Tag Archives: Android

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

You Can Now Unlock your BMW With Your Android Smartphones, If It Supports UWB Digital Keys

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Last year, iOS users got their first dibs in unlocking their cars; well, their BMWs with their smartphone. They call this a Digital Key Plus and it was made exclusively for the iPhone. With ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, a sort of secure wireless communication technology that was introduced in the iPhone not too long before. They also introduced the same technology in Samsung’s Galaxy device and a few Android devices a few years ago onward. To be fair, the technology was introduced specifically for modern cars that now offers keyless entry technology. The technology was meant to be worked into a digital key that you can use to unlock and drive your car even without the original key from the manufacturers for the specific cars. So far though the only manufacturer that has been progressive enough to introduce digital keys for smartphones is BMW, for iPhone users.

That will not be the case anymore though, at least in terms of only iPhone users getting BMW’s love. BMW have updated their cars to bring digital keys to Samsung and a few Google Pixel devices running Android 13 and supporting UWB connection. Samsung devices from the Galaxy S21 Ultra onward with UWB support can now unlock BMW cars. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Fold 3, Note 20 also can now support UWB digital keys. Select Google Pixel smartphone like the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro can unlock BMW cars with UWB digital keys too.

There is another caveat too with the new UWB digital key function. The function will only work with BMW vehicles produced November 2022 onward with older vehicles to be added in the future via a software update.

BMW says that the function can be easily activated via the My BMW app, available on the Google Play Store. Once activated, your smartphone becomes your Digital Key Plus. That also means that you can leave your physical keys in the drawer and drive your car as if it had a key in it just if you carry your smartphones with the My BMW app with you. It does not just unlock your car and allow you to drive it wherever you want to go, you can also program the BMW to lock itself as you walk away from your BMW. That way you can walk away from your car without worrying about locking your cars.

For now, BMW has not opened the function to any other Android devices. As more Android smartphones feature UWB function on the smartphones, we are suspecting that BMW will also start offering more Digital Key Plus support to other devices. BMW will not be the only manufacturer that jumps on the Digital Key bandwagon too as more smartphones support UWB.

Android, Mobile, News

Google Play Saves Your Storage by Archiving Your Least-Used Apps Automatically

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Google just updated their policy just last week to ensure that users have more control over their own data on apps and account on their selected apps. This week, they are updating the app itself to add a little bit more automation on the app. While it may sound a little counter-intuitive especially with the whole initiative in giving users more control over their own smartphone and data, it is a good update for users.

Smartphones in the modern world allow you to have thousands of apps in your smartphone. In fact, you would install thousands of apps on your smartphone. All these takes up precious storage on your smartphone and when you find a new app you could use, you run out of storage space before you know it. To install the new app, you must clear up your storage by deleting things on your smartphone, uninstall apps. Thing is, you might want to keep those apps still because they could come in handy. You want to ensure that your app data is still in your smartphone in case you want to start running the app again. There is a way, thanks to Google’s latest update to Google Play.

You can now opt-in for Google Play’s new ‘auto-archive’ function. According to Google’s developer blog update, the function will help the user free up space on their smartphones without the need to manually uninstall apps from their smartphone. Google Play cleverly partially remove an app that you have not used for a long time on your smartphone to give way for newer and more functional apps. It is not really completely uninstalled though; the app’s data is still stored within the smartphone and you can re-download the app when you want to use it again as long as the app is still available on Google Play Store.

Of course, the function is not only an opt-in for the user, but also for developers. Their apps would have to have the function built into their app. They would also have to be using App Bundle to publish their apps on Google Play Store. Once their app enables the auto-archive function, the apps will be less likely to turn up on uninstall suggestions when users want to clear their smartphone’s storage.

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Source: Google Blog

For users to opt-in, a prompt will trigger when a user tries to install an app on their smartphone with full storage. The prompt will appear and ask if the user would like to enable auto-archive. Once the user enables auto-archive, Google Play will cleverly do its thing to archive apps you hardly use or have not been using for a long time to free up some storage space for the new app. No, you do not have to do much, just make sure your Google Play Store is up to date to get the function.

Android, News

Google Keep Finally Getting Updates to Make it More Tablet Friendly

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Android apps in general have been notorious for lacking support for larger screens and newer foldable devices. The situation has changed slightly with Android 12L and 13 which brought native support and optimizations to the OS. However, there has been little done to bring apps up to date. What’s worse, Google itself has slacked when it comes to its own Google apps.

However, that’s beginning to change with optimizations making it to apps like Google Docs since last year. The latest app to get it? Google Keep. The notetaking app will now allow users to have a two pane view on larger displays and tablets. This layout will have the notes grid on one side while the actual contents of the notes will appear on the other. This is done by running two instances of the app at the same time in tandem with Android’s native split screen multitasking. The new feature is comes a year after Google Docs got the same feature.

Multi instance support now available for Google Keep on large screen Android devices

The new feature comes after Google introduced the single note widget for Android. This widget allows users to pin a single note to the home screen of their Android devices. Items like to-do lists become fully interactive widgets allowing users to check and add more items. It can also jump into the full app with a single tap of the enlarge button.

Together with the new feature for Google Keep, Google also introduced full mouse support for Google Sheets and Google Slides on Android. In addition, Workspace users will also be able to move folders from My Drive into Shared Folders as well.

Android, iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

iPhone Users Can Now Try the Galaxy S23 On Their iPhone.

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Samsung has been at the forefront of Android smartphones for quite sometime now. Samsung has also led the charge in getting iPhone users over to the Android boat. The employed many tactics for this. They poked fun at Apple in their own ads, they offer incentives for Apple users choosing to opt into Android, they made data transfer from an iPhone to Galaxy smartphone much simpler and hassle free than before, and they encourage iPhone users to try the Galaxy devices as much as they can. In their latest effort, iPhone users get to use the Samsung Galaxy S23 for free, on their iPhone that is.

They cheekily call it the Galaxy app. Yes, it is an app that will run the Galaxy S23 interface on your iPhone. It is not available on the Apple App Store, so you have to download it via web. It is also not a proper app that overlays your iPhone with Android 13 based One UI 5.1 interface. It is a web app, a web page that lets you test run the Galaxy S23 on the web.

But it is not just some web app that lets you scroll through the home page, the app tray, and nothing else. It allows you to try the camera interface too, through your iPhone cameras and experience things like Nightography and Night Mode. You can even try apps like Photo Remaster on the web app, allowing you to edit whatever photos you take on the app. All this is to show how powerful a Samsung Galaxy S23 camera system is. You can even try gaming on the Galaxy S23 to see how smooth it can be, although you are not technically playing a game.

Of course, you can customise your Galaxy S23 experience all on the web app. You can change the wallpaper, background, themes, icons, and even more that is available on One UI 5.1. The app is also designed specifically for iPhone, so it will not do anything if you try going on your web browser on your PC to test it out. If you are on an Android device, there will also be an attached warning for the web app. In that case, if you are on an iPhone, you can test out the web app and try out the Samsung Galaxy S23 yourself via their web app.

Android, Gaming, Mobile, News

Lenovo’s Legion Phone series is Dead

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Gaming smartphones are continuing to carve a niche for themselves ever since the ROG Phone was announced by ASUS. While that may be the case, the unique place the smartphone occupies in the market has made it one of the most competitive segments in the smartphone arena. Lenovo was one of the many brands to enter that arena with their Legion gaming brand in 2020.

However, it looks like the recent Lenovo Legion Y70 is the last phone that will be released by Lenovo under their Legion brand. Rumours surfaced earlier last week that Lenovo could be sunsetting its Legion smartphone. These rumours started as someone claiming to be a Lenovo posted a comment suggesting that the Legion phone would not be continuing.

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It looks like that may just be the case. In a statement to Android Authority, a spokesperson confirmed that “Lenovo is discontinuing its Android-based Legion mobile gaming phones..”. Apparently, the sunsetting of the Legion phone comes as a larger business transformation exercise which includes a consolidation of their gaming portfolio.

Here’s their full statement to Android Authority:

Lenovo is discontinuing its Android-based Legion mobile gaming phones as part of a wider business transformation and gaming portfolio consolidation. As a leader in gaming devices and solutions, Lenovo is committed to advancing the gaming category across form factors, as well as focusing on where it can bring the most value to the global gaming community.

Lenovo Spokesperson

It’s sad to see a smartphone go the way of the dinosaurs. However, there’s still brands like Blackshark and ASUS that are still committed to their gaming smartphones. In fact, ASUS’s ROG Phone 7 is set to be announced later in April.

Accessories, Android, Camera, iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

FUJIFILM Launches INSTAX UP! Smartphone App, Because an INSTAX Camera Alone is Not Enough

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The INSTAX cameras are a lot of fun. In any social gathering, the INSTAX camera and printer can capture great memories and you can physically keep the photos for these occasions and start a collection. There is only one issue, with most INSTAX cameras, there is no way for you to digitally store the photos. This is where INSTAX UP! app comes in.

It is not another camera app. You do not need another camera app on your smartphone, since most modern smartphones offer better than ever camera experiences today. But it still does rely on using your smartphone’s camera.

