@OnLeaks Reveals LG’s Next Smartphone: LG LV5

While LG may not have had the best of 2016, at least the second half of the year will end on a better note than the other half did. LG's V20 has received much more positive attention than LG's G5 did, and with many critics slamming the modularity implementation on the G5, there was a good chance LG would drop modularity off its next flagship.

We do not have much information regarding the LG G6, but we do have some information on LG's next smartphone. Serial leaker @OnLeaks took to Twitter to reveal the upcoming LG LV5.

@OnLeaks mentions that the moniker of the device is not confirmed yet, so it could be called something else. The wordings of his post is open to interpretation, but we're inclined to believe that this is a different LG smartphone and not the successor in the G-lineup.

There are a few things to note here. The top front glass curves to a lip, which is similar to what we have seen on the G5. @OnLeaks mentions that the front is slightly curved on all edges, much like the implementation in iPhones. While he did not know if the battery is removable, he did mention that the back was removable. He also thinks this is a mid-ranger from LG, but we would need some more spec leaks to figure that out.

What do you think of LG's next smartphone? Would you like to see this design on a flagship? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Twitter: @OnLeaks

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OnePlus Explains its OxygenOS Beta Program

OnePlus has been doing Community Beta programs for its smartphones for a few months now. The Community Beta program is a good way to increase the scope of Beta builds to incorporate more test cases, while users get the chance to see what the latest feature additions and bug fixes have been done to the OS.

But Community Betas are not the only user-facing Beta testing that OnePlus does. In a post detailing the Beta Program that the company undertakes for OxygenOS, there is an additional Beta level at play. The system is explained by OnePlus as below:

• Closed Beta: ~4 updates per month
• Open Beta: ~2 updates per month
• Official Release: ~1 update every 1 or 2 months

The Closed Beta group consists of ~60 testers, who provide feedback on potentially experimental updates, code and features to OxygenOS. These changes can be considered unstable as they might break important functionality, and so, a lot of these updates are not suitable for an Open Beta. One needs to apply to become a "Certified Closed Beta" tester, though OnePlus has not detailed how one goes about in doing that.

After feedback from the Closed Beta group has been incorporated into OxygenOS, the more stable of the releases move on towards the Open Beta. This is the Community Builds that we regularly see floating around. The Open nature of this beta helps make sure that more and more scenarios are covered to unearth potential bugs. This stage is considered semi-public due to its voluntary and opt-in nature coupled with the possibility of bugs.

After several rounds of these testing phases and after the releases are deemed stable enough, the update moves on to become an Official Release. This is what all users will have pushed onto their phones in the form of OTA updates. Due to the complex nature of code in place, there are still bound to be bugs, which is why OnePlus mentions that they continue on with feature requests and bug reports.

Comparing with the market competition, OnePlus has had a very good 2016. We hope they continue on with their run on the software end as well, and give us some new version number treats to play with.

Source: OnePlus Forums

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Sprayscape: A Perfectly Imperfect VR-ish Camera From the Android Experiments Project

Google's Android Experiments project is a way for developers to create interesting and unique smartphone apps. Once approved, the app goes live on the Play Store, gets featured on Google's Android Experiments website, and has its code open-sourced and published on GitHub. You can think of it as a proof of concept that Google encourages other developers to perfect and use in their own Android application or game.

The apps that Google features on the website can be from anyone, but this particular app was created by the Google Creative Lab. The developers describe it as a "perfectly imperfect VR-ish camera for capturing faces, places, and spaces," and it's a pretty interesting concept for those who like to play around with VR. It's not an application that creates a typical 360-degree photo, but instead it's a twist on that idea.

With the application open and running, anytime you tap on the screen an image is created. When you move the device around, the app uses the gyroscope to know where it's been moved to and uses that new point for the next time an image is captured. So while you can use it to create a typical 360-degree photo (as long as nothing is moving in the scene), it can also be used to create some very trippy looking collages when you're capturing images of moving objects.

You can even keep your finger or thumb pressed down on the screen while you move the phone around. Doing this will capture a stream of images that will be stitched together in this 360-degree image. Once the user saves the image, Sprayscape creates a flat panorama image of what was captured. When one of these images are shared, the three.js web viewer takes the images and wraps it into a sphere.

Be sure to check out the GitHub page here, and check out the demo video below to get a better idea as to how this app works.

Source: Android Experiments>

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HTC will Handle the After Sales Service of the Pixel in India

As we get closer to when the Pixel and Pixel XL goes on sale, we're seeing more evidence that shows Google is taking its hardware serious this year. The company is emphasising its Built by Google and Phone by Google taglines in its ad campaigns, and we're seeing them go the extra mile in a number of areas too. It's been reported that Google spent $3.2 million dollars to advertise the Pixel and Pixel XL during the first two days after it was unveiled.

Ad executives say they are expecting Google to invest "hundreds of millions more," but Google has yet to confirm that. Although, Google's Vice President of Product Management Mario Queiroz did tell Reuters that the company planned to invest in a "very significant marketing campaign." This, on top of the marketing that Verizon Wireless will do for the device gives the Pixel and Pixel XL a good chance to compete with the other flagships on the market today.

Google knows they have to take this further though and that's exactly what they will be doing in India. The Economic Times is reporting that Google is relying on HTC for the after sales service of the Pixel and Pixel XL within the country of India. This gives customers in the country 56 different walk-in service centers in over 30 cities that they will be able to bring their device to in case anything happens.

On top of that, the same report talks about how the Pixel and Pixel XL will be sold in over 1,000 different retail outlets through India. We aren't told all the stores that the phones will be available at, but we do know that it will be sold in "seven large format store chains" including Vijay Sales, Croma, Reliance Digital, Jumbo, Spice Mobility, Poorvika and Sangeetha Mobiles across the country.

