MIUI 12 beta on the Mi 10 Ultra adds “Device Control”, Xiaomi’s alternative to Microsoft’s Your Phone app

MIUI is Xiaomi’s custom UX for its range of Mi, Redmi, and POCO smartphones. On these smartphones, the underlying version loses some of its importance, as the visible feature set is dictated more so by the MIUI version. We’ve been tracking MIUI 12 beta and stable release for over 50 past and present smartphones. The latest MIUI 12 beta on the Mi 10 Ultra adds a new app called Xiaomi Device Control that lets you control your phone from a PC, much like what Microsoft’s Your Phone app does with Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

A telegram channel called miuiknoun reported that the Mi 10 Ultra (codename “cas”) comes with a new app called Xiaomi Device Control on the latest MIUI 12 beta.

According to the channel, you can broadcast the screen contents from your smartphone to your PC through Wi-Fi, and control it from the PC and transfer files. This feature is expected to be called Screen Combo, according to the screenshots, though the name could change by the time the feature makes it to the stable releases.

With this feature, you can transfer files with a simple drag-and-drop between your smartphone and PC. You can also open multiple windows of your phone and then use it to launch different apps simultaneously. And you can also edit items from your smartphone on your computer with a simple right-click. The entire function set appears to be similar to the integration between Microsoft’s Your Phone app and Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Currently, it appears that the feature is limited to the Mi 10 Ultra (smartphone) and Mi Notebook Pro 15 2020 (laptop), but we can expect wider support in the future. The mobile app is expected to be launched in September 2020 after wider internal beta testing, and the stable version is expected to be launched in October 2020. It remains to be seen if the functions would be made available for non-Xiaomi laptops.

XDA Senior Member and our reliable tipster kacskrz shared the APK from the latest MIUI 12 beta, so we can confirm that the features mentioned are legitimate.

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member kacskrz for the tip!

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Google certifies the OnePlus Nord as a YouTube Signature Device

The YouTube Signature Devices program certifies those smartphones that, according to Google, deliver the best YouTube-viewing experience. This might not sound like much to you—after all, basically every Android smartphone comes pre-installed with YouTube and can play videos just fine, right? YouTube can stream certain videos in formats that aren’t supported on all smartphones, though, so many users may not be aware of how well their phone supports all the options on YouTube. Features like HDR video, 4K video decoding, 360° video, high frame rate playback, good DRM performance, and VP9 codec decoding are among the required features that YouTube Signature Devices must support. That list of devices now includes the new OnePlus Nord.

Getting a device added to the YouTube Signature Devices list isn’t a new feat for OnePlus. The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro also meet the requirements, as do several of OnePlus’s older smartphones, including the OnePlus 7T, the OnePlus 7, the OnePlus 7 Pro, and the OnePlus 6T. The OnePlus Nord is the brand’s first mid-range device in years, though, so it’s nice to see that the company hasn’t cut corners when it comes to display certifications.

If you own a OnePlus Nord or are planning on buying one, you can be sure that your device will be capable of best-in-class multimedia consumption on YouTube and other video streaming platforms. Speaking of other platforms, Netflix also runs its own certification program before allowing devices to stream HD and/or HDR videos. Although Netflix currently doesn’t list the Nord on its list of devices that support HD and/or HDR video, the app’s Playback Specifications show that the Nord is capable of playing Full HD as well as HDR10 videos. Hopefully, Netflix will add the device to the list soon to reduce any confusion.

OnePlus Nord Forums ||| OnePlus Nord Review

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Google Home app adds a dark theme, expanded Android 11 controls, unified camera feed, and more

Google Assistant users were treated to a slew of new features in the latest version of the Google Home app for Android. Version 2.27 of the app brings expanded support for Android 11’s smart home power menu controls, the addition of a dark theme, a unified camera feed, and teases the ability to unlock Google Nest smart locks. Here’s a summary of what’s new.

Unified Nest camera page

One of the most helpful new features in Google Home version 2.27 is a new unified page for all your camera feeds (via 9to5Google). Going forward, users can access a page that will show every camera feed on their network. The view is similar to what you’d get in the Nest app. Currently, it only seems to show feeds from Nest cameras.

Screenshots credit: Abner Li/9to5Google

To access it, simply tap on the “Cameras” button right under the name of your home.

Unlock Nest smart locks

Google Home will also soon gain the ability to unlock Nest locks. Google actually teased this feature in a promo featuring Fred Armisen, who unlocks the Nest x Yale lock with his Android device. 9to5Google notes that the version 2.27 release notes for the iOS app mention the ability to unlock a Nest x Yale lock, though the feature is not yet live in the latest Android release. The feature will likely go live soon via a feature flag toggle in a server-side update, though.

