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lundi 18 janvier 2021

Xiaomi rolls out MIUI12 stable beta update for Mi Note 10 Lite

Xiaomi has started the rollout of the MIUI 12 upgrade for its Mi Note 10 Lite handset. The low-mid-range device is already testing the update in China, but now it seems that international customers are being given the nod too. Though its doubtless great news that a device like this is getting its Android 11 paint job so soon, the downside is that its too soon for it to be based on the recently announced MIUI 12.5 – this is just plain ol’ MIUI 12. There’s no indication of whether this will be incremental with the newer UI following later, but we’d be a little surprised if it does.

Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite XDA Forums

Spotted over on XDA Forums by recognised developer yshalsager, this is a stable beta, so you may not see it rolling out over-the-air straight away, but once its been soak tested with selected users, it’ll get a wider release. In the meantime, if you just can’t wait, there’s a link below. It’s worth noting that, as this is a phone with 64GB storage and no SD card slot, you might need to do a bit of housekeeping in order to make room for the 2.5GB package to install itself.

As we told you when it was launched MIUI 12 offers ‘a cleaner UI, new animations, changes to navigation gestures, new live wallpapers, and AOD designs, privacy indicators for the microphone, camera, and location usage, improvements to multi-window, and Picture-in-Picture, an in-built sleep tracker, and many more changes throughout‘.   Add in the usual bug squashing, optimisation and Android security patches that have been released in the interim and you’ll be getting an impressive update for such a modest phone.

Changelog

Device: Mi Note 10 Lite Global
Codename: #toco
Type: Stable Beta Recovery
Version: V12.1.1.0.RFNMIXM | 11.0
Size: 2.5 GB
MD5: 2ea6513d0f53ee41d1b5c91b94310f8e
Changelog:
[System]
Optimization: Noise could be heard when the screen was turned off in some cases
Stable MIUI based on Android 11

Download zip

At present, there’s no Fastboot recovery package, but if Xiaomi makes it available, we’ll add it into this article, or just check the forums.

The post Xiaomi rolls out MIUI12 stable beta update for Mi Note 10 Lite appeared first on xda-developers.



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Best Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus deals: Where to pre-order Samsung’s new affordable flagships

The day’s finally here – it’s time to pre-order the next line of Samsung flagship smartphones! The Samsung Galaxy S21 line may feel like it’s been teased for a while now, but the three new smartphones are revealed and not available for pre-order. We’ve rounded up all the Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 deals below!

You may be wondering, though, which Galaxy S21 you should buy. The regular Galaxy S21 model is, of course, the most affordable of the bunch, and still offers some upgrades such as an updated SoC without breaking the bank at $800. The Galaxy S21 Plus, meanwhile, will offer additional upgrades, like a slightly larger screen and a Gorilla Glass back, for $1,000. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the high-end flagship that offers everything you could want from a 2021 flagship, but it has a steeper price tag to match at a whopping $1,200.

If you’re here, then you’re probably opting for one of the less expensive Galaxy S21 phones. But just because they’re less expensive than the S21 Ultra doesn’t mean you can’t save! Check below for some great Galaxy S21 deals and check out our round-up of the Best Galaxy S21 Ultra deals if you want the best that Samsung has to offer!

Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S21 Deals

If you’re looking for an unlocked Galaxy S21, your best bet is grabbing it directly from the Samsung Store. You also have the options of Best Buy and Amazon!

Samsung Store

Did you reserve your Galaxy S21 before pre-order links went live? That’s great because now you’ll get $50 in accessory credit to go with your new S21!  That’s far from all, either – pre-ordering your Galaxy S21 before January 28 will net you $100 in pre-order credit on your new smartphone. Finally, you’ll get free GalaxyTag with your purchase and you can save even more if you trade-in a phone!

    Samsung Galaxy S21
    Get your pre-order in before January 28 to get $100 in pre-order credit on the Galaxy S21! You'll also get a free GalaxyTag with purchase, and if you reserved your pre-order, now's the time to take advantage of those accessory credits!

Best Buy

Looking to go to Best Buy? You can save big depending on what carrier you go with! You save $30 today for an unlocked Galaxy S21. You can save a lot more with an eligible trade-in, though… up to $800, in fact! You also get $200 in Samsung credit and the free GalaxyTag.

    Samsung Galaxy S21
    Save at Best Buy by activating today! With an eligible trade-in, you can save up to $800 on this phone, and you'll also get $200 in Samsung credit. Not to mention the free GalaxyTag!

Amazon

You can’t argue with the convenience of Amazon! While the massive retailer isn’t offering any deals on the Galaxy S21 right now, you do get the advantage of simple Release Day Shipping. If you have the Prime Rewards Visa, you can also sign up for an 18-month payment plan!

