Samsung Announces Android 7.0 Nougat Rollout Schedule for several Galaxy Models

Samsung has officially stated that the Android Nougat 7.0 rollout has begun for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge devices, confirming earlier reports. The press release states that the rollout began 2 days ago and will be making its way to devices via an OTA update and will be available to owners of the devices in the coming weeks.

Samsung has been testing the Android 7.0 Nougat release with users signed on to the Galaxy Beta program since early November 2016 in the U.S., U.K., and South Korea. Samsung also confirms that the Nougat rollout will expand to "additional countries" and other phones sometime in the first half of 2017. The official statement does not mention the timeline in which other countries will begin receiving the update, however.

The following phones are slated to receive the Nougat update sometime in the coming months:

• Galaxy S6
• Galaxy S6 Edge
• Galaxy S6 Edge Plus
• Galaxy Note 5
• Galaxy Tab A with S Pen
• Galaxy Tab S2
• Galaxy A3
• Galaxy A8

Samsung touts a number of new features included in the update such as "faster speeds for downloading apps and system software update and major UX changes". The article makes particular mention of the changes to the Quick Panel and notifications whereby "icons have titles removed for a cleaner aesthetic" and "second level notifications are organised into groups of nine, to make them easier to locate".

Nougat New Features – Notification Shade and Performance Modes

Multi Window is mentioned as receiving an "improved controller" that allows the window size to be adjusted more easily as well as a pop up window function that supports up to 5 separate windows in addition to the two in split-screen. Two other areas Samsung makes special mention of is an enhanced Performance Mode and Samsung Pass. Performance mode is split into 4 different modes: "Optimized Mode", "Game Mode", "Entertainment Mode" and "High Performance." Each of these modes prioritizes performance for different use cases to maximize battery life without sacrificing performance. Lastly, Samsung Pass also gets an update that allows users to use their fingerprints to login to "Samsung Internet" – their proprietary browser application.

Let us know in the comments if your Samsung device has received the update!

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Source: Samsung Global

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OnePlus Releases Android Nougat Kernel Sources for the OnePlus 3/3T

On the heels of the OxygenOS 4.0.2 release for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, OnePlus has released kernel sources for Android Nougat for the devices. This move follows the growing requests of users and developers alike on social media and forums, along with our own request to OnePlus to comply with the GPL V2 license that governs the distribution of the Linux kernel.

OnePlus had released the kernel sources for the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T right around the time the devices went on sale respectively. But these sources were outdated owing to the release of Android Nougat update that the company rolled out in the form of OxygenOS 4.0 for each of the phones. Now that kernel sources for the same have been updated, we can expect to see more development on custom kernels that work in harmony with the latest OxygenOS based on Nougat.

You can find the kernel sources on OnePlus's GitHub.

While a very good move indeed from OnePlus, it is not entirely without faults. XDA Recognized Developer franciscofranco mentioned a few in his statement shared with XDA, and some of them still carry on with this release. The modifications released this time follow along the pattern of one huge commit to push all the changes. This means that developers will need some time to sort through the changes to understand the impact of each of them. So while custom kernels will eventually come around, you may need to wait for your developer to familiarize himself with the newest sources.

Nonetheless, we commend OnePlus on releasing the sources for their devices. It is better late than never, and we do hope they make an active effort in keeping the code regularly updated following along the frequent software updates. Perhaps, pick up on some of Franco's advice too?

What are your thoughts on the kernel source release? Let us know in the comments below!

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Will Google Daydream Catch on in 2017?

Last year, we saw Google announcing the Daydream VR platform to standardize the VR experience on Android. The aim was to ensure a consistent level of VR immersion across devices. OEMs would have to design their phones to meet a list of requirements in order to be Daydream VR certified. At first, the Daydream certification process was not really disclosed, but with the release of the Android Nougat Compatibility Definition Document the process became more codified. Plus, Google took to the stage to discuss the Daydream certification process at CES this year. With a constant push from Google, Daydream is likely to be adopted by more OEMs on their flagships this year.

But even then, consumer attention towards VR content needs to rise to make VR a viable content medium. Rich content needs to be made available across genres for people to show interest, and that is one area that we are seeing gradual expansion.

So our question to you,

Will Google Daydream truly catch on in 2017? Will it become the next go-to form of media consumption, or will it be relegated to niche audiences? What should Google do to ensure higher VR interest from consumers?

Let us know in the comments below!

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Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 to Come With Heat Pipes To Prevent Overheating Issues

After the Galaxy Note 7's battery issues, it was expected that consumer safety will be one of the top priorities for smartphone OEMs in 2017.

As such, LG has already detailed how it has been imposing tougher safety checks for their smartphones to ensure consumer safety. Now, a new report coming in from Digitimes shows potentially how Samsung will be taking steps to prevent battery overheating issues in their upcoming flagships devices.

As per the report, Samsung and LG will incorporate heat pipes in their flagship devices to prevent battery overheating. In case you are not aware, heat pipes are used to absorb heat generated by the SoC so that it doesn't expose heat to other components, namely the battery. Heat pipes are not entirely a new thing for smartphones, as we have seen them in the Xperia Z5 Premium and the Galaxy S7 before.

According to the report, the Galaxy S8 will use heat pipes supplied by Taiwanese manufacturers Auras Technology and Chaun Choung Technology (CCI). Meanwhile, LG will source their heat pipes from Japan-based Furukawa Electric and Taiwan-based Delta Electronics.