Dark theme

Additionally, Google has added a dark theme to Google Home which syncs with Android’s system-wide dark mode toggle, making the app a little easier on the eyes. Google has brought dark mode to its various apps over the past year, and it’s nice to see the same treatment brought to Google Home. AndroidPolice notes that the dark theme has been applied to basically every part of the app, including the settings, the media controller, and more.

Screenshots credit: Rita El Khoury/AndroidPolice

There’s no toggle to change the theme in the app’s settings, though.

Expanded Android 11 Device Controls support

As spotted by AndroidPolice, the same Google Home 2.27 update also expands upon the types of devices you can add to Android 11’s power menu. You can now add Chromecasts, speakers with Google Assistant or Chromecast built-in, and smart displays to the power menu.

Google Home 2.27 now lets you add Google Assistant smart speakers (like ones from JBL), soundbars, and Google Home devices. Screenshots credits: Rita El Khoury/AndroidPolice

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That’s quite a lot of new features squeezed into one update. Not only is Google Home more visually pleasing, but it’s now more useful for anyone with a Google Nest product. Google Home v2.27 is rolling out now on the Google Play Store, but as always, you can sideload the latest release from APKMirror.

Google Home (Free, Google Play) →

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Microsoft Word on the web adds a speech transcription feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers

Microsoft Word on the web is getting a new feature that will make it much easier for students and reporters to record notes, lectures, or interviews. The company on Tuesday announced that the Microsoft Word web app is adding a transcription feature. Called Transcribe in Word, the feature will allow users to record conversations directly in Word for the web and have the service automatically transcribe the audio.

According to Microsoft, your recording and its transcript will appear alongside the Word document. When a conversation is transcribed, Word will separate each speaker and format the document into sections, with timestamps to let you return to that part of the audio. This will make it easy to playback, edit, or insert the transcript into a Word document. The feature also supports transcribing previously recorded audio or video files in .mp3, .wav, .m4a, or .mp4 formats, so you can easily upload an interview or lecture you previously recorded.

Users will get access to five hours per month of uploaded recordings, which are capped at 200MB per recording. If you record and transcribe directly through Word, though, there are no restrictions. As of this writing, English (specifically, the EN-US locale) is the only language that is supported for transcription, but more languages will be supported down the road.

Microsoft 365 subscribers can start using Transcribe in Word beginning today. Right now, the feature is only available in Word for the Web in the new Microsoft Edge or Chrome browsers. Microsoft said it has plans to bring the same features to the iOS and Android apps by the end of the year.

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Google Chrome gets faster and new tab, PDF, and URL sharing features

Google on Tuesday said Chrome will be faster thanks to Profile Guided Optimization (PGO) and tab throttling. In addition, Google is adding a few productivity tweaks that make tabs easier to manage, URLs easier to share, and PDFs easier to fill out.

With Profile Guided Optimization, which is now in Chrome 85 on Mac and Windows, Google says tabs will load up to 10% faster at the median, with even greater performance improvements when your PC’s CPU is loaded with many tabs or other programs. It’s a compiler optimization technique wherein the most performance-critical parts of the code can run faster.

In addition, Google Chrome is introducing tab throttling in beta. The feature works by giving more resources to the tabs you’re using, rather than distributing resources equally. “We see improvements not only in loading speed but also battery and memory savings,” said Max Christoff, Engineering Director, Chrome.

Google also detailed the browser’s new tab grouping feature, which the company previously rolled out to PCs in beta and to Chrome OS 83. The feature allows users to distinguish tabs by topic, task, or priority. And when tabs are in groups, they can be collapsed and expanded for a cleaner, more organized workspace. According to Google, this was one of Chrome’s most requested features.

Google also said tab previews are coming to Chrome in beta. The feature will allow users to hover over a tab and quickly see a thumbnail preview. The feature will come in handy in situations when you have a lot of tabs open from the same website or service.

 

Additionally, Chrome is adding the ability to share a web page via a QR code on Android, touch-friendly tabs for tablets (shown below), suggestions for switching to an already-open tab on Android, and the ability to fill out PDFs before downloading them.

Google Chrome: Fast & Secure (Free, Google Play) →

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Fitbit announces Sense, Versa 3, and Inspire 2 fitness tracking wearables

Fitbit on Tuesday unveiled two new smartwatches and an affordable fitness tracker to help manage your physical health during these uncertain times, as expected. The smartwatches include the Fitbit Sense and Fitbit Versa 3, the former of which comes equipped with an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, although the feature is still pending FDA approval. The Inspire 2 is the name of the new fitness tracker.