Instead of capturing the regular things like portrait or objects in street photography, it captures your INSTAX print outs. It can even recognize the type of print you are using including mini, SQUARE, and WIDE films. To ensure that the digital copy is free of all sorts of blemish, the app automatically reduces glare on the photos in challenging conditions. You can even adjust the contrast, brightness, and even colour vividness and temperature after capturing the photos. All that is then stored in your smartphone digitally so that you can reprint the image using an INSTAX printer if you want.

There are more you can do with your INSTAX photos now with the INSTAX UP! app. There is a new ‘photo in photo’ mode. You can take the print and put it against a backdrop of a scenery or other photos to be shared across social media directly from the app itself. You can even compile your favourite photos within the app. While compiling your collection, you can shake the app to mimic the INSTAX films being tossed around in a box. You can even share this collection with your friends directly from the app.

The app even allows you to choose how you want to view your INSTAX photos. You can keep it neat and organized in the ‘list view’ mode. Or, if you do not mind a little bit of chaos, there is the ‘box view’ mode that makes it look like you tossed your INSTAX films all into a box. You can also find a few ‘tips and tricks’ from the app itself in taking photos and portraits that will look good on and INSTAX films or even how to spice up your home and room with INSTAX products.

  • INSTAX UP USE CASE 1
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP USE CASE 2
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP USE CASE 3
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP USE CASE 4
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP USE CASE 5
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP UI 1
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP UI 2
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP UI 3
    Source: FUJIFILM
  • INSTAX UP UI 4
    Source: FUJIFILM

The app is now available for free on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. The app, as mentioned, is compatible with any INSTAX film and photos that has been printed. Again, it is not a camera app. You can find out more about the INSTAX UP! and other products from their website.  

Android, News

[MWC 2023] Google Brings New Features to Android

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Google is bringing a few new features to Android and Chromebooks. Most of the new features will be making their way to Android devices starting today. These new features mainly bring more “Material You” to Android and its personalization features. However, there are a few updates in the list that improve productivity and accessibility.

Google Keep Gets A Widget & Wear OS Complication

For those looking to be more productive on their Android devices, Google Keep has got your back. The note-keeping and to-do list app is being improved with a widget that allows you to pin single notes to your home screen. The new widget is fully actionable; allowing you to check things off your checklist or even update notes. It will display reminders, background colours and images in the Keep notes and also syncs seamlessly with Google Keep and your smartwatch.

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Speaking of smartwatches, if you have a Wear OS by Google smartwatch – this includes the new Samsung Galaxy Watch5 series – you’ll be able to use Google Keep on the go. Google is also introducing two new shortcuts for Wear OS that allows you to create notes and to-do lists from your Wear OS watch face.

In addition to this, Google is enabling direct editing and annotating of PDFs with a stylus or by touch in the Google Drive app. You’ll be able to use different strokes, the highlighter or even hide, undo, delete or save a new copy of the annotated document too.

Less Noise on Google Meet, More Seamless Integration with Chromebooks

Google Meet is getting noise cancellation during calls on more Android devices. This means you’ll be able to drown out the noise when you have to take a meeting on the go.

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Being on the go means you’ll need your earbuds or headphones to take the call, thankfully, if you’re using a Chromebook, Google is bringing Fast Pair to Chromebooks. This will simplify connecting your Bluetooth audio devices to the Chromebook essentially making it a single click. What’s more, if you’ve paired the device on your Android smartphone before, it will seamlessly connect to your Chromebook as well.

Express Yourself

Android is getting more ways to express yourself as well. New emoji combinations will be able on Emoji Kitchen. You’ll be able to combine two or more emojis to better express yourself in chats with Gboard. In addition to this, you’ll also be able to customise Google Wallet’s pay animations. Google will be bringing things like playful penguins to Google Wallet.

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Finally, Google Chrome will allow you to increase the size of the content you’re viewing in the browser with a simple slider. The slider will allow you to change things like the text, images, videos and interactive controls by up to 300% while preserving the page layout. You’ll even be able to save your preferences so you don’t have to keep resetting them every time. The feature is currently in Chrome Beta before it officially rolls out in March.

Android, Mobile, News

Mali GPU security gaps puts your device at risk

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A known security vulnerability in Mali GPU could affect millions of Android devices as it remains unpatched as reported by Google.

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A known Mali GPU security vulnerability remains unpatched and puts your Android device at risk.
Image source: Forbes

As reported first by 9to5Google, Google Project Zero has highlighted a security vulnerability known as CVE-2022-33917 affecting only Mali GPUs. The platform is found on non-Snapdragon Android devices most notably Samsung Exynos chipsets, and Google’s Tensor chipsets. Mediatek Dimensity devices from OPPO, Xiaomi. According to developer ARM, this vulnerability allows attackers to gain access to freed memory. Google added that “…by forcing the kernel to reuse these pages as page tables, an attacker with native code execution in an app context could gain full access to the system…”.

