XDA Reducing Power

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Google Removes the 100 Device Registration Limit from the Uncertified Device Page

Good news for the Android community today: Google has heard our concerns. When we first broke the news that Google would begin blocking Google Play uncertified devices from accessing Google apps and services, there was a lot of confusion about what this would mean for users. At first, it seemed like the webpage wasn't working at all, and then it worked with IMEI values, and then we were told it accepted the Google Play Service Framework Device ID (but only in decimal format). One last thing that users, especially developers, were concerned about is the fact that the page seemingly only allowed for 100 IDs to be whitelisted. However, a Google representative has confirmed that they are removing this limit from the uncertified device registration page and that the webpage now accepts GSF IDs in their original hexadecimal format.

The Google Play Service Framework Device ID (GSF ID for short) is a unique device identifier that is generated by Google Play Services. There was some concern that by wiping your device (which happens a lot for developers testing their ROMs and for users who frequently flash new ROMs), you would end up wasting one of the tokens that are used to whitelist your device. On the whitelist page, there's currently no way to remove active device registrations, so the concern was that users would have to save their GSF IDs if they didn't want to fill up the list accidentally.

However, now that the official uncertified device page has dropped the 100 device registration limit, there's no longer any worry about running out of tokens. You can register and re-register as many times as you please under your Google account. This is a good move from Google as it addresses the main concern the community had with the form while still maintaining its original purpose: preventing device makers from bypassing Google's CTS and pre-installing Google apps and services when they aren't supposed to.

In case you are interested, we have updated our tutorial on how to fix the uncertified device error with this new information. If any new developments related to the uncertified device registration page come up, we'll be sure to let you all know.

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LG G7 may have dedicated AI button, sport ThinQ branding, might launch this month

The rumor mill has been all over the place when it comes to the LG G7. In January, a report stated that LG Electronics' chief had ordered the development of the G7 to be started from scratch. More recently, rumors have stated the phone could launch in May or June. Leaked photos revealed a device with a 6-inch display and notch. Other rumors have also made references to the G7 Plus.

Most recently, we saw a report that LG would stick with LCD for the LG G7 to cut costs. Now, ETNews states that LG is planning to release the G7 in South Korea at the end of April, with pre-orders beginning a week later. The phone will be available in mid-May after 7-8 days of reservation. The company has apparently confirmed to mobile network operators that it plans to launch the G7. For reference, the LG G4 was launched in April 2015, while the G5 and G6 were launched at MWC 2016 and MWC 2017 respectively.

The LG G7 is said to be the first phone with an M-LCD+ panel. The display adds a white pixel (W) to existing RGB (red, green, and blue) pixels. It's said to consume about 35 percent less power than a typical LCD, and the white pixels lead to higher overall brightness. The reason why LG has turned to M-LCD+ is to reduce fixed costs, improve yield, and guarantee OLED level efficiency. Also, the decision to go with LCD instead of OLED will lead to "reasonable prices [being offered] to consumers," according to the report.

The phone is said to have a dedicated AI button, which sounds similar to the Bixby key on the Galaxy S8/Note 8/Galaxy S9. The company put a lot of emphasis in its AI features in the LG V30S ThinQ, which was launched at MWC. The dedicated AI button on the G7 will let the user use AI features such as Q Lens, Q Voice, and Google Assistant.

The G7 will also have improved cameras. The primary rear camera has a f/1.5 aperture for improved low-light performance, which matches the aperture of the Galaxy S9 (the G7 won't have a dual aperture, though). The phone will also have a notched display and it will use its front camera for facial recognition. A software feature will allow the user to "eliminate" (hide) the notch design. 3D facial scanning sensors are not present on the phone. Other specifications include 6GB of RAM paired with either 64GB (G7) or 128GB (G7 Plus) of storage. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip.

An LG Electronics official told ETNews that the company would distribute invitations to the media once the schedule for next-generation smartphones is confirmed.

Goodbye, LG G7. Hello, LG G7 ThinQ.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 3, 2018

Finally, the LG G7 will be known as the LG G7 ThinQ, according to a tweet from Evan Blass. This would match the branding of the LG V30S ThinQ and the updated branding on the original V30 after the Oreo update.

