mercredi 14 décembre 2016

Google Publishes Changes in the Android Support Library v25.1.0

The Android Support Library is a resource that is provided from Google for anyone who is developing Android applications. It offers a number of features that simply are not built into Android's framework, and also offers backwards-compatible versions of new features as well (think the Snackbar, a FAB, tabs and more). It's there for developers who want useful UI elements and also provides a number of utilities that applications can draw on.

Almost once a month we see Google pushing out a new update to this support library, and the update for December has been made public. This update brings its version up to 25.1.0 and it comes with a number of changes, new and modified APIs, fixed issues and deprecations. At the very top, Google highlights what they feel are the most important changes in this update. This includes some changes to RecyclerView, the deprecation of FragmentActivity.setSupportMediaController() and FragmentActivity.getSupportMediaController(), and an adjustment to appcompat:buttonTint.

This update adds the ExifInterface support library, which unbundles support for reading Exif information from JPEG/RAW files, along with setting the Exif information on JPEG images. The Snackbar has been refactored so that applications can display custom content. They've added a new leanback.media package which lets helper classes integrate media players into Android TV apps. And they've added an ArraySet class to the v4 support library (which corresponds to the class that was introduced in API level 23).

This update also comes with a long list of fixes to some of the current items in the Android Support Library. The password visibility toggle used to fail accessibility tests, but has been fixed. Appcompat used to not respect state_enabled on pre-L devices, but has been fixed. Apps were unable to tint AnimatedVectorDrawableCompat on API level below 24, but that has been fixed as well.

You'll definitely want to check out the whole list of changes for version 25.1.0 of the Android Support Library.

Source: Android Developers

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WebVR and GamePad APIs are Available in Android’s Chrome 56 Beta Channel

We're seeing a lot of companies working to bring virtual reality to the web thanks to a project called WebVR. At its heart, WebVR is an experimental JavaScript API for a website that can access VR devices like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard and Daydream View. It was first conceived in spring 2014 by Vladimir Vukićević from Mozilla, and both Mozilla and Google have been working on it a lot lately.

Version 1.0 was introduced back in March of this year, and a month later Samsung announced that WebVR was supported on their Gear VR headset. Early demos from the Chrome team showed they were able to maintain 90 FPS rendering with it, making it a viable platform for virtual reality. Google has been working to make it available to the public and says they are on schedule for a release in early 2017.

For now though, it's currently limited to the beta version of Chrome 56. Google just announced that web developers can access the new API by signing up for Origin Trial. Once enabled, not only will you be able to access the WebVR API, but you can also use the GamePad API extension as well. The WebVR API will give the developer access to the input and output capabilities of the virtual reality devices mentioned above.

The developer will even have access to the device's position and orientation, which can enable web apps to render a stereoscopic 3D scene on the headset's display. The GamePad API extension is what the developer needs in order to access input from motion controllers so the user can interact with the VR environment. Google reminds us that the WebVR API is still evolving and that we should expect changes based on developer feedback. As mentioned, WebVR is scheduled to launch with the stable channel of Chrome 57, slated for a release in early 2017.

Source: Chromium Blog

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LG is Rumored to Unveil New K, X and Stylus Series Phones at CES 2017

LG hasn't had the best year in 2016, but the company is hoping that some new low-end and mid-range devices will boost sales next year. With a new CEO at the helm of the South Korean technology company, a rumor talks about their plans for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show happening in early 2017. Evan Blass from VentureBeat says LG will be revealing at least 7 different devices in Las Vegas next month.

If true, we're looking at four new devcies for LG's K-series of smartphones. The LG K3 2017 is said to have a 4.5″ display, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera and a 2,100mAh capacity battery. The LG K4 2017 is said to have a 4.7″ display, an 8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, and a 2,500mAh capacity battery. The LG K8 2017 is rumored to have a 5″ 720p display, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, and a 2,500mAh capacity battery. Lastly, the LG K10 2017 could sport a 5.3″ 720p display, a 5MP wide-angle front camera, a fingerprint scanner and buttons on the back.

Moving onto the company's X-series of smartphones, the LG X Power 2 is rumored to come with a 5.5″ 720p display, a 13MP wide-angle rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a 4,500mAh capacity battery. Then there's the LG Calibur, which could have military-grade durability, IP68 water and dust resistance, and a 4,100mAh capacity battery. The last device in this big leak is the LG Stylus 3 (LG Stylo 3 Plus).

This device is rumored to be rocking a 5.7″ display, a 13MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing camera, both front and rear cameras will have an LED flash, a fingerprint scanner, buttons on the back of the phone, 32GB of internal storage, a 3,200mAh capacity battery and a digital pen as a stylus. We normally see these phone leaks sprinkled throughout the month, so it's nice to have them known all at once. We'll just have to wait and see how accurate these sources are.

Source: VentureBeat

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Resurrection Remix on the Honor 8

A Resurrection Remix ROM is in it's alpha stages for the Honor 8. This ROM is a favorite for many flashaholics so this will be exciting for a lot of you. TK has put together a video showing some of the best features that you can expect in this ROM.