The report is in line with the recent announcement made by LG about how the G6 will incorporate copper-based heat pipes to prevent overheating. It was previously rumored that the Galaxy S8 will make use of two heat pipes for increased heat absorption. But as per the report, the Galaxy S8 will incorporate the same single heat pipe setup as the Galaxy S7 once did.

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Source: Digitimes

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Google has Acquired Fabric, Twitter’s Mobile App Developer Platform

Crashlytics was founded in 2011, but was acquired by Twitter at the start of 2013. The team continued to work out of Boston, Massachusetts and had an SDK that was used in over 1 million applications. They developed software that enabled iOS, Android and Unity developers to pinpoint the reasons why their applications were not stable (down to the exact line of code in some cases). By the end of 2016, it was announced that their software had been installed on over 2 billion active devices.

Almost two years after Twitter acquired Crashlytics, they announced Fabric. This was their expansion into mobile application analytics, beta distribution, and also user identity and authentication. We have talked about the project on multiple occasions here at XDA, and Fabric had become quite popular within the mobile developer community. This was Crashlytics' first introduction of a modular SDK platform for the company. The modular functionality allowed developers to pick and choose which features they needed.

It's fair to say that Twitter hasn't had the best revenue stream over the last few years. As the company tries to reorganize their business model so they can become more streamlined, we're seeing them cut back in certain areas. This was a big reason why they chose to turn Vine into a simple camera application recently. Since Twitter doesn't feel Fabric plays a vital role in their social platform, they have been in talks to sell the technology along with the team to Google.

The team behind Fabric will now work under Google's Developer Products Group and they'll be working directly with the Firebase team. Both teams have a goal to help developers build better applications as well as helping them grow and scale their business too. We'll have to wait and see what the end goal of this acquisition is. Whether or not Google will let Fabric continue to function independently, or if they simply want to fold the technology into Firebase.

Source: Fabric

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OxygenOS 4.0.2 and New Open Betas Released for the OnePlus 3 and 3T

Following closely on the heels of their last two updates mere weeks ago, OnePlus has begun rolling out incremental updates to both the OnePlus 3 and 3T. These updates are rolling out to both the official and beta channels for OP3/3T owners. All users should begin to see the update become available over the next few days and can expect to see numerous changes. Oxygen OS 4.0.2 brings some of the fruit of Betas 10 and 1 (N) to their respective 3 and 3T users, as well as improved stability thanks to the early adopters who have been bug testing it since its release in late December.

After OnePlus barely squeaked by their own self-imposed deadline to release a stable Nougat build for the 3 and 3T before 2017, it is reassuring to see that the OnePlus' development team has not slowed down. While OOS 4.0.2 is a very minor update, it still will offer users improved stability and some partial fixes for previous issues such as inconsistent WiFi connectivity, APN improvements for certain carriers, and other miscellaneous bug fixes. A tutorial for updating to OOS 4.0.2 can be found here for the 3T (which should also apply to the 3, after swapping device-specific update files). The process is identical to past updates for those already familiar, although OnePlus 3T users running TWRP will want to update to version 3.0.3-1 of the recovery (and 3 users to version 3.0.3-0), prior to applying the update.

Open Beta 2 (N) for the 3T and 11 (N) for the 3 have also been released to the public, containing the same modifications as 4.0.2 while also adding a few additional features – most notably Extended Screenshots. A mysterious new category in Settings, titled "OnePlus Laboratory", has also been unearthed with no present explanation available for what its purpose might eventually be. I will be awaiting official confirmation from OnePlus with bated breath, given rumblings in the forums that it could be something along the lines of the Xposed framework and its many affiliated modules.

The mysterious OnePlus Laboratory splash screen, discovered by OnePlus forums user smartanish7.

While OnePlus has still failed to release kernel sources for their Nougat-based OxygenOS release, these incremental updates are at least a small consolation for users in the meantime.

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Source: OnePlus Forums (1)
Source: OnePlus Forums (2)

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The Galaxy S8 is Rumored to Come with the Largest 5.7″ Panel

We were essentially in the dark about the Galaxy S8 until a few months ago, and since then we've seen numerous rumors published about their upcoming flagship smartphone. It's believed that they will be called the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus and they will both be equipped with incredibly thin bezels at both the top/bottom and sides of the phone.

We're even seeing reports that they will have bigger screens than any previous Galaxy S device in the past, with the regular one being 5.7″ and the bigger version being 6.2″.

The feature image above (which you can view in its entirety by tapping/clicking on it) has been provided to us by @DforDesign, and is currently being reported as the actual glass that will be covering the screen. These actually seem like tempered glass screen protectors, but either way they give us a look at what the upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphones could look like. This thin bezel design actually meshes with the confirmation we received about Samsung investing in edge-to-edge display technology.

These screens won't go all the way up to the top and bottom edges, but they do show us what type of progress Samsung has been making lately. This image also coincides with the rumors about Samsung ditching their physical buttons for the S8 phones, and opting for virtual navigation buttons instead. They're also really close to what GSM Arena published late last week when they revealed a render of what the upcoming phone could look like.

Samsung hasn't made major design changes like this since they debuted the Galaxy S6 back in 2015. As the company faces more intense competition from Apple this year (which marks the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone), and Google as well, it will be interesting to see if this new design pays off for Samsung.

Based on the rumored specs, renders and this tempered glass protector, do you think the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will succeed with the average smartphone customers?

Source: The Korean Herald

Feature Image Credit: @DforDesign

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