Newsday Tuesday (June 5 - June 12) - Your Weekly Android Digest!

Newsday Tuesday (June 5 - June 12) - Your Weekly Android Digest!


Newsday Tuesday (June 5 - June 12) - Your Weekly Android Digest!

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:23 AM PDT


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This Week in News


  • Moto Z Droid And Z Force Revealed: First things first: these two are Verizon exclusive for now, but "unlocked Moto Z is coming this fall". Specs wise, the Z Droid comes with a Snapdragon 820, has 4GB of RAM, 2600mAh battery, a 5.5" display at 1440p, 32GB/64GB expandable storage and a fingerprint sensor. The Z Force seems to be mostly the same, save for a beefed up battery (3500mAh) and camera. You can read more here.

  • ** Paranoid Android is Back:** Good news, flashaholics! Paranoid Android is back after a hiatus. Largely a new team is at it nowadays, and while the ROM is still a bit barebones, more is sure to come. Additionally, the new ROM is available for even the Nexus 4, which is turning about 700 years old in tech-years. Stay tuned for more, or read more here.

  • Marshmallow Passes 10% in Latest Distribution Figures: And in your monthly "Why Won't Froyo Die?" report, the answer is blood magic, as Froyo clings to life with 0.1% in the latest distribution figures. Marshmallow finally passed the 10% line, up from 7.5% last month, and Lollipop is currently running on about 35% of Android devices. Read more here.

  • Bluetooth 5 "Coming Soon": Five is a higher number than four, so surely Bluetooth 5 will be better, right? The official unveiling will take place on June 16, but initial reports speaks of improvements (naturally) to the tune of twice the range, four times the speed, new functionalities and so on… You can read more here.

  • Android Pay Launching Soon in Australia: The Android Pay debute for Australia is apparently imminent. For a while, it was possible to add ANZ Amex cards already, but that was removed after a few articles showing it went live. It does, however, give credence to the idea that a full launch is coming soon, well ahead of the "before end of 2016" deadline previously set. Read more here.

  • Google Introduces "Nearby" Feature: So, what's this "Nearby" feature? Well… It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Unless what you think it sounds like is Sting creeping behind you singing Every Step You Take, in which case you're wrong. It does however pull up a notification when there are apps available that are relevant to places nearby (hence the name). Some examples used in the blogpost was having an in-flight entertainment app easily show up while you're waiting to board, or download an audio walkthrough of a museum you're visiting… All in all, it clearly has potential. Read more here.


This Week in Apps


  • VLC Nightly Build With Chromecast Support: One of the latest nightly builds for VLC has added Chromecast support. While this only applies to the PC version, it's still a huge quality of life improvement. Hopefully it will make it's way over to the Android version soon as well. Read more here.

  • Official Twitter App Gets Material Redesign: Well, it's nothing major, but it's a clear step in the right direction for the official Twitter app. While it still lacks a functioning night-mode, it's looking much better now. Floating action button, a navigation menu that slides out from the left; the whole Material Design starter kit. Read more here.

  • Whatsapp Enables Quotes in Latest Beta: The latest in a series of solid improvements from Whatsapp brings the ability to quote previous messages. In and of itself it may not seem like much, but it shows that - unlike many others in similar situations - Whatsapp won't stop developing features and rest on its laurels. Rather, it's kept looking at what competitors do right, and integrate it into its own app, as it needs to if it wants to remain at the top. Read more here.


Brief Introduction

Hi, I am /u/deu5ex, one of the writers for the /r/android content creation team. Economics student, hooked on customization fiddling, consumer of unhealthy amounts of caffeine, and I will be providing you with periodic content your reading pleasure. I also write for the XDA News Portal, where I go more in-depth into just about anything Android related. Check myself and /u/justblais out every Tuesday as we try to summarize the crazy stuff that happens in Android every week!


That's it for this week. In these features, we cover news from Saturday to Saturday. In case you missed last week's summary, you can find it here. As you guys know, there are a lot of Android news every week - and more than we can fit here - but we hope this roundup was useful for many of you!

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OnePlus 3 Reviews Megathread

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 11:56 AM PDT

Today OnePlus announced the OnePlus3 (OP3). As the mods don't want several OP3 posts clogging /r/android (rightfully so) I'll try to combine all the info here.

Basic specs:

  • $399 USD | €399 EUR | £309 UK | CAD $519 | ₹ 27,999 IN
  • 5.5" AMOLED Display (pentile), 1080p 401 ppi
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
  • 64 GB storage, non-expandable
  • 6 GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • 16 MP rear camera with OIS/EIS. f/2.0 aperture.
  • 8 MP front-facing camera
  • 3000 mAh battery with dash charge (USB 2.0 type C)
  • 4G LTE, dual SIM
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Official Product Page | Official AMA | Official Video | Carl Pei on OP3

Reviews:

Videos:

Notes from AMA:

I'll post more info and links as I find them. Please feel free to share and I'll add to the list.

submitted by /u/mudclog
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OnePlus 3 Review!

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:04 AM PDT

President Obama turns in BlackBerry for locked-down Android phone

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:51 AM PDT

OnePlus AMA - OnePlus 3dition

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 11:54 AM PDT

Hey /r/android,

We've assembled a squad of OnePlus folks to answer any questions you might have about our latest flagship, the Loop VR launch event, or anything else OnePlus. We've all put in a lot of hours working on different aspects of the OnePlus 3 launch, so no one's better suited to tackle your most complex thoughts and challenging arguments. We can't wait to answer your questions! This is an AMA, so (almost) anything goes. The following members of our team will be up and at 'em:

Carl - (Co-founder) - /u/carpe02

David - (EU Team) - /u/devildv

Aaron - (ROM Team) - /u/Aaron_oneplus

Bradon - (Community/Marketing) - /u/BradonOP

Jonathan - (Customer Service) - /u/jonathan_oneplus

Some Proof: http://i.imgur.com/dl6bMIx.jpg http://i.imgur.com/cMnDJZH.jpg

You can start submitting your questions right now! We'll start answering in just a few minutes.

EDIT: Alright guys, wrapping it up for now! Thanks for all of your questions. We'll try to come back and answer a few more questions later, but for now, we gotta go finish preparing for the pop-up events. Hope to see you there!

submitted by /u/BradonOP
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OK Google, time to open Google Now custom search actions API to the mortals

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 12:51 AM PDT

After watching Apple announcement of Sirikit ( https://developer.apple.com/sirikit/) I asked myself why we don't have this on Android .

Than I realized that we have, but it's not open. Google introduced Google Now voice actions API two years ago but is limited to system voice actions like set alarm, remind me etc (full list here https://developers.google.com/voice-actions/system/) .

In the same time they announced custom voice actions where devs can implement custom action( https://developers.google.com/voice-actions/custom-actions ) . API wasn't open and devs were able to make a request to participate in the program. Today, two years later API is still not open and if Google doesn't open it quickly they may be in situation where Siri will be more useful than Google now .

I don't know why it takes so long . How they are planning to release Google home without third party apps support ?

submitted by /u/philosophermk
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There is an open source Hangouts client for desktops

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:17 AM PDT

Google should have lyrics in the Play Music app implemented like Soundhound

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:28 AM PDT

With SoundHound when you do an audio song query it also brings up the lyrics and the words are highlighted as you go along. Sorta like karaoke style.

This would be so cool.

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Michael Fisher has a new youtube channel

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 08:03 AM PDT

This is onePlus 3

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:03 AM PDT

Google Maps starts using crowdsourcing to verify suggested edits

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:01 AM PDT

David Marcus on Twitter: "Get all your messages in one place on Android starting today! SMS on steroids come to Messenger https://t.co/mpnfSyyEQB"

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:32 AM PDT

OnePlus 2 and 3 Kernel Sources!

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 12:13 PM PDT

Sony Xperia X review: Sony’s latest attempt to convince you to buy a phone from someone else

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:20 AM PDT

OnePlus 3 on Amazon.in

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:44 AM PDT

Nextbit: "Where have we heard this before?" in regards to WWDC.

Posted: 13 Jun 2016 10:24 PM PDT

PSA: Check your payment option when buying things on google Play. the default can change between stores.

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 12:48 PM PDT

I just finished an hour long argument with Google Support over this.

Over years of doing countless surveys for Google I've amassed over $40 in Google Play credit. I typically use this credit for movie rentals and the occasional app. In the past, it has always defaulted to Play credit as the payment option and I've gotten used to it. I recently purchased a movie rental on Google Play and today I noticed a charge for it on my credit card. I looked into it and for some reason the Movies store now defaults to my credit card. I check the App, Music, and Books stores and they still default to Play credit. Why in the world would the behavior be different? The support person failed to understand why this is an issue. Who would rather pay out of pocket when Play credit is available?

submitted by /u/stopher819
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A report about a vulnerability in Telegram

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 02:13 PM PDT

SMS Integration: IMO this is Overrated and We should stop pushing for it

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 12:10 PM PDT

It seems like I'm one of the very few critics against SMS integration, but let me make the argument for why I think this concept is often overrated. I personally prefer it wouldn't happen and we keep each messaging protocol separate. Feel free to discuss.


We shouldn't be blurring the lines between SMS and mobile messaging

Instead we should move people onto pure mobile messaging platforms. In European and Asian countries where people don't use SMS, why would they want that fallback capability when it could cost them tons of money? We should keep different means of communication separate.

My personal use case is for Hangouts/WhatsApp/Line/Facebook Messenger to talk to my friends/relatives. SMS is reserved for more urgent messages like when my coworkers have a work issue or what not. It's almost like a phone call without the actual call itself.


You have that ever pesky issue of iMessage users leaving and not receiving messages

Integration sounds nice, but a system that supposedly knows if you're on iMessage or not is never flawless. Look at all the issues in the past where people who have de-registered from iMessage are still not getting messages. It's clear if I decide to uninstall WhatsApp, that I stop using it, people should stop expecting to contact me there. There's no question there. If the question comes up, I tell people "Well I stopped using it, find another way to contact me." The issue with iMessage is that there's an expected continuity. You can stop using it, but it's supposed to fall back to SMS, or at least Apple's servers are supposed to know what you're using, so when messages don't get received there's outrage.

I've never been to harsh about Apple regarding the whole iMessage fiasco because honestly it's not that black and white of a problem.

  • What happens if your phone is offline for a few days because you're camping or flying internationally? It could fall back to SMS, and how long does your carrier hold messages for? You could totally miss those messages if you went on a long flight and it fell back to SMS before you could get a WiFi conection

  • I think of each iMessage conversation like an email. If today one recipient decides to kill move off iOS (or stop using iMessage if indeed it does come to Android), that's much like killing their email address. Replying to that thread is like doing a Reply-All. Of course you're going to expect delivery issues. It only makes sense to start a new thread. But does that guarantee Apple servers re-check that contact's phone #? What if it's cached in your phone that your friend's phone # 555-1212 = iMessage user? So even if they move off iMessage, does that mean your phone knows how to send the messages? This has been a long lasting problem that's plagued users leaving iOS, and even if we brought it to Android, it will plague anyone who decides to stop using iMEssage

This issue is going to continue so long as you talk about message integration. It was clear also when CyanogenMod introduced WhisperPush messaging. Sure it sounds nice, but for someone who wipes their phone all the time as a ROM flasher, how does WhisperPush know my old encryption keys are already wiped? My friends kept sending me messages and I never got them.

In an ideal world, iMessage or whatever service's servers can read my mind and know how exactly I want my messages delivered and received, but that's not always going to happen.


SMS is antiquated and a terrible protocol

Stop keeping it alive. It's an old and antiquated protocol. I'm not saying kill it entirely, but it should be used for specific purposes only like contacting those without smartphones, or perhaps an elevated level of urgency similar to a phone call. Like in the US it's acceptable at work if you give out your cell phone # to get texts. That's not the same as casual banter on WhatsApp.

Furthermore, it's not hard to see, but with sent, delivery, and read receipts, you can see why message delivery on WhatsApp is superior. There's no guarantee your messages are sent or even sent in order on SMS. Good luck trying to message people during congestion. Not to mention what limited rich content you can send in SMS. Let's not stop there and talk about group MMS. That's been one hell-hole on Android and it took til what... Android 4.2 to get that native support? And even then third party apps handle it all differently, and I've had complaints from users as late as 2015 asking why Textra doesn't do group messages properly.

Brian Klug wrote a bit about how terrible SMS is compared to iMessage, but the same points can be extended to any mobile messaging platform

Finally let's not forget SMS providers can read our messages fully. There's no E2E encryption which even providers like WhatsApp are embracing. While I don't trust WhatsApp as a communications tool to avoid 3 letter agencies, they had no need to even push E2E, so the fact that they did is still a big step forward.

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OnePlus 3 goes official in India. 5.5" 1080p AMOLED display, 6GB RAM and Quick Charge for 349$!

Posted: 13 Jun 2016 10:47 PM PDT

F-Droid 0.100 released

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 02:00 AM PDT

Flamingo 1.0.1.3 is out!

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 05:53 AM PDT

Android Marshmallow beta now available for AT&T Priv owners

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 06:23 PM PDT

1GB/2GB or 3GB? Does it even matter?

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:30 PM PDT

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