Thursday, August 3, 2017

LG V30 Confirmed to Feature a 6″ FullVision OLED Panel

Sources close to XDA told us some details about what we could see in the LG V30 back in June. At the time, the two biggest changes we know about are that the phone will ditch the secondary display, and that it'll be switching to an OLED panel. Getting rid of the secondary display was shocking to us, but we have actually heard a lot about LG's efforts into OLED technology. They've largely used LCD for their phones (other than the Flex series), but have used OLED panels for their TVs.

Not only is LG investing in the technology themselves, but reports indicate that Google is also helping to help increase their production capabilities. These two main changes have been confirmed by multiple sources in the industry, with the latest coming from Android Authority who says LG will be replacing the secondary display with a so called "floating bar." Exactly what that entails is up to anyone's guess right now, but it's likely to be software UI bar that you can slide in from the edge of the display.

The LG V30 is slated to be launched later this month on the 31st of August and now the company is starting to tease some of these previously reported details. In an LG Newsroom article last night, the company confirms the LG V30 will indeed be equipped with an OLED panel. The company mentions its the LG G Flex 2 and its "leadership" in the premium TV segment and talks about how they'll be extending this to the smartphone market as well.

They also confirmed that the device would come with the same FullVision design that we saw with the LG G6. Meaning it will have slim bezels, curved corners, and the 18:9 aspect ratio with a pixel resolution of 2880 x 1440. Not only that, but the LG V30 will have a 6″ 18:9 (or 2:1) display in a smaller body than last year's LG V20 — this isn't particularly surprising, though, given the display would have about the same width as a traditional 5.5″ panel, with additional height. Removing the bottom chin goes a long way!


Source: LG Newsroom



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Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Predict the Popularity of Instagram and Facebook Posts with Cornea AI

A lot of people use social networks such as Instagram or Facebook to share their artistic photographs. But having an eye for photography doesn't guarantee your work will be popular and shared throughout your follower's networks. So Cornea.AI is an Android 4.4+ application from XDA Junior Member mainland2021 that attempts to use artificial intelligence to score how well your photo will do on these social platforms. It even comes with some curated filters and offers a handful of popular hashtags to use when publishing Instagram posts. It's not guaranteed to raise your social media rating, but it might be able to help!

Cornea: Unlimited Filters, Popularity Predictor (Free, Google Play) →


Check out the thread in our forum



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How to Disable Facebook Messenger Day Feature on Android

In Facebook's never ending fight against Snapchat, the company launched a feature called the Facebook Messenger Day. But while Snapchat Stories feature was a way for you to show people what you did that day, Facebook Messenger Day's filters and Active Now indicators are there to quickly find something to do or someone to talk to. The thing is, it's turned into one of those features that gets pushed in your face. If you think Facebook's Day feature and wished it would stop asking you to "add to your day", luckily there's a way to disable Facebook Messenger Day. No longer will you be bothered by the Messenger Day Snapchat clone and its My Day feature as we'll be disabling it entirely in the app.

While some users might find new Messenger features to be useful, others hate the features that are forced on them. Facebook My Day is one such hated feature, at least by some. Currently, Facebook Messenger Day can show up anywhere in your list of chats. Some find it sitting right at the top of the screen (even if they don't care to use it), while others will find it tucked away between a couple of chats when they're scrolling through them. Many wish that Facebook would just let the end user choose if they wanted to use the My Day feature or not instead of forcing it up on them.

There are two different ways to disable Facebook Messenger Day, with one requiring you to have root access and the other not requiring root access. The root method will actively disable the My Day feature inside your own existing Facebook Messenger application while the non-root method is possible thanks to a modded version of Facebook Messenger from someone in our own community.


Disable Facebook Messenger Day (Root Method)

  1. Download and launch the Terminal Emulator application
  2. Execute the following command into the prompt: su
  3. Then execute the following command into the prompt: am start -n "http://ift.tt/2sfo083"
    terminal emulator
  4. Once you execute that second command it should launch a hidden settings page within Facebook Messenger
  5. Tap on the Gate Override option
    gatekeeper override
  6. Tap the Search Gatekeepers option
    search gatekeeper
  7. Search for the following text: internal
    internal
  8. Then set the messenger_internal_prefs_android option to YES
    internal prefs
  9. Tap the back button in your navigation bar
  10. Now look for and tap the MobileConfig option
    mobileconfig
  11. Search for the following text: wave2
    wave2
  12. Make the "wave2 montage enabled" option to false
    wave2 false
  13. Then tap the Restart Now option at the bottom to restart Messenger
    restart

Disable Facebook Messenger Day (Without Root)

As mentioned earlier, the previous method requires root but there is another method available to those who do not have root access. XDA Member evilwombat has created a modded version of the Facebook and Messenger applications. These modded versions reduce ads, cut out useless features, and more. In addition, this modded version also enables access to the Internal settings option without having to use a shell command.