    Samsung Galaxy S21
    You won't get any deals going with Amazon, but you will enjoy Release Day Shipping if you have Amazon Prime! Also, you can sign up for an 18-month payment plan if you have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa.

Carrier Samsung Galaxy S21 Deals

If you don’t mind being locked to a carrier, you can save big! You can go with Verizon to AT&T.

Verizon

Verizon has tons of different Galaxy S21 deals to take advantage of! It all depends on if you’re switching to Verizon or upgrading to a new line, including:

  • Save up to $600 with an eligible trade-in
  • Buy a Galaxy S21, get a second free when you add a new line
  • 25% Galaxy S21 cases and screen protectors
  • 50% off Verizon charging accessories
  • Get $100 Verizon Dollars when signing up for a Verizon Visa card, plus $100 credit if you use it to pay your bill

At Verizon, the Galaxy S21 will be $33.33 for 24 months at 0% APR.

    Samsung Galaxy S21
    As always, Verizon is the king of carrier deals! From trade-in promotions to saving on accessories, you'll be sure to find a promotion or two to take advantage of with them, especially if you're switching from another carrier.

AT&T

Is your carrier of choice AT&T? Get your Galaxy S21 below! Both new and existing AT&T users can get up to $800 off the Galaxy S21 with an eligible trade-in. That effectively makes the standard model free! Also, you can save 50% on the purchase of the Galaxy Buds Pro with the purchase of any device (including, of course, the Galaxy S21 line).

    Samsung Galaxy S21
    If you're part of AT&T, you can grab your S21 here! Save up to $800 with an eligible trade-in, and save 50% on the Galaxy Buds Pro.

Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Deals

Looking for the Galaxy S21 Plus instead of the normal model? You can find it unlocked at the same retailers–the Samsung Store, Best Buy, and Amazon.

Samsung Store

Did you reserve your pre-order for an S21 line phone before they went live? Good move, because now you’ll get $50 in accessory credit to go with your new Galaxy S21 Plus! On top of that, if you pre-order the Galaxy S21 Plus, you’ll get $150 in pre-order credit and a free GalaxyTag. You can also save up to a further $700 by trading in a recent phone!

Finally, don’t forget about the Galaxy S21 Plus’s two made to order colors–Phantom Gold and Phantom Red. Both are only available at the Samsung Store!

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
    Get your pre-order in before January 28 to get $150 in pre-order credit on the Galaxy S21 Plus! You'll also get a free GalaxyTag with purchase, and if you reserved your pre-order, now's the time to take advantage of those accessory credits!

Best Buy

Looking to go to Best Buy? You can save big depending on what carrier you go with! You save $50 today for an unlocked Galaxy S21 Plus. You can save a lot more with an eligible trade-in, though… up to $800, in fact! You also get $200 in Samsung credit and the free GalaxyTag.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
    Save at Best Buy by activating today! With an eligible trade-in, you can save up to $800 on this phone, and you'll also get $200 in Samsung credit. Not to mention the free GalaxyTag!

Amazon

You can’t argue with the convenience of Amazon! While the massive retailer isn’t offering any deals on the Galaxy S21 Plus right now, you do get the advantage of simple Release Day Shipping. If you have the Prime Rewards Visa, you can also sign up for an 18-month payment plan!

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
    You won't get any deals going with Amazon, but you will enjoy Release Day Shipping if you have Amazon Prime! Also, you can sign up for an 18-month payment plan if you have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa.

Carrier Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus Deals

Don’t want to deal with the hassle of grabbing a Galaxy S21 Plus unlocked and getting it to work with your SIM card? You can grab your Galaxy S21 Plus from Verizon or AT&T.

Verizon

As always, Verizon has tons of different Galaxy S21 Plus deals to take advantage of! It all depends on if you’re switching to Verizon or upgrading to a new line, including:

  • Switch to Verizon to get a Galaxy S21 Plus for free with eligible trade-in
  • Otherwise, save up to $600 with an eligible trade-in
  • Buy a Galaxy S21 Plus, get $1,000 off a second when you add a new line
  • 25% Galaxy S21 Plus cases and screen protectors
  • 50% off Verizon charging accessories
  • Get $100 Verizon Dollars when signing up for a Verizon Visa card, plus $100 credit if you use it to pay your bill

For the Galaxy S21 Plus, you can pay $41.66 a month for 24 months, or $33.33 a month for 30 months.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
    From trade-ins bonuses to promotions for switching, Verizon is the king of carrier deals! Depending on what you're going for, there will be some sort of promotion to take advantage of.

AT&T

Is your carrier of choice AT&T? Get your Galaxy S21 Plus below! Both new and existing AT&T users can get up to $800 off the Galaxy S21 with an eligible trade-in. That’s a nice chunk off the price of the S21 Plus! Also, you can save 50% on the purchase of the Galaxy Buds Pro with the purchase of any device (including, of course, the Galaxy S21 line).

