LG V30 getting Android 8.0 Oreo update in South Korea

LG has released Android 8.0 Oreo update for its flagship V30 smartphone. The Oreo beta program went live for LG V30 last month, and now the final build has started rolling out.

The update is about 1,412MB in size, and is available via OTA update as well as LG Bridge software. LG V30 users can either update their device from software update option or by manually downloading the update through the supplied software. The update, for now, is limited to V30 users in South Korea but users in other markets should get the update in the coming months.

The Oreo update brings improvements to V30 in key areas like performance, battery life and speed. The update improves boot time on smartphones and brings streamlined notification cards. Other improvements include Oreo defaulting to the maximum aspect ratio of the screen instead of the 1.86:1 aspect ratio adopted with the previous versions.

The Android 8.0 Oreo version on V30 is based on LG’s own UX, which enhances the screen configuration, graphics and convenience features. On V30, users can watch videos in picture-in-picture (PIP) mode, and apps like Netflix will turn into a small screen when another app is running. The update also brings LDAC-related improvements that minimizes sound source loss.

“We will provide a differentiated user experience with stable and complete software,” said Lee Sang-kyu of LG Electronics Mobile Korea Group.

With the release of Oreo for V30, LG has become one of the very few smartphone makers to release newest version of Android for their devices. Apart from Google, only Nokia, Sony and OnePlus have released Oreo update for their devices. Android 8.0 Oreo had a market share of just 0.5 percent at the beginning of December.

To recall, LG launched V30+, a variant of V30, with more storage in India early this month. The smartphone features a 6-inch P-OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage. It features dual rear camera setup with a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 13-megapixel secondary sensor. There is a 5-megapixel front camera with support for 120-degree wide-angle selfies.

The smartphone comes with Quad-DAC support, and is priced at Rs 44,990. Since the V30+ is basically a variant of V30, it should also receive Android 8.0 Oreo in the coming months.

LG V30+

Facebook testing Aadhaar prompt for new users in India, says it's not mandatory

Facebook has started testing a new prompt asking new users in India to sign up using their real name as mentioned on the Aadhaar card. The move comes amidst the ongoing debate whether Aadhaar should be made mandatory for anything beyond mandatory services. The new sign up process encouraged users to use the name on their Aadhaar card but didn’t ask for 12-digit Aadhaar number or other personal details.

Facebook is testing a new “name as per Aadhaar” prompt when users create a new account on its mobile site. The prompt reads “What’s your name? Using the name on your Aadhaar card makes it easier for friends to recognize you.” The mobile version of Facebook with Aadhaar prompt was first spotted by Reddit users and consequently shared on Twitter.

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Facebook says the new Aadhaar name prompt is designed to curb the number of fake accounts on its social media platform. Facebook has over two billion active users but India is its largest market with over 241 million active users.

The social networking giant says the move will encourage users to sign up with their real identity. “We want to make sure people can use the names they’re known by on Facebook, and can easily connect with friends and family. This is a small test where we provide additional language when people sign up for an account to say that using the name on their Aadhaar card makes it easier for friends to recognize them. This is an optional prompt which we are testing, people are not required to enter the name on their Aadhaar card,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

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The prompt is being seen by only a small number of users and it even seems that Facebook is curtailing on its widespread testing since it was spotted by Reddit users. Facebook makes it clear that using the name mentioned on Aadhaar is optional and the only goal is to make sure that people sign up with their real name.

The mobile site only asks users to sign up with their real name as seen on their Aadhaar ID and doesn’t request for Aadhaar details. The Silicon Valley giant is steering away from Aadhaar privacy issues here but it is not clear what Facebook gains by particularly mentioning Aadhaar in its sign-up page.

Aadhaar was conceived to be a unified ID for Indians that would aid in availing critical benefits from the government. However, it was not designed to be used as a verification tool on social media platforms. Facebook has not clarified whether it sought permission from the government or UIDAI before showing Aadhaar prompt to a small set of users.

Samsung Pay update in India now allows users to pay their bills within the app

After launching the Samsung Pay platform in India earlier this year, Samsung has gradually expanded the service by making some strategic investments. Samsung has also partnered with Paytm and Mobikwik to include their respective wallets within the app. Now, the South Korean tech giant has updated the Samsung Pay app in India which brings new features to the platform.