Normally, that Internal settings menu requires root access in order to open it with the stock Messenger application as the internal settings menu is an unexported activity, but evilwombat has gone in and modded the Facebook Messenger application so that it is freely accessible right when you install their version. Since this modded version of Messenger can simply be sideloaded onto any supported Android smartphone or tablet, his means you can bypass the steps 1 through 9 of the guide above if you choose to use this modded application.

However, Facebook uses key-based authentication for data sharing between its family of applications. So in order to use this method that does not require root access, you will need to uninstall all other applications that are made by Facebook. This includes Facebook itself, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Messenger Lite, Page Manager, etc. Since evilwombat has to sign the modded APK with their own key, it causes conflicts with the other applications in the Facebook family.

So once you uninstall those applications and then sideload the modded application(s) from evilwombat, we can follow these steps below.

  1. Launch the Messenger app
  2. Dive into the Settings
  3. Tap on the Internal menu option
  4. Look for and tap the MobileConfig option
    mobileconfig
  5. Search for the following text: wave2
    wave2
  6. Change the wave2 montage enabled feature to false
    wave2 false
  7. Then tap the Restart Now option at the bottom to restart Facebook Messenger
    restart

So again, the steps to actually disable Facebook My Day from the modded version is the same as the root method. We just get to skip a lot of the tutorial since the Internal menu option in the settings of the Facebook Messenger application has already been enabled. All we're doing is going in and toggling off this new feature from this hidden internal menu and that will prevent the Facebook My Day feature from clogging up your application.


Explanation

So what we're doing here in this guide is surfacing a hidden menu from within the Facebook Messenger application. We can do this with a terminal emulator that has root access or with a modded APK that has the menu exposed to the user. In the hidden menu, we can start to toggle a couple of options not normally available to most users.

To actually disable Facebook Messenger Day, we need to look for and tap on the MobileConfig option from within the Facebook Messenger internal settings section. Once you go there, you'll be able to search for something so just type in wave2 and you'll see the wave2 montage feature that we need to change. There will be a Value section on this page that by default is set to True but we just need to tap the False option (was right above True for me).

When you change this from True to False, you should see a message appear at the bottom of the page saying your override has been set and tells you to restart the application for your changes to take effect. Go ahead and tap the Restart Now blue text and Facebook Messenger will close and then open again. This method was discovered thanks to /u/jagotu in the /r/Android thread they created about it.

 



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Actions on Google Receives a British English Accent Option

In October of last year, Google unveiled the new Pixel and Pixel XL on stage at a rather low key event. The new Pixel phones weren't the only things announced then though, as Google Assistant took up a considerable chunk of the presentation. There wasn't much information revealed that day about how developers would utilize this, but they did confirm the platform would be called Actions on Google and that it would be made available at a later date.

A little more than 2 months later the company officially launched Actions on Google and explained how developers would be able to integrate Google Assistant into their applications and services. Now, Google does a ton of work to launch new products and services, but a major criticism levied at the company is how long it takes them to expand their services into other countries. For instance, it took Google until April of this year for them to finally bring Google Home and Google WiFi to the United Kingdom.

Although Actions on Google has been available to U.K. developers, it hadn't been given a proper British English accent. This changes today though as the company has announced Actions on Google is now available in four new TTS voices with an en-GB accent option. For those who are curious, you can check out the different male and female voice options which are available for developers and there you'll find the new en-GB option.

Google also recommends that local developers begin reviewing all of the response text strings so they can make adjustments. This will help make the application shine when it is accessed on the phone. Developers behind applications such as Akinator, Blinkist Minute, and SongPop have worked closely with Google to optimize the UX for en-GB Assistant users already. The developer toolsdocumentation and simulator that Google provides have all been updated for testing this new update too.


Source: Google Developers Blog



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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Final Hardware Specifications Leaked

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Note 8 is one of the most anticipated phones of the year. The Note series from Samsung is popular in its own right, but fans of the series had to deal with the battery debacle from last year and many have been looking forward to the new one. So far, we've seen an alleged CAD render of the device, Samsung confirmed it would be announced on August 23rd, and then just recently we saw what is said to be official press renders for the device.

So we've heard a lot about the upcoming flagship smartphone from Samsung, but technical specs of the device haven't really been touched upon. The renders show there will be two cameras on the back of the device and we can see the fingerprint reader is on the back as well. Still, we generally hear about specifications before the same month the device will be unveiled but that didn't happen with the Galaxy Note 8. Today though, Evan Blass at VentureBeat has revealed what is said to be the final specs of the upcoming smartphone.

The report cites "a person briefed on the device's final configuration" but just like all rumors, we should take this information with a tiny grain of salt – though Mr. Blass's track record on leaks is superb to say the least. The device is said to have IP68 certification just like we saw with the Samsung Galaxy S8 devices. We had heard it would have a bigger display and now this rumor says it will have a 6.3″ Super AMOLED panel capable of a 2,960 x 1440 pixel resolution with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. This should end up giving the Galaxy Note 8 physical dimensions of 162.5mm x 74.6mm, with an 8.5mm thickness.

Inside, the Galaxy Note 8 will have the Exynos 8895 SoC in most markets, but the Snapdragon 835 will be used in the United States. Unlike the SoC though, the Galaxy Note 8 will be getting an upgrade in the RAM department to 6GBs, and it will be paired with 64GBs of internal storage with a microSD card slot. Both rear cameras are said to be 12MP sensors, but the primary, wide-angle one has an f1.7 aperture and dual-pixel autofocus. The other is a telephoto lens has an f2.4 aperture and will enables a 2x optical zoom.

The front-facing camera will feature an 8MP sensor and have an aperture of f1.7 with an autofocus lens. Lastly, the Galaxy Note 8 will be powered by a 3,300mAh capacity battery that can be charged via USB Type-C or wirelessly like we saw with the Galaxy Note 8. Initial color options will be Midnight Black and Maple Gold, with a later release of Orchid Grey and Deep Sea Blue.


Source: VentureBeat



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AT&T Confirms the Galaxy S8 Active in a New Promotion

Samsung Galaxy S Active series has been the rugged variant of their H1 flagship smartphone since its inception. Not only does it have a more durable build to it, but it tends to come with a larger battery and more features than the regular Galaxy S device it's named after. We always assume that a new one is coming later in the year, but we didn't start hearing about the Galaxy S8 Active since April of this year. The first hint about the device came to us from SamMobile.

We learned the Galaxy S8 Active would carry the codename Cruiser, and that it should have the model number SM-G892A. Other than the typical changes we see from the transition to the Active model, there wasn't much other information revealed then. Then in July there were some leaked hands-on images of the device that showed it from all angles. Just last week notorious leaker Evan Blass revealed what was said to be an official press render of the upcoming device from AT&T.

As with all leaks, they should always be taken with a grain of salt because nothing is official until the company confirms it for themselves. There's just too much hype and too many hopes built upon leaks that can quite frequently leave you unsatisfied unless you're really picky about who you trust. So it was surprising to us to see the Galaxy S8 Active mentioned in some new promotional material published directly on the AT&T website.

Galaxy S8 Active promo

The company is advertising a new promotion where you can get $500 off a Samsung television when you switch to DirecTV and purchase a Galaxy S8 with AT&T's Next payment plan. At least, that's all it says at the top of the page, but when we look at the FAQ at the bottom, we see other smartphones mentioned. So while the regular Galaxy S8 is eligible for the promotion, the bigger Galaxy S8+ is eligible as well. Not only that, but the text also says the Galaxy S8 Active is part of this promotion too.


Source: AT&T



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LG is Rumored to Replace the LG V30 Secondary Display with a “Floating Bar”

LG's V series was a way for the South Korean electronics maker to compete with other OEMs who release their high-end smartphones in the second half of the year. It makes sense for an OEM to do this too as right before the holiday season is the perfect time to have a new product on the market. LG felt that making the V series bigger than its traditional G series flagship was a good idea, but they also used a secondary display to make it stand out as well.

This secondary display of the LG V10 and the LG V20 was something that seemed confusing to a lot of people. Phones in the past have put one at the bottom so that it's more accessible, but LG decided to put it at the top. The location plus the fact that the LG V series is bigger than the average phone meant that it was difficult to reach when using the phone with one hand. Still, that feature was enough to win some fans over and they've grown to love it over the years.

However, sources close to XDA recently revealed to us that LG would be ditching this secondary display with their upcoming LG V30. It was one of the only features that made it stand out from the competition and it confused the community as to why they would decide to do this. Now, a new rumor from Android Authority corroborates what we revealed back in June and then reveals some additional details about what we should expect to see from LG later this month.

If true, LG wants to keep the functionality of a secondary display, but instead will relegate those shortcuts to a floating bar. Additional details about this bar has yet to be revealed, but it could make those shortcuts more accessible than having them at the top of the device (especially given a 2:1 aspect ratio would add vertical display length). This new rumor also says the LG V30 will have a 6″ QHD+ OLED display with rounded corners like we have with the LG G6. Lastly, LG is said to be upping their camera game too as the device is said to be the first smartphone to feature a camera with an f/1.6 aperture sensor.


Source: Android Authority



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