If you want to test this out on your device, just know that right now the battery drains really fast and you will experience your phone getting hot because of this. With that in mind, here are the full list of features being implemented into this ROM:

Navigation Bar
Enable/Disable Navbar
Navbar Ring Switch
Navbar Ring Targets
Navbar Button Customization
Navbar Dimensions(Potrait & Landscape)
Statusbar
Brightness Slider
Enable/Disable Show Notification Count
SuperUser Indicator Switch
Carrier Label
Carrier Label Switch
Carrier label Colour
Quick PullDown Switch
Smart Pulldown Switch
Clock Customizations
Time & date
Clock Colour
Day & date Toogle
Center Clock/Right Clock Choice
Battery
Battery % Text
Network Traffic Indicator
Theme Chooser
Animations
Toast Animations
ListView Animations
System Animations
Gestures
Gestures Anywhere Feature
App Circle Bar
Choose apps in App circle
Trigger Width
Trigger Hieght
Trigger Position
Recents Panel
Clear All button Switch
Clear All Tasks Switch
Clear All Button Location(Top right,Top Left,Top Center,Bottom Left,Bottom Right,Bottom Center)
Cclock Widget
CLock And Alarm Customizations
Weather Panel Customizations
Calender Events
LockScreen
Lockscreen Shortcuts
Choose upto 5 Shortcuts
100+ Icons for Shortcuts
Quick Slider Shortcuts
Notification Drawer
Weather Display Switch
Quick Settings
Choice to Add 20+ Tiles
Enable 2/3/4 Tiles per Row
Enable Disable Birghtness Slider in Notification Panel
Advanced Location Settings Switch(Choose Battery saving/Device Only/High Accuracy Directly in Notification Panel)
LongPress Toogles to Enter Settings
Buttons
Backlight Timer
Backlight Strength
Navigation Bar left/Right handed mode Switch
Power Menu
Power Menu End Calls Switch
Home Button(For devices with HW keys Only)
Home Button Wake Up
Home Button answer call
Long Press Actions
Double Tap Actions
Back Button(For devices with HW keys Only)
Wake Up device Switch
Menu Button(For devices with HW keys Only)
Wake Up Device Switch
Short Press Actions
Long Press Actions
Search Button(For devices with HW keys Only)
Wake Up Device
Short Press Action
Long Press Action
Volume Buttons
Wake Up Device
Playback Control
Keyboard Cursor Control
Swap Buttons on Landscape mode
Perfomance Profiles
LCD Density
Expanded Desktop Mode
All New CM Audio FX App
Heads Up Customizations
OverAll Smoothness Improvements
Quick Unlock
Optimizations to Improve Battery
ALL cm13 Features

Follow the development of this ROM in this thread here.

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Synaptics Announces Optical-based Fingerprint Sensor for Smartphones

Synaptics Incorporated has announced what it claims is the "industry-first" Optical-based fingerprint sensor, the FS9100. The main objective of this product is to enable fingerprint sensor technology through Cover Glass as thick as 1mm.

Synaptics has been around for more than two decades in the computer and technology sphere, where they are known for developing, patenting and licensing several technologies concerned with human interfaces and interactions. Synaptic products are usually supplied to an OEM to be incorporated into a product design, which is where the consumer has the chance to make use of the product.

The Synaptics FS9100 optical fingerprint sensor family is the first family of human interface solutions that leverage high performance optical-based fingerprint sensors for use in biometric authentication systems employed in our smartphone and tablets. As Synaptics claims, the FS9100 family is capable of high resolution scanning through 1mm of full cover glass. This enables our smartphones to get rid of the special button for the fingerprint sensor and incorporate the sensor directly under the glass, thus giving us a cleaner "glass-slab" design.

The FS9100 Natural ID optical fingerprint sensor can be placed under cover glass, including 2.5D glass. This "under glass" capability eliminates button cut-outs and glass thinning processes required by the sensors we see on the front of devices these days, which should lead to glass-yield improvements. Further, the sensor is said to work well in wet finger performance, and since it is covered by cover glass like the rest of the display, it remains durable and waterproof. The thin form factor and the "minimal" power consumption are areas which make it ideal for adoption in smartphones.

This fingerprint sensor also comes with Synaptics' SentryPoint tech, which employs several key security-based technologies that examine fingerprint images using AI to distinguish between actual fingers and fake fingers.

The Synaptics Natural IDFS9100 optical fingerprint sensor is scheduled to sample in early Q1 next year, and will enter mass production in Q2. Considering Synaptics' and Samsung's long-term partnership and collaboration, the fingerprint sensor seems an ideal candidate to make an appearance in the upcoming Galaxy S8. But the dates mentioned for sampling and mass production of the fingerprint sensor do not line up perfectly with the release of the Galaxy S8 unless the phone itself is delayed for mass production until Q2 of 2017.

Source: Synaptics

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mardi 13 décembre 2016

Google Keyboard rebrands as Gboard with integrated Google Search

Back in May of this year, Google launched a new keyboard application called Gboard. At the time, the application was only available on iOS, but we were told that this functionality would eventually be coming to Android in the near future.

The application gave you a quick way to do a Google search without leaving the current application. One example of the keyboard in action that Google loved to tout was searching for the address to a restaurant while in the middle of a messaging conversation. Of course, you can use Gboard for all sorts of searches such as figuring out flight times, finding relevant news articles, and even searching for images to immediately paste into the conversation.

Until Android 7.1 Nougat, the platform did not have an API allowing for keyboards to inject rich media into an application. This Gboard update adds support for what Google calls an images keyboard, and it does not require you to be running Android 7.1. However, it does require the developer to update their application before it can accept media from Gboard. The update also lets you search for the exact emoji that you want (so you don't have to hunt it down in the sea of categories), and it also comes with support for multiple languages as well (with the ability to have up to three active at once). Finally, the application also finally brings the ability to place a dedicated number row on the top of the keyboard.

Interestingly, it seems like Google has decided to rebrand Google Keyboard to Gboard instead of releasing it as an separate application on Android. You can download said application directly from the Play Store here, but if the update is not yet live for you, you can download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the application from APKMirror.

Source: Ausdroid

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Homescreen Critique 11: Minimalist Edition

Homescreen Critique is back with another special episode. This video will go through some of the awesome submission from the XDA community and find the best homescreens with minimalist designs. Here are the homescreens featured in this video: