Imagination Technologies to Focus More on IoT and Virtual Reality

Imagination Tech is known for their MIPS CPU architecture as well as their PowerVR GPUs. We generally do not see their CPUs in mobile hardware, but Apple does use their PowerVR GPUs in the iPhone. However, it hasn't been that great of a year for the technology company, and it looks like they will pivot their focus soon. In 2017, Imagination Technologies will shift their focus from to the markets that are growing, such as the internet of things and virtual reality.

There's a big push right now in the automotive industry to create better infotainment centers. Google launched Android Auto as a solution for the software side of things, and companies like Qualcomm are working on the hardware. Imagination Technologies feels their PowerVR GPUs would fit in well here, while they're hoping the interest in MIPS CPUs for cars remains high. the company also wants to partner with others so they can have their designs used in autonomous cars as well.

They're also wanting virtual reality headset manufacturers to use their GPUs as well. In 2017, Imagination Technologies will launch the Series8XT GPU, and they are trying to sign some deals so that it will be used in high-end VR headsets. While this design is focused on the high-end, they aren't forgetting the low-end either. Earlier this year they launched the Series8XE GPU, and will be using it to expand into the low-end and mid-range smartphone market.

As much as Imagination Technologies would love their chip designs to be used in more mobile products, they just haven't had much success in this market. They tried to target enterprise servers as well, but hasn't had much success there either. Along with other IoT products, Imagination Technologies feel their CPU and GPU chips would be great for products like drones and robots too, so we'll just have to wait and see if this shift in focus works for the company in 2017.
Source: PCWorld

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In this video, Miles is going to show us some of the apps he uses everyday on his OnePlus 3T. Miles is currently running the Resurrection Remix 7.1.1 ROM as his daily driver. It's one of the community favorites as of right now. Here is a list of all of the apps that are shown in this video.

Dives – Icon Pack
Nova Launcher
LIFX
Poweramp Music Player
Solid Explorer File Manager
AfterShip Package Tracker
Fenix for Twitter
Resurrection Remix
XDA Labs

Buy the OnePlus 3T

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Become A Git Pro With Git 101

One of the key aspects of smart and mature development is version control. One of the most popular methods is Git. It was developed by Linus Torvalds himself back in 2005 and even Google uses it to maintain Android. Well, the major part of it. While many developers use Git on daily basis, for some it's still a riddle.

There are lots of Git guides floating around, including my own, that I wrote a few years ago. XDA Forum Moderator and Recognized Developer Vatsal has decided to refresh this knowledge a bit. He uses GitLab as his example application. Probably it's a nice moment to mention a few things about GitLab. It's an open source platform that is reliable and offers easy project importing from other sites like GitHub. With Vatsal's guide, you can easily set up your own repository, push the changes and learn how to cherry-pick in a smart way.

As XDA we fully support open-source and encourage developers and companies to make their code public. While some projects are not GNU GPL licensed, the kernel source must always be up-to-date and accessible. We encourage developers to make GitLab or any other site home for their projects. Open sourcing brings more far pros than cons, as users can eventually become contributors. Almost every Android team we know uses Git as a tool. It's an easy, yet efficient way of making things greater.

Git 101 is available as a forum thread here. It's a nice place to start your Git journey. And finally, you can share your knowledge as a Git expert!

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LG Officially Announces the G Pad III 10.1 Tablet

While most sales figures seem to indicate the tablet market is dying, some OEMs like Samsung and LG are still producing new ones year after year. Images of this new LG tablet were actually leaked by Evan Blass yesterday, but since then he has deleted the tweet. We weren't given any additional details about the device though, so all we had to go on was an image of both the front and the back of the tablet.

Early this morning the South Korean technology manufacturer officially announced the LG G Pad III 10.1 tablet. Many people were hoping the flap on the back of the device was a way to swap out the battery, but it turns out this is a kickstand for the tablet (that allows an adjustment of up to 70 degrees). The device itself is a tablet with a 10.1″ 1080p display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Inside we have an unnamed octa-core SoC with the CPUs clocked at 1.5GHz.

