smartphone News - Page 17 of 75 - CNX Software

May 13, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

e.Foundation to Sell Refurbished Phones Running Google-Free /e/ Android OS

Most Android phones come with Google services, which is both a boon and a curse, as those services are often convenient, but they come at the loss of your privacy. For example, most people get all upset and lost if a firmware image for an SBC is shipped without Google Play Store, but yet at the same time they worry about their privacy providing all their data to a single company like Google. There must be a better way, and that’s what the e.foundation is attempting with /e/ operating system based on Android, but without any of the Google Services, and targetting your typical end-users, as opposed to geek. /e/ operating system aims to provide privacy both inside the phone, and via cloud services unrelated to Google. It is a fork of LineageOS 14.1 itself a fork of AOSP, and replaces Google services and apps with programs such as MicroG […]

May 8, 2019May 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Android 10 Beta 3 Now Available on 15 OEM Phones

Google introduced Android Q in March with the first beta and preview SDK release. The new version of Android introduced more privacy protections, support for foldables, sharing shortcuts, connectivity improvements (e.g. WPA3 security), new camera and multimedia features such as dynamic depth photos and AV1 media codec support, as well as an updated neural network API, higher ART performance, and security improvements. Google has now announced Android 10 Beta 3 with a few new features over the first preview release, and support for 15 OEM phones on top of the 6 Pixel phones already supported. Some of the new improvements in Android 10 Beta 3 include: Scoped Storage feature giving users control over files and preventing apps from accessing sensitive user or app data. See the corresponding developer page for details. Update of BiometricPrompt authentication framework to support biometrics, e.g. face recognition, at a system level. Project Mainline described as […]

May 8, 2019May 8, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Google Pixel 3a / 3a XL Mid-Range Smartphones Get a Premium Camera, an Headphone Jack

Google launched their Pixel 3 & 3 XL smartphones last fall with a Snapdragon 845 processor, a camera that takes excellent photos even in low-light conditions, and achieves an excellent score of 101 points in Dxo camera benchmark. The phone costs $799 and up in the US, and more in other countries. Most people I know use their phone for calls and SMS, taking photos, messaging with Facebook and LINE, and some casual gaming, so it would make sense to have a mid-range phone with an excellent camera, a slightly less powerful processor, and a significantly lower price tag. That’s what Google has done with Pixel 3a and 3a XL phones, taking many of the features of Pixel 3, including the camera, but selecting a Snapdragon 670 processor instead, shaving a few dollars with other design decision, and bringing the price down to $399. Pixel 3a / 3a XL smartphone […]

April 29, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

UNISOC Unveils Tiger T310 Quad Core Cortex-A75/A55 DynamIQ Processor for 4G Phones

UNISOC, a company born out of the merger between RDA Micro and Spreadtrum Communications, has recently introduced Tiger T310 processor for 4G smartphones. The quad core processor is somewhat unique as it comes with a single Cortex-A75 core coupled with three Cortex-A55 cores using dynamIQ technology. UNISOC Tiger T310 key features include: CPU – 1x Arm Cortex-A75 core @ up to 2.0 GHz, 3x Arm Cortex-A53 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz in dynamIQ configuration GPU – TBD Cellular Connectivity – TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, CDMA, GSM Camera – Dual and triple camera support Security – TEE, face unlocking Manufacturing Process – TSMC 12-nanometer process UNISOC Tiger T310 is said to deliver a 120% single-core performance improvement over the current mainstream 4-core processor, and a 20% multi-core performance improvement. The processor’s battery life is said to be 20% better than mainstream 8-core processors, and 15% higher than mainstream 4-core processors […]

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Snapdragon 730, 730G & 665 Mobile Platforms Target High and Mid Tier Devices

Qualcomm has announced three new processor / mobile platforms for high and mid-tier mobile devices. Qualcomm Snapdragon 730, 730G and 665 Mobile Platforms are designed to improve experiences in artificial intelligence (AI), gaming, camera, as well as general performance. Snapdragon 730 & 730G Both processors share many of the same features: Qualcomm Artificial Intelligence Engine AIE CPU – Octa-core Qualcomm Kryo 470 CPU @ up to 2.2 GHz AIE GPU – Qualcomm Adreno 618 GPU with support for OpenCL 2.0 FP, Vulkan 1.1, OpenGL ES 3.2, DX12 AIE DSP – Qualcomm Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX), Qualcomm Hexagon Tensor Accelerator, Qualcomm Hexagon 688 Processor, Qualcomm Hexagon Voice Assistant, Qualcomm All-Ways Aware technology Neural Processing: Qualcomm® Neural Processing SDK Display On-Device Display Snapdragon 730 – up to FHD+ (18:9), 2520×1080 resolution Snapdragon 730G – up to Quad HD+, HDR10, 3360×1440 External Display up to 4K resolution Camera Qualcomm Spectra 350 image signal […]

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 855 Hardware Development Kit

Snapdragon 855 processor is found in premium smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy S10 or Xiaomi Mi 9, but Snapdragon 855 Mobile Hardware Development Kit has now started to show up on Qualcomm developer website. Beside the octa-core processor, the platform comes with WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, GNSS, Gigabit Ethernet, multiple MIPI DSI and CSI interfaces, DisplayPort over USB-C and HDMI outputs and more. Snapdragon 855 HDK preliminary specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Octa-core processor with 1x Kryo 485 Gold Prime core at up to 2.8 GHz, 3x Kryo 485 Gold cores at up to 2.4 GHz, and 4x Kryo 485 Silver low-power cores at up to 1.7 GHz, Adreno 640 GPU System Memory – TBD Storage – TBD flash, micro SD card slot Video Output 2x MIPI 4-lane DSI + touch panel 1x HDMI DisplayPort over USB 3.1 type-C port Camera Input – 3x MIPI 4-lane CSI with support […]

March 26, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

T-bao T15A 15.6″ Portable Display Works with Phones, Computers and Game Consoles

In recent months we’ve seen several lightweight portable displays that works with phones or computers such as the 12.5″ ultra-lightweight LAPSCREEN display or TAIHE Gemini 15.6″ Full HD / 4K portable display. But AFAIK, the former is not available for purchase just yet, and the latter was launched via a crowdfunding campaign and shipping appears to be scheduled for May 2019. If you want something similar that ships today, T-bao T15A 15.6″ portable display may be an options. It comes with two USB-C ports one for power, one to connect USB-C devices like smartphones, and a mini HDMI port for laptops, computers, game consoles and so on. T-bao T15A display specifications: Screen – 15.6″ IPS display with 1920×1080 resolution, W-LED backlight, 178-degree viewing angle Ports 1x mini HDMI 2x USB type-C ports including one for host device input, one for power 1x micro USB port to connect keyboard and mouse […]

March 23, 2019June 4, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

NexDock 2 Laptop Shell Gets a Full HD Display, a USB type-C Port (Crowdfunding)

NexDock 14″ laptop shell was first introduced in 2016 to help people convert their smartphones or single board computers into a laptop with a display, a keyboard and battery. The crowdfunding campaign was successful with over $360,000 raised for the projects, and the first NexDock has been shipped to 2,600+ backers. The following year, the company – now called Nex Computer – announced plan to develop NexDock 2 with support for Intel Compute Cards. This did not quite work out as expected since Intel decided to stop further development of Compute Cards, but not all is lost as Nex Computer has now launched NexDock 2 with an aluminum body, a slightly smaller but higher resolution Full HD display, an edge to edge keyboard, and a USB type-C input port. NexDock 2 specifications: Display – 13.3” IPS LCD display with 1920×1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio Video Input – Full-size HDMI input […]