Most Android enthusiasts might know of LeEco as a company that sells smartphones, but they are actually a huge conglomerate that has a hand in a number of markets. It’s being reported that LeEco could acquire the United States TV manufacturer VIZIO. If true, we could see this acquisition officially announced sometime today.
It had been previously reported that OPPO was going to launch the F1s sometime in August, but at that time a date had not been announced. This week, OPPO has started sending out press invites to select Android publications for this specific event. We can now expect to learn more about the OPPO F1s on August 3rd at its launch event.
Some visual changes are coming to the Android, iOS and desktop versions of Google Maps. Google says they are now using a cleaner look that will highlight necessary information without overcrowding the map. The new update also allows Google to highlight areas of interest like a hotel, bar or restaurant. Lastly, Google is now using a more “subtle and balanced color scheme.”
Humble Bundle has just announced their 19th DRM-free mobile bundle for Android. This bundle includes Chameleon Run, Ys Chronicles II and Hitman GO if you pay $1 or more. If you pay more than the average, then you get Punch Club, Super Stickman Golf 3 Premium and more to be announced soon. Lastly, you get Dropsy and The Banner Saga if you pay $6 or more.
It’s not always that MediaTek SoC’s come in the news, and there are a few reasons for that. Compared to its market competition in the high end like Huawei’s Kirin, Samsung’s Exynos and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, MediaTek SoC’s do tend to fall behind the pack. The difference is not insanely visible in the lower ends, but then the second major problem with MediaTek SoC’s shows its face: their lack of GPL-mandated kernel code. The kernel code is often not released at all for a lot of their SoC’s, and if it is, it tends to be incomplete and broken. Very rarely do we come across a full GPL-compliant release of the kernel code.
Well, this is one of those rare occasions then, as a couple of MediaTek devices have received their GPL-mandated kernel code release. These devices are from the Jiayu S3 family: the Jiayu S3 (MT6752) and the Jiayu S3 Plus (MT6753). If this is the first time you’ve heard of the company, you wouldn’t be alone since these aren’t exactly the most well-known devices on a global scale. Being fairly budget Chinese devices, they pack in a ton of features at a small price tag, and they have some dedicated following in a few European nations. The people behind this claim to having worked for more than a year to get the kernel codes released for the device, which puts this achievement into perspective. As of writing this, the kernel code for the Jiayu S3 is already live, while the code for the Jiayu S3 Plus is being uploaded.
Kernel source code isn’t all that’s coming. The devices are also receiving an update to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow in the form of several ROM choices like CyanogenMod 13, Paranoid Android and AICP. These updates come to us courtesy of Team M.A.D. (Mediatek Android Developers), led by XDA Recognized Developer superdragonpt. If you are a developer, you can build the update yourself with a repo sync. But if you are a normal user, you can wait a bit for the flashable zips to come out for the devices. Watch out the Jiayu S3 Megathread for more information from the community.
This is indeed great news for the MediaTek community, and for developers of those particular MediaTek SoC’s. As is the nature of open source, these developments will benefit other devices as well by way of forking. Just goes to show, if you work with the community, great things can happen.
What are your thoughts on these recent developments? Let us know in the comments below!
Every year we see a flood of new videos featuring an “iPhone Concept” created by some random person on the internet. While the concept is rarely based on any sort of facts or technological possibility, the flashy video will be picked up by tech blogs and given the title “Could this be the next iPhone?” No it can’t. Rawad tackles the issue in this new XDA TV video.
For the past 6 years or so, without fail, I have had at least one of my friends get overly excited by the new holographic keyboard that will be featured in the new iPhone. It seems every year, the same concept videos start making their rounds. We might get a 3D endless display, a 5K screen, wireless charging, an invisible glass back… Just look at some of these concept renderings.
Now you or I might look at this and think “Obviously these aren’t real.” But so many people think they are. They share these videos on facebook and they get millions of views. That’s why these videos are made. The artist that created the concept video often details specs on the “New iPhone” that are completely ridiculous. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. These videos are not made to share an actual render that might be based on actual possibilities. They are made purely to trick the audience into thinking they are real, to get those millions of YouTube views.
Jide the Company behind Remix OS, has released the eagerly awaited Android 6.0 update for Remix OS for PC. The update has seen many features added based on feedback direct from the community including the official Remix OS forums here at XDA. As always the latest Remix OS download can be found over at jide.com and can be installed on most intel based hardware.
Some of the brilliant changes in this latest update include
“A couple of things really helped us to improve the user experience for this Android 6.0 upgrade of Remix OS. First, we collected all the feedback our user community sends us and prioritized our development work based on their needs. Second, Chih-Wei Huang’s (Android-x86 Open Source Project founder) addition to our team has been huge. His knowledge and experience has helped us immensely in creating a more stable experience on Remix OS for PC.” – Jeremy Chau, Co-Founder of Jide Technology
Additional reading
Jide Announce New Range of Devices and Hire Founder of Android-x86 Project
Jide Remix Ultra Tablet Review: Multi-window Done Right,
Jide Partners with XDA for Hosting of Remix OS Forums,
Jide Remix Mini Review – $70 of Android Desktop Experience,
Jide Announce Multi-Window Android For PC and Mac,
Jide Launch All in One PC,
Jide: Remix is Now GPL and Apache Compliant