Source: ETNews

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Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo 2018 manual shows dual rear cameras and support for Bixby Home

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo was a phone that launched last summer with solid mid-range specs. It had a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, Exynos 7870 processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 3600 mAh battery, and a 13MP camera. A new leaked manual from Samsung's website gives us some details about the 2018 version of the Galaxy J7 Duo.

The device has the model number SM-J720F and the full user manual can be found right now in the Samsung Download Center. We can gather a bunch of information from the document. One of the noteworthy features this year is dual-cameras on the back. Samsung mentions a "Live Focus" feature that allows you to get a bokeh effect. The exact MP specs of the dual-cameras are not yet known. We expect to see a 13+5MP setup.

Another notable feature is Bixby Home. To the surprise of no one, Samsung is continuing to push Bixby on more devices. The device does not feature a physical Bixby button, but all the Bixby features are present. Bixby Home lives just to the left of the home screen with the default launcher. You can access cards with information from connected services and more.

The specs of the J7 Duo are not confirmed yet, but we expect to see a 5.5-inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio, Exynos 7885 processor, and it should launch with Android Oreo. There were several versions of the J7 last year so we'll have to see what Samsung does with it this time.

Source: Samsung Download Center Via: Roland Quandt

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CarbonROM based on Android Oreo now available for a wide range of devices

The folks behind the CarbonROM custom ROM have been quite busy these last few months. We've seen a huge uptick in activity within the forums here at XDA and for good reason too. It was only last month when a version of CarbonROM was released for the Honor View 10 (thanks to the Honor Open Source Program). Then, late last week the team announced that their version of CarbonROM based on Android Oreo has been released for 19 different devices.

We do want to point out that this is only the first batch of devices that the folks behind CarbonROM are releasing right now. This first batch includes 19 different devices across 5 different smartphone OEMs. These new devices that are now supported by CarbonROM Noct (based on Android Oreo) include the following devices:

All of these devices have received user builds of Carbon ROM Noct and they are all signed with their custom keys for proper security. Fans of CarbonROM may be coming from Moo (CarbonROM based on Nougat) and while the team says dirty flashing Noct over Moo seems to work for some devices, they are recommending that you wipe data before moving from Moo to Noct.

Regardless of what update path you take, we hope you enjoy the latest release of the popular custom ROM! Check out the screenshot gallery below to see what features it has to offer—there's a lot!

For those who own the Google Pixel 2 XL and wish to use this new build of CarbonROM on it, the team says that you need to flash the ROM and then reboot back into TWRP before flashing the team's custom GApps package (as this switches slots). This custom GApps package can be found right here so be sure to grab it if you're installing CarbonROM Noct on the Google Pixel 2 XL. The team is aware that the default wallpaper of the Pixel 2 XL is black; this is caused by the RRO overlays on vendor. Thankfully, you can easily just change the wallpaper. One last thing the team wanted to note is that their open source port of the Now Playing feature works on this build.

Owners of the other 19 devices listed above can ignore the information that is specific to the Pixel 2 XL. For everyone that doesn't have the Pixel 2 XL, the team recommends you use the MindTheGapps package (linked on the CarbonROM download page) but says that all other GApps solutions should work just fine as well.

Download CarbonROM Noct for your device now!

Check out CarbonROM's website and social media pages at the links below:

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OnePlus 6 Forums are now open

The OnePlus 6 might not be official yet, but interest in the phone is ramping up quickly. We've covered the device several times in the last few weeks. It was rumored to have a notched display in early March, which was then confirmed by Carl Pei. We also know it will have the Snapdragon 845, 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and a headphone jack. The device has even been revealed in a leaked photo.

Excitement is building and our forums are ready for fans and potential owners to start chatting. The official announcement and launch dates are still up in the air, but that doesn't mean people can't start speculating and discussing leaks and rumors. A few threads are already up and running. Visit the link below to join the conversation or start a few threads of your own.

Join the OnePlus 6 Forums

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OnePlus 6 name confirmed, coming with 256GB storage version and possibly special Avengers: Infinity War model

The OnePlus 6 has been a hot topic in the Android world for the last couple of weeks. Last week, Carl Pei confirmed the OnePlus 6 would have the controversial display notch (but also a headphone jack). We've been talking about it a lot, but the name actually hasn't even been confirmed yet. That was finally made official with a tweet from the OnePlus Twitter account.

6et ready! pic.twitter.com/bmvI75xphm

— OnePlus (@oneplus) April 2, 2018

The quick 4-second video flashes the phrase "THE SPEED YOU NEED" and the number 6, which confirms it will indeed be called the OnePlus 6. That speed will come from the Snapdragon 845, which was confirmed by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau on Weibo. He also said the device will have 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This will be the first OnePlus device with that much storage.

The last bit of OnePlus 6 news will peak the interest of comic book fans. Last year, OnePlus launched a special edition of the OnePlus 5T for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It was only available in a few select countries, but it was a cool offering. This year, their flagship phone is looking to tie-in with Avengers: Infinity War. The video above was accidentally published to Facebook (mirrored below by AndroidCentral). It features the OnePlus and Avengers logos in quick succession. The post was pulled down, but it's pretty obvious there will be some sort of connection.

We don't know the official release date of the OnePlus 6, but Infinity War will be in theaters April 27th worldwide. It's possible we could see the OnePlus 6 at that time. OnePlus released the Star Wars edition just a couple of days before The Last Jedi arrived in theaters. Hopefully, the Avengers edition will not be so region restricted. We should know more about the OnePlus 6 announcement, release date, and more in the coming weeks.

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Always-listening Hotword Recognition without power drain may soon come to Android apps with TrulyHandsfree

Ever wonder how smartphones such as the Huawei Mate 9 respond to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant commands ("Alexa", "OK, Google") even when the screen is switched off and locked? It's thanks to a hardware component called a DSP, or digital signal processor, a dedicated audio chip that handles low-power, always-on phrase detection (and other tasks). It's core to popular voice assistants' functionality. Silicon Valley-based company Sensory says its software-based alternative, TrulyHandsfree, gives DSPs a run for their money.

TrulyHandsFree, which the company claims is the "most widely deployed" speech recognition engine in the world, is a wake-word and speech recognition suite designed to support low-power voice recognition in applications across Android, iOS, and other platforms. Sensory says the software has been "re-engineered" for increased accuracy, lower power consumption, and expanded device support.

"Hands-free operation for voice control has become the norm, and application developers are now looking to create hands-free wake words for their own apps," said Todd Mozer, CEO of Sensory, in a statement.

Development of the new and improved TrulyHandsfree began in 2017. Sensory teamed up with chip maker Qualcomm and ARM to figure out how to lower power consumption for voice assistant wake words. It implemented three techniques:

Sensory's "little-big" always-listening feature uses a small voice recognition model to identify potential wake words and revalidate those wake words on a large model. It doesn't have demanding power requirements, but it's more accurate without consuming slightly more power.
Frame stacking, a method of neural network training that leads to more accurate models and faster decoding, cuts certain wake word model processing functions' MIPS (million instructions per second, a measure of processing performance) in half without impacting accuracy.
Multithreading allows more efficient speech recognition processing and improves the execution time for larger wake word models.

Sensory says together the enhancements reduce power consumption on mobile apps by more than 80%, which equates to 200mAh in a 12-hour day.

If you've used the latest version of navigation app Waze, you've already seen the new TrulyHandsfree in action. "We recently helped Google's Waze accept hands-free voice commands by supplying them with Sensory's 'OK Waze' wake word that runs when the app is open," Mr. Mozer said. "With previous versions of TrulyHandsfree, having our always-on wake word engine listening for the OK Waze wake word during a short trip would have had minimal effect on a smartphone's battery, but for longer trips, a more efficient was desired — so we created it."

The latest TrulyHandsfree ships with support for several types of wake word options including fixed words and user-defined wake words. Wake word models for Alexa, Siri, the Google Assistant, Microsoft's Cortana, and systems from Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent. Multi-wake word recognition and support for multiple languages including English, Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Turkish.

Sensory says an updated SDK for Android and iOS will roll out before the end of Q2 2018.

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