It will have 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot built in. There is a 5MP camera on the front and back of the device. The tablet's dimensions are said to be 256.2 x 167.9 x 6.7 to 7.9mm, and the device will weigh in at 510 grams. We're told it has a 6,000mAh capacity battery and will have Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow installed on it right out of the box.

LG has launched the device in South Korea as of today, but we'll likely see it released in other markets in the future. It comes with a price tag of KRW 429,000 (which is about $360 right now). If you're liking the specs of this tablet, but wish it came with a stylus, then you'll want to wait. LG says they'll be releasing another variant of this tablet that comes with a stylus in early 2017.

Source: GSM Arena

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A GM at Lenovo Says They’ll Release a New Tango Phone in 2017

Google has been publicly working on Tango for close to three years now, and they've made a lot of progress along the way. Tango uses special sensors to map out the physical world so that it can be placed in a virtual one (on a tablet or a smartphone).

So far, this technology has been used to make some unique AR games, a few utility apps, and some businesses are using it to help you visualize their products right in your very own home.

At the start of this year, Lenovo made headlines when they announced the company was going to be releasing the first consumer smartphone with Google's Tango built into it. Until then, we had only seen this technology used in devices that were built for developers to tinker with. Ahead of Lenovo's Tech World conference, the company announced the device would be launched in June of this year, but it was ultimately delayed until the Fall.

Then, at the start of November, Lenovo officially launched the Phab 2 Pro at a tempting price point of $500. Lenovo says about 4,000 developers purchased the device when it was launched, and this was followed by another 2,000 at a second hackathon. Reviews so far have been a hit or miss with most people saying the Tango platform is intriguing, but clearly in its early stages of development.

Recently, Jeff Meredith, general manager and vice president of Lenovo's Android and Chrome Computing Business Group, confirmed that Lenovo would be releasing a follow-up Tango smartphone sometime in 2017. While Meredith didn't go into details about the new phone, he did say that Lenovo expects to see similar products from their competitors. Saying that we will see multiple new Tango devices throughout 2017 that are not produced by Lenovo.

What do you think of the Tango platform so far? Is this something you want in your next smartphone, or do you feel it is a gimmick right now?

Source: Tom's Guide

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LG Says an LG V20 Bootloop was Caused by a Cheap USB Type-C Cable

Over the last few years, LG has had a serious issue with their smartphones going into a bootloop at seemingly random times. This didn't seem to be a huge issue with the Nexus 4, LG G2, or the Nexus 5, which are all manufactured by LG.

However, since the LG G3, there seems to be some underlying issue that is causing a bootloop on their smartphones. We've seen many reports about the LG G3, LG G4, LG G5 and the LG V10 all having some sort of bootloop issue.

It seemed like the reports of bootlooping devices increased with the release of the LG G4 and it was around this time when LG released an official statement about it. LG was quoted as saying that the LG G4 bootloop issue was caused by "a loose contact between components." Many have agreed with LG as they noticed the issue can be caused (as well as fixed in some cases) by heating up the device for an extended period of time.

We've also seen a number of issues surface around the new USB Type-C standard. Some OEMs have implemented USB Type-C into their phone in a way that has caused an issue with spec compliant USB Type-C cables. This has become such an issue that a new authentication spec was announced for new and upcoming USB Type-C cables. This was created so the customer knows whether or not a cable has been manufactured properly.

While we haven't seen many reports of the LG V20 bootlooping, there have been a few. An LG Service Center was able to take a look at one of these last week and they believe they know what caused the issue. The LG representative says the bootloop was caused by a cheap USB Type-C charging cable. However, a well known USB Type-C tester, Nathan K, says it is unlikely an issue caused by a USB Type-C cable "unless exceptional situations arose."

Source: iT Chosun (Korean)

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Unofficial AOSP 7.1.1 Nougat Lands on the MT6753-based Ulefone Metal

After bringing the latest Android to a bunch of MediaTek devices, Team M.A.D. has extended the Android 7.1.1 goodies to another phone: the Ulefone Metal. Head on over to the thread to find out more!

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