ARM has already been informed of the vulnerability by Project Zero as early as July this year. On their official site, ARM has stated that they have already fixed the vulnerability on their end. However, security measures are yet to been taken by smartphone developers like Samsung, Google and the rest. A statement on 27th November by both Android and Pixel teams stated a fix is currently under testing. It was stated that the fix will be available to all “in the coming weeks”. Two weeks on since then, no further updates have been provided.

Source: 9to5Google, PhoneArena, SamMobile

Android, Mobile, News

ZTE announces the Voyage 40 Pro+ to succeed Axon 40 SE

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ZTE announces the new Voyage 40 Pro+ in China, a device that improves upon the Axon 40 SE released in October.

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The Voyage 40 Pro+ improves upon the Axon 40 SE. Image source: GSMArena

ZTE has retained the key design elements and hardware of the mid-range Axon 40 SE and made some select improvements. Both phones share a similar appearance with the twin circular camera housing on the back and dimensions. They share the same 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution and 770 nit peak brightness. But that’s where the similarities end.

Chipset, battery and cameras upgrades from the Axon 40 SE

The Voyage 40 Pro+ has hardware improvements all around, starting with the mobile platform it runs on. Powering the device is a Mediatek Dimensity 810 that offers improved core speeds and 5G connectivity. This a step up from the Unisoc T618 chipset seen in its predecessor. The memory configurations have been doubled from the Axon 40 SE, with 8GB of RAM and 256 GB storage. It still retains a microSD slot and has the option for further virtual RAM up to 6 GB. The battery also has a capacity increase to 4510mAh with significantly faster 66W charging, up from 4500mAh and 22.5W charging. The main shooter in the three camera setup has also improved, with 64MP sensor up from 50MP. The 5MP macro cam and 2MP depth sensor from its predecessor still remains. The front camera too is upgraded to a 16MP shooter from 8MP.

Voyage 40 Pro+ special edition and availability

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Available in two colors and a special Starry Night edition. Image source: GSMArena

The Voyage 40 Pro+ is now retailing in China, exclusively for the moment, retailing at an estimated RM1393 (2200 yuan). It is available in two colors; Sky Blue and Twilight Gray. Also available is the Starry Night edition, inspired by the van Gogh painting, retailing for the same price. For more details and availability in Malaysia, visit the official ZTE Malaysia website and follow ZTE Malaysia Facebook page.

Source: GSMArena

News

Stay on top of the FIFA World Cup with Google Search

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With the FIFA World Cup finally kicking off, Google offers new features in the Search Android app to stay up to date on every kick of the game!

Stay ahead with notifications, statistics and live scores with the Google Search app

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Get notifications from your favorite teams and in-depth stats with Google Search

To get started, search “FIFA World Cup” on the Google Search app to find a list of tournament matches for the day. Tap on the bell icon to bring up a list of the 32 participating teams and select your favorite team to receive notifications. If you’re an avid fan, tap on a match to see in depth statistics and even win probabilities of the competing teams. You can even pin the live scores of ongoing matches to your home screen so you do not miss any goals. Simply tap on the match you want to track and drag it anywhere on your home screen.

Pin live scores to your home screen

Relive all the action with recap videos and YouTube

If you’ve missed any of the action live, you can catch up using Search for daily recap videos from FIFA+ and official broadcasters on YouTube. You can even react to your favorite moments from the tournament using the Remix feature in Shorts. Don’t forget to follow #ShortsFIFAWorldCup and use the hashtag to share your content with World Cup fans.

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Watch highlights and replays of all the matches on YouTube and FIFA+.

Interact with fans around the world with player ratings

Any players in the tournament caught your eye? You can use Search to learn about their stories and accomplishments. You can also rate players on how you think they will perform and see how other World Cup fans rate them too.

If you want a little more action, join other fans around the world in the Mini Cup game! Once a real-live match is live, pick your team and work together with other fans to score the most virtual goals.

Score virtual goals with other fans for your favorite team
Score virtual goals with other fans for your favorite team

While scoring virtual goals may be fun, nothing beats the atmosphere of a live venue. Search has new labels for businesses to help fans find venues that broadcast the World Cup. Simply search for “Where to watch the world cup near me” to find a spot to meet up with other fans to enjoy the games.

Don’t miss another match with Wear OS Countdown

Never miss another World Cup match if you have a Wear OS watch. You can set match viewing plans on your calendar in the Agenda app. You can also ask Google to set reminders for upcoming matches. Wear OS watches can also channel useful information before matches such as team-lineups and player profiles. If your team scores, you can find a fun little animation to celebrate the goal with you!

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Never miss another FIFA World Cup match with Wear OS watches