Source: The Economic Times

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LG to Launch Their 15W Wireless Charger This Month

Back in March, LG Innotek initially announced they were working on a 15W wireless charger. The company told us they would begin manufacturing these modules for smartphones and vehicle chargers sometime this year. It seems LG has been hard at work on this accessory as the company has just announced they will begin selling this product in North America, Europe, and Australia sometime this month.

At the time of its announcement earlier this year, we were told this wireless charger would support both WPC 15W and PMA 5W.  However, the press release for the product now does not mention PMA support at all. Instead, it just mentions that it meets the standards laid out by the Wireless Power Consortium (which is the organization that brought us Qi wireless charging). So we should not expect the charger to work with PMA (Power Matters Alliance) devices at this time.

Typical wireless chargers use a 5W charging module, but this new Quick Wireless Charging Pad from LG will use a 15W module. The company says it will be able to charge a battery to 50% within 30 minutes. Oddly enough, LG doesn't give us a battery capacity when talking about this statistic though. As a reference point, we've seen Samsung's fast wireless charger completely fill the 3,000mAh capacity battery of the Galaxy S7 in about 2 hours.

LG Innotek says they're focused on keeping heat generation down as well. They understand that heating the battery up too much can cause degradation of the battery as well as making the battery more susceptible to explosion. To combat this, the company says they've embedded a sensor into the Quick Wireless Charging Pad to monitor the temperature of the smartphone. If it reaches a certain limit, then it will stop charging the device for a few moments.

Once the device reaches the desired temperature again, the Quick Wireless Charging Pad from LG will go back to charging the battery.

Source: LG Innotek

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Want a ZTE Flagship with Stock Android? Vote for it in ZTE’s Project CSX

We've talked about ZTE's Project CSX before. For a recap, ZTE is crowd-sourcing ideas on what its next smartphone should be. The ideas will be collected from the public, and after voting, the most popular of these goes on the road towards becoming a reality.

Now we've come to the point where the ideas have been submitted and the first few rounds of shortlisting have taken place. Here are the final 5 contenders on what ZTE should work next:

1. Eye Tracking, Self-Adhesive Phone: A true hands-free experience that allows you to scroll up or down based on eye movement and a self-adhesive back that would allow the phone to stick to a wall or flat surface.
2. Intelligent Smartphone Covers: Expend the power of a smartphone through functional cases such as a gamepad, stylus or e-ink flip cover.
3. Powerglove: An exo-glove that controls your fingers for use in learning or rehabilitation settings, all powered by your Android smartphone.
4. Stock Android Flagship Phone: The next generation of Axon to include stock Android as well as improvement in performance and camera.
5. VR-Interactive Diving Mask: A waterproof VR mask allows you to swim in a pool or lake and feel like you're in the open ocean.

While all ideas do seem innovative in their own right, the one that piqued our interest (and we guess it would pique yours too, since you are reading this on XDA-Developers) was the 4th idea. Of all the five, this seems the most feasible, one that would still be within the realms of smartphone conventionality so as to not feel like an experiment to the consumer, and yet appease to the people who want a high-performance, and hopefully affordable, flagship grade device that run stock Android without ZTE's skin.

Voting for the ideas has begun, and will continue onto October 19. The idea that gets the most votes will be announced as the winner on October 20. The winner idea will hopefully made a reality in 2017.

If you would like to vote, head on over to the Project CSX website. You can also use the widget below to vote for your favorite choice.

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Image Credit: Axon R Idea Thread

What are your thoughts on ZTE's Project CSX? Which idea should win in your opinion, and why? Let us know in the comments below!

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Win a Pixel XL from XDA and RhinoShield, Because Bumpers are Back

Phone skins are really great to add style to any phone, plus they're not expensive, but they provide minimal protection if you happen to drop your phone. On the other end of the spectrum are cases, which are generally more expensive but offer much more protection. Cases are bulky and they don't let the beauty of your phone show through because they often have to cover all four edges as well as the back of the phone.

That's where CrashGuard by RhinoShield comes in. CrashGuard is essentially a bumper case, which means that it does not cover the back of your phone but only the sides (thus giving your device a more "naked" feel), but because of how it's engineered, it provides more protection than most cases. CrashGuard is far superior to the bumpers of the past because it has been engineered to absorb impact. This is done by utilizing a proprietary polymer material that is far more shock-absorbent than plastic, and it also has a protective honeycomb structure within the bumper to disperse impact properly. In fact, within the honeycombs are compartments of pressurized air that act as airbags and deflect impact energy. If that sounds really elaborate, it is, and the net result is that you can drop your phone from a variety of heights (up to 11 feet) and if you have a CrashGuard bumper on the phone, you're going to have a completely unmarked phone. If you want to see how incredible this protection is, watch this video from David Pogue where he does everything in his power to smash his phone by dropping it from a tall ladder.

Not only are CrashGuard bumpers durable, but they're lightweight (with most of their bumpers coming in under 14 grams). They're also pretty grippy thanks to the matte finish, and they come in a variety of colors. Another thing we really like about the CrashGuard line is the pricing: they're all priced at $19.99-$24.99, and they're shipped free on Amazon. Check out the listings for the Nexus 6P, Galaxy S7, and OnePlus 3. You can also pre-order a CrashGuard for the Pixel/Pixel XL.

But let's get into the contest, which is open to all countries, and the winner gets to pick the color! Use the below widget to get started. Contest ends on October 22. Good luck!

Win a Pixel XL!

Thanks to RhinoShield for sponsoring this post and contest.

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