The Fitbit Sense is the most advanced of Fitbit’s new smartwatches. At a price of $329, the wearable features an array of sensors in addition to the aforementioned ECG app. The Sense offers an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor for managing stress, on-wrist skin temperature sensor, and advanced heart rate tracking technology. The EDA sensor is particularly interesting in a world where stress is the norm. By placing your palm over the Sense’s display, the EDA will read your skin’s temperature and score you on your stress level. Over time, the Sense may recommend ways to manage your stress.

Buyers also get a free six-month trial of Premium, a service that tracks things like heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate, and SpO2. These insights will give users the data to improve their health and wellbeing.

Beyond that, both the Sense and Versa 3 come equipped with many features you’d expect from a smartwatch: built-in GPS, OLED displays, water-resistance up to 50 meters, and at least six days of battery life. The two devices also support Fitbit Pay and Google Assistant (coming winter 2020).

Additionally, the company has announced the Inspire 2, a small fitness tracker that offers up to 10 days of battery life and a new touch panel. While not as advanced as the Sense or Versa 3, consumers who opt for the Inspire 2 will a free one-year trial of Premium ($79 value).

Fitbit Inspire 2

Finally, Fitbit has introduced Premium + Health Coaching, a service that will provide subscribers with virtual one-on-one coaching. The service features certified health professionals who can come up with personalized health plans based on Fitbit data.

The Fitbit Sense will be available for $329 in carbon/graphite stainless steel or lunar white/soft gold. The Fitbit Versa 3 will be available for $229 in black/black aluminum, pink clay/soft gold aluminum, and midnight/soft gold aluminum. The Fitbit Inspire 2 is available for $99 in black, lunar white and desert rose. You can preorder the devices today, with worldwide availability starting in late September.

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Mozilla rolls out Firefox 79 for Android with a year’s worth of changes

Update 1 (08/25/2020 @ 1:06 PM ET): Mozilla has officially announced the rollout of the new Firefox for Android experience. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on July 29, 2020, is preserved below.

Mozilla Firefox is among the most popular alternatives to Google Chrome for both — mobile devices and desktops. Despite competition from Chrome, Mozilla Corporation — the organization behind Firefox — has been rolling out several updates over the years to keep their desktop and mobile apps relevant. After overhauling their desktop browser, known by its interim name “Firefox Quantum,” Mozilla has been working to upgrade the mobile browser — temporarily recognized as Fenix — for about a year. The new version has been available in the Preview channel (which was recently merged with the Nightly channel) for quite some time and is finally rolling out to the stable channel as Firefox 79 for Android (via AndroidPolice), albeit without one key feature.

In July 2018, Mozilla for Android entered the maintenance phase to focus on developing an entirely new version without a new codebase instead of updating the existing one. Firefox for Android hasn’t received a major update since July last year and is now making a jump straight from version 68 to 79.

Among the new feature, Firefox 79 for Android brings a clean and modern UI. The codebase and thus, the functionality is the same as the Preview builds but one feature that’s lacking on the stable build is proper support for add-ons (a.k.a. extensions). Mozilla only starting adding support for add-ons on Firefox Preview/Nightly back in February this year. It added five more add-ons in April, and then another three earlier this month. As of now, the total number of add-ons supported on the stable as well as the Nightly channels is only nine. This means that Firefox for Android loses access to thousands of extensions that were supported on the previous versions.

While it is understandable that the complete migration of add-ons to the new codebase requires time, release without proper support is bound to disappoint those who like to use specific extensions avidly. If you want to continue using those add-ons, you may have to stick to the older version of Firefox for Android. But if you’re among those who want a cleaner and faster browser experience, you can go ahead and either update the app from the Google Play Store or download the latest version from APK Mirror.

Download Firefox 79 for Android from APK Mirror

Firefox Browser: fast, private & safe web browser (Free, Google Play) →

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Update: Official Announcement

In a blog post, Mozilla announced that the new version of Firefox for Android is rolling out widely for users in Europe starting today and will roll out for users in North America on Thursday. The new update, which has version number 79, brings a new, cleaner UI with improved one-handed use, Collections, an automatic dark theme toggle, Enhanced Tracking Protection, an improved Private Mode, initial support for 9 extensions/add-ons, and most importantly, Mozilla’s new GeckoView browser engine. Mozilla has dubbed this release “Firefox Daylight” since it marks a new beginning for the company’s Android browser.

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