Tim Cook sent a letter to Apple employees calling for unity, and quoting the advice of Martin Luther King Jr. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” The letter does not mention Trump directly. Over the course of his campaign, Trump has directly threatened harsh measures on Apple, including forcing the company to manufacture the phones on American soil.

Speaking on Apple refusing to cooperate with law enforcement officials in unlocking a device, Trump called for a boycott of Apple products. “Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information. It just occurred to me” Trump had said during his campaign. Later on, Trump Tweeted that he would personally only use his Samsung device till Apple handed over the information.

The letter by Cook is an effort to ease the anxiety of employees, where he asks the employees to help each other out. Indirectly addressing the rhetoric used by Trump over the course of his presidential campaign, Cook wrote “Our company is open to all, and we celebrate the diversity of our team here in the United States and around the world — regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how they worship or who they love.” A copy of the letter is available with Buzzfeed.

The sentiments were echoed by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, who responded to the Trump victory by saying “Our commitment to our mission and values are steadfast, and in particular fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, had posted an open letter on Medium, that said “I firmly believe that whether you’re building a company or leading a country, a diverse mix of voices and backgrounds and experiences leads to better discussions, better decisions, and better outcomes for everyone.”

A Trump win could have serious repercussions on technology companies. Tim Cook had held a fundraiser to help support the Clinton campaign. Tim Cook seems to be more anti-Trump than pro-Hillary because he had earlier hosted a fundraiser for Republican candidate Bernie Sanders. Silicon Valley executives apparently had a secret meeting on an Island where they discussed plans to stop Trump from winning the presidency. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Larry Page, Sean Parker, and Elon Musk CEO of SpaceX and Tesla were at the meeting.

(Also Read: President Trump: What Microsoft, Facebook and other tech CEOs said)

Silicon Valley had collectively rolled its eyes after Trump warned of a bubble in the technology sector. Trump claims that the unicorn companies, startups with a valuation of over a billion dollars, are overvalued and are attracting investments while not being profitable. Silicon Valley collectively rejected this warning. Tech CEOs including Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Steve Wozniak, Pierre Omidyar, Meg Whitman and Marc Benioff all openly supported Clinton in the lead up to the election. Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and Palmer Luckey of Oculus stood out for their open support for Trump.

ZTE BV0800 phone running Android 7.0 Nougat spotted online

The ZTE company logo: Reuters

By tech2 News Staff / 11 Nov 2016 , 10:14

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE seems to be working on an Android 7.0 Nougat powered smartphone. In a GFXBench listing spotted online, a ZTE handset with the codename BV0800 has been spotted with Android 7.0 Nougat as the operating system.

The ZTE BV0800 handset is expected to come with a 5.2-inch FullHD display and will run on a Qualcomm chipset which has an octa-core Cortex A53 processor running at 1.4GHz, most likely the Snapdragon 430, paired with Adreno 505 GPU.

The phone is expected to have 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. On the camera front, you would most likely get a 12MP front-facing as well as rear camera. Both the front and rear cameras are capable of shooting in full HD resolution according to the listing. The phone would not have NFC.

There are on details as to when the device is expected to hit the markets. But expect a China launch soon. Going by the specs leaked, it would be safe to assume that this will be a budget Android 7.0 Nougat device.

ZTE has been launching its phones in India as well. Recently we had reviewed the ZTE Nubia Z11 mini.

Why I think Donald Trump could make Silicon Valley even greater

Image: Reuters

11 Nov 2016 , 10:21

By Vishal Gondal

The improbable has truly happened. Donald Trump is going to be the President of the Unites States of America. I have never seen such widely divided opinions or stance against any elected representative in modern politics.

Although the world might truly be in a state of shock, if you ask people around me, they will tell you that I predicted the improbable way back when he was chosen as the Republican nominee. Well the thing is, coming from a startup background I have seen quite a few Davids vs Goliaths in my lifetime.

I have seen this in the Silicon Valley itself where the new innovators and thinkers have overthrown the established order against all odds.

We call this disruption. And when used in a very positive connotation, it is nothing but a byproduct of innovation. Trump said many things good and bad but in essence Trump spoke a lot about disrupting the established order – creating jobs, bringing back the industries and that has resonated with a lot of Americans.

They wanted change and Trump showed them a path towards it. While most failed to see or predict what the public wanted, this landmark judgement will force them to look inwards, ask questions and come up with answers. A lot of folks have started predicting doom for America and how it may lose its edge, talks of California separating from USA.