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
    If you're part of AT&T, you can grab your S21 Plus here! Save up to $800 with an eligible trade-in, and save 50% on the Galaxy Buds Pro.

Will you be grabbing the Galaxy S21, the S21 Plus, or the S21 Ultra? Let us know in the comments! Also, don’t forget to pick up a pair of the new Galaxy Bros Pro!

    Galaxy Buds Pro
    Getting a Galaxy S21? Get some awesome new earbuds to go with your device!

The post Best Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus deals: Where to pre-order Samsung’s new affordable flagships appeared first on xda-developers.



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TCL 10L mid-ranger starts receiving promised upgrade to Android 11

TCL has started to send an Android 11 update to users of its mid-range TCL 10L, making good on a promise it made last Spring to provide both the OS upgrade and two years of security patches.

First spotted by Italian site HDblog, the rollout began last Friday, confounding the expectations of those who assume that mid-rangers will get update either eventually or not at all. For a $250 handset to get an upgrade when many flagships are still languishing on Android 10 is pretty impressive.

TCL 10L at XDA Forums

Although Android 11 has a lot of new features, including screen recording, chat bubbles and Flight Mode with Bluetooth, there’s not a lot of value-added features – as you’d expect from a mid-ranger – beyond the TCL UI overlay. Given that the only copy of the changelog available is in Italian, we’ve used a bit of Google Lens magic to bring you the English version at the end of this article.

The TCL 10 Pro and 5G variants are also due for the Android 11 treatment, and we’d expect it won’t be too far behind the 10L. The information we have is for Europe – including the UK and mainland Europe (though so far we’ve only heard of it being found ‘in the wild’ in Italy) but other territories will also be getting upgraded at some point soon.

Changelog

v3.0.8BBH / 2.8GB

  • Version upgrade to Android 11
  • Optimisation of system performance, Improved Daydream, battery optimised
  • Added Memory Album feature to Gallery – features can be sorted by scanning AI
  • Added Interface on lock-screen for quick opening of apps
  • Added split-screen function for Floating Window mode
  • Notifications are less intrusive in full-screen mode
  • Added hidden applications folder
  • Added Easy Link DLNA
  • App Lock feature improved with face unlock
  • Added recommended smart apps and games box
  • New privacy protection feature, more comprehensive data security

At present, the update is only available over-the-air, but we’re sure it won’t be long before our lovely forum members upload it, so keep checking the forum (link above).

The post TCL 10L mid-ranger starts receiving promised upgrade to Android 11 appeared first on xda-developers.



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These are the best Galaxy S21 Ultra thin cases: slim and protective!

Bulky smartphone cases aren’t for everybody. If you’ve purchased one of the new Galaxy S21 series devices already, you’re probably going to be on the hunt for a case for your shiny new smartphone. It’s a beautiful smartphone, though expensive too, and you’ll want to protect it in some way, even if you don’t want to completely plaster over its design. We have all of the best thin cases for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, in order to help you choose which to buy!

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Official clear cover

    Crystal clear

    This is Samsung's official clear case, and it's one of the most barebones that you can get.
    Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Official clear protective

    Crystal clear

    This is Samsung's official clear protective case, providing slightly more protection.
    Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Official clear standing cover

    Perfect for videos

    This is Samsung's official clear standing case - great for watching videos with your phone propped up!
    ESR Clear Case

    Slim and light protection

    This is a clear case from ESR that'll protect your smartphone from everyday bumps.
    Spigen Thin Fit

    Spigen's thin case

    Spigen is one of the best-known brands in cases, and this is the perfect thin fit for your smartphone.
    Ringke Air

    Light as air

    The Ringke Air case is incredibly thin and light, and designed to add as little bulk and weight as possible.
    Ringke Frost Matte Case

    Frosted Matte finish

    Another from Ringke, this comes with a Frosted Matte finish, giving a unique design to your phone.
    Nillkin CamShield

    Protect your camera

    Want something that'll protect your camera while not adding too much bulk? This case might do the trick.
    Caseology Vault

    Tough and thin

    Tough but flexible, this particular case is slightly thicker than the rest. It's still on the thin side, though.

All of the cases above will provide basic protection to your new smartphone, without adding a ton of bulk. Some of them will let you show off the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s design, while others will put a unique spin on it. Whatever you may want, there’s a case for everybody. Spigen is one of the best names in the business, while Nillkin and Ringke also make great quality cases as well.

The post These are the best Galaxy S21 Ultra thin cases: slim and protective! appeared first on xda-developers.



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Become certified AWS cloud computing expert with this $80 training

From file sharing to communication, most businesses today rely on cloud services. For any aspiring IT engineer, knowing how this technology works is essential. The BitDegree Academy AWS Online Courses & Practice Exams will help you master one of the most popular platforms and prepare for certification. You can get it today for just $79.99 at the XDA Developers Depot, saving 59% on the full price.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/D_Y4ixAem4k

The list of companies that use AWS today includes BMW, Adobe, Expedia, Zillow, Disney, GE, Samsung, and countless other big brands. This is why the average salary for an Amazon-certified IT professional is over $129k a year according to Global Knowledge. 

Rated at 4.6 stars on TrustPilot, BitDegree Academy provides one of the best education programs for AWS. As a student, you get lifetime access to over eight hours of content and ten AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner practice exams.

The video tutorials cover every aspect of the AWS platform, along with the key concepts of cloud computing. You learn about the architecture of this platform, pricing models, access management, security features, and much more.

By the time you have finished this training, you should feel confident to ace the official Amazon exam. Just as importantly, you will have the required knowledge to dive into any cloud computing environment.

Order today for just $79.99 to get lifetime access to the training and practice exams, normally valued at $199.

 
BitDegree Academy AWS Online Courses & Practice Exams – $79.99

See Deal

Prices subject to change 

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Google Maps adds super-accurate street details in 4 cities

Google Maps received a redesign in August last year that added more color to physical maps to make varied geography more discernable. At the time, the company had revealed that it was working on adding similar details to street maps as well, which would clearly show things like sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands in cities. Last month, Google rolled out these changes to a few users, adding crosswalk indicators and building numbers in some cities. Now, the feature is finally rolling out to a wider audience in 4 major cities.

According to a recent report from Android Police, the detailed street maps are now available for a majority of Google Maps users in the following cities:

  • London, UK (Central London)
  • New York City, USA
  • San Francisco, USA
  • Tokyo, Japan (Central Tokyo)

As you can see in the attached screenshots, Google Maps now accurately shows details like road width, rounded corners, and roadside vegetation. It also clearly indicates crosswalks, medians, pedestrian islands, and more in the aforementioned locations. The additional details are expected to help both pedestrians and people with disabilities plan their route more effectively.

Google Maps street level details old Google Maps street level details new

Furthermore, parks will show the actual width of pathways in dark green, along with stairs in gray. If you’ve received the update already, you should be able to see these details by zooming in to the street level in one of these cities.

street-level-detail-old street-level-detail-new

The detailed street view is rolling out as a server-side update, and it should reach most users in the coming days. Google may add more locations in the coming months, but the company hasn’t released any information regarding this at the moment. We’ll update this post as and when the detailed Google Maps street view is available in more locations.

The post Google Maps adds super-accurate street details in 4 cities appeared first on xda-developers.



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Galaxy Watch Active 2 update adds Samsung SmartThings Find support

Samsung has started rolling out support for Smartthings Find, its version of Android “Find My Phone” functionality, launched last October, on the Galaxy Watch Active 2. The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)  and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) powered network, which works similarly to Tile, can detect enrolled Samsung devices such as the new Galaxy S21 range, as well as the $29 Galaxy SmartTag launched alongside it.

First spotted late on Friday by XDA Forums member adfree after a posting (in Korean) on Samsung’s community pages, the update will allow you to locate your watch on a map as if it were a SmartTag. There’s no suggestion, that you can use your watch to find other enrolled objects, however. There’s new functionality for fitness fans too, in the form of a group walking challenge, improved sleep score analysis, quicker auto-recognition when you start working out, and automatic detection to start the timer when you start washing your hands. You’ll never need to sing Happy Birthday again. (except on birthdays, obviously).

Along with the usual catch-all of “improved system stability and reliability”, this is a fairly significant update for the Active 2, and a statement of intent for Smartthings Find across the whole Samsung ecosystem. Smartthings Find is not available on Google Play, but will be automatically added to the main Smartthings app on all compatible Galaxy devices in the next firmware drop. Whilst, on one hand, its quite clear that Samsung is moving towards a strategy of a “whole home” system, similar to Apple, it’s a huge risk to make Smartthings Find so Samsung-exclusive, especially when there are similar trackers such as Tile and Chipolo, both of which work cross-platform on all Android and iOS devices, and more importantly, cost less.

Full changelog details below. At present, the firmware is rolling out OTA in South Korea and Canada, with other territories to follow soonest.

Changelog (translated):

Samsung Galaxy Active 2: R820XXU1DUA3/R820GFC1DUA3

Improved Samsung Health Function:

  • You can now enjoy a group walking challenge with your friends
  • Additional sleep score insight provided
  • Reduced auto workout recognition time (running, rowing machine, elliptical)
  • Enjoy home workout with a variety of fitness programs

Smartthings Find:

  • You can find the location of the watch on the map

Hand Wash:

  • After downloading the Hand Wash app, your watch can automatically detect and time when you start washing your hands

 

  • Improved system stability and reliability

 

The post Galaxy Watch Active 2 update adds Samsung SmartThings Find support appeared first on xda-developers.



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