I have spent a lot of time Silicon Valley and I can tell you that this judgement will not be bad given how smart and resilient the people of America are. Every dark cloud has a silver lining and I see a lot of new startups focused on areas of healthcare, manufacturing, security, infrastructure, fin-tech getting a major boost from the Trump administration and its policies.

If there is anyone who has the license to distrust the system it’s Donald Trump. The same goes for India and Indians living in the United States. Indian software companies who have been traditionally focused on software services will be forced to look at products and IP based solution.

This shift from services to product will benefit both startup ecosystems of America & India and many of these companies will be looking at investments & acquisitions. I believe the trade relations between the two largest democracies will strengthen leading to a powerful alliance owing to the geopolitical scenarios and rapid industrialisation in India.

Most Indians living in the US are small business owners or white collar workers and they will have a greater role to play in this changing landscape as both of them will be focused on creating more jobs and more value. To conclude, while Trump may not be perfect, in his quest to make America great again a lot of that greatness will rub off on the people dealing with America.

The author is CEO, GOQii.

SonyLIV launches ‘LIV Kids’ app addressed at children; to be available on website and YouTube as well

11 Nov 2016 , 09:56

SonyLIV, the digital platform of Sony Pictures Networks’ India, on Thursday launched “LIV Kids” that will feature content designed for children.

LIV Kids will feature popular nursery rhymes such as “Pop Goes the Weasel”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “Humpty Dumpty” and “Wheels on the Bus”.

Produced by SonyLIV, the content on LIV Kids will be available on SonyLIV’s website and mobile application, as well as on its YouTube channel.

“With the category offering an exciting range of nursery rhymes which are both fun and informative, we are confident that our younger audience will enjoy our latest addition to the fullest,” said Uday Sodhi, executive vice-president and head (Digital Business), Sony LIV, in a statement.

SonyLIV is a premium video on demand (VOD) service by Sony Pictures Networks’ India (SPN) providing multi-screen engagement to users on all devices

The digital platform was launched in January 2013 and archives 20 years of content from the network channels of Sony Pictures Networks’.

IANS

Instagram update brings links, tagging friends and built-in Boomerang in stories

By tech2 News Staff / 11 Nov 2016 , 09:36

Facebook is known to constantly tweak features on its products, and the latest is Instagram that adds not one but three new features to Stories. So, users can add URL links to their Stories, add mentions ‘@name’ in a friend’s story and add a Boomerang directly without the need to create it separately on a Boomerang app. Boomerangs are short video clips that loop back and forth.

To begin with, the ability to add URL links would means with a single click you will navigate to the web page that has been linked. Users will find ‘See More’ links at the bottom of the stories, which will allow verified accounts to add links. Techcrunch explains that the’see More’ button instead of actually seeing links will keep the photo free of ugly links while still allowing one-click access to them. Moreover, Instagram will block inappropriate links. As aforementioned, Instagram is testing it with verified accounts and may later expand to others too.

The second feature Mentions will let you tag a friend in a story using @. So, you take a picture or video for a story add text and tag a friend using @name. Instagram will also autocomplete the user names. “You’ll receive a notification in Direct when you’re mentioned in someone else’s story. Just tap the preview to go straight to the story for as long as it’s live. If someone you don’t follow mentions you, you’ll see the notification in your message requests,” Instagram writes in a blogpost.

Finally, Instagram will let you take Boomerang directly inside Instagram. So, swipe from your feed to open stories camera and a new format picker under the record button will allow users to select Boomerang mode. Once users tap on record, the camera will stitch together a burst of photos into a mini video that will play forward and backward. Users can then share it to their stories.

Russia launches case against Microsoft over alleged violation of competition laws

Image Credits: Reuters

11 Nov 2016 , 09:46

Russia has launched a case against US IT giant Microsoft over alleged violation of the country’s competition law, Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said on Thursday.

Anatoly Golomolzin, deputy head of the anti-monopoly watchdog, said Microsoft was suspected of violating the Russian law on the protection of competition for misusing its dominant position in the Russian software market, Xinhua news agency reported.

The investigation was prompted after Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab accused Microsoft of making the Russian anti-virus manufacturers unable to compete with Microsoft by reducing the adaptation time of Russian anti-virus software producers from two months to six days in its latest Windows 10 operating system.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been urging state entities and local companies to use domestic software out of concerns over security and reliability.

According to Russia’s Minister of Communications Nikolay Nikiforov, the government has produced a list of nearly 2,000 Russian software products that state-run companies should use instead of foreign brands.

IANS