The new update is about 80MB in size. To update, open Samsung Pay, tap on the three dots on the top right > followed by settings > about Samsung Pay. Here, you will see the update button, just click on it. Among the new features, Samsung has introduced utility bill payment option, and the ability to add money to mobile wallet using your favorite cards. You can also save bank account and IFSC information of your family and friends when transferring money using UPI.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) with dual selfie cameras, Infinity Display launched: Price, Specs and features

After the update, you will see the new ‘Pay Bills’ option on the home screen. You can add your Aircel, Airtel, BSNL, Idea, Tata Docomo and Vodafone postpaid mobile numbers under. In case of electricity bill payments, Samsung has added BEST Mumbai, BSES, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution, Tata Power, Reliance Energy and Noida Power. While DTH operators such as Sun Direct, Dish TV and Tata Sky are included, Reliance Digital TV is not a part of it, yet.

Similarly, you can also make broadband bill payments for ACT Fibernet, BSNL, Connect and MTNL Delhi Broadband; landline payments for BSNL, Airtel, and MTNL (Mumbai & Delhi). Lastly, you also have Adani Gas, Mahanagar Gas and Indraprastha Gas; and Delhi Jal Board and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram.

After you add these billers, the app will alert you when the respective bill is generated. The bill amount will be visible on the ‘Pay Bills’ page, along with the due date. What’s more, once the bill is generated, you can also add a reminder for the same – which could be daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. You can then pay the bills using your bank account linked to the UPI ID.

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The second feature is the ability to save IFSC code and bank account number of your family or friends, when you transfer money using UPI. This will allow you to save the contacts you frequently transfer money to. Lastly, Samsung has also added the ability to add money to Paytm or Mobikwik wallet from saved credit and debit cards. These nifty additions to the platform prove that Samsung is serious about Samsung Pay as a cashless mode of payment in India.


Source: SamMobile

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Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) with dual selfie cameras, Infinity Display launched: Price, Specs and features

Samsung has launched the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018), the successors to Galaxy A5 (2017) and A7 (2017). The smartphones bring Samsung’s Infinity Display design to the mid-range price segment and also debuts the new name scheme.

As expected, the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) sport the Infinity Display design similar to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8 smartphones. The Galaxy A8 (2018) sports a 5.6-inch display while the Galaxy A8+ (2018) features a larger 6-inch display. Both the models use a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2220 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.

The display sizes mean that the Galaxy A8 (2018) series sits right between the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+. The use of Infinity Display design supporting Full HD+ resolution means that the new A-series finally support Gear VR.

"With the release of the Galaxy A8(2018) and A8+(2018), we're bringing our customers' favorite features from our flagship smartphones, such as the Infinity Display and our first Dual Front Camera with Live Focus, to our Galaxy A series, which is already known for its premium design", Junho Park, vice president of Global Product Planning, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics said. 

Apart from display and design, Samsung has also added dual-front camera setup to the new Galaxy A8 (2018) series. The Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) feature a combination of 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel front camera setup with f/1.9 aperture and support for Live Focus, that allows users to capture pictures in bokeh mode and add blur even after the picture is shot. The smartphones will seamlessly switch between the two front cameras to get the desired effect.

The rear camera has also been updated with new 16-megapixel sensor and wider f/1.7 aperture. The rear camera lacks optical image stabilization, but there is digital image stabilization for shooting steady videos while added hyperlapse mode allows for shooting timelapse on the go.

The Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) are powered by an octa-core processor, but Samsung isn’t confirming whether it’s Exynos or a Snapdragon chipset. The Galaxy A8 (2018) has a 4GB RAM and option for either 32GB or 64GB internal storage. The Galaxy A8+ (2018) comes in two storage variants: 32GB storage with 4GB RAM, and a 64GB variant with 6GB RAM. Both the smartphones are IP68 water and dust resistant and support Samsung Pay for contactless mobile payment.

They run Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box, which is disappointing considering that Android Oreo has been out for nearly four months now. The Galaxy A8 (2018) houses a 3,000mAh battery while the A8 (2018) gets a larger 3,500mAh power pack. Both the devices charge over USB Type-C port and support fast charging. 

Samsung is yet to formally announce pricing for the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ 2018, it is being speculated that while the A8 will be priced at 499 Euros (roughly Rs 37,755), the larger A8+ will be available for 599 Euros (roughly Rs 45,323). Samsung will likely announce the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ 2018 for global markets (including India) at CES 2018 in January.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2017

Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 

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Google Maps Go app launched on Google Play Store

After launched Files Go and Google Go in India last week, Google is now following up this initiative with the launch of Google Maps Go. This new app is essentially a slimmed down version of Google Maps, which offers less processor-intensive function, and doesn’t require the networking resources of its full-featured forebear.

Technically speaking, the Google Maps Go is not available on any smartphone other than the ones running Android Go. However, as reported by Android Police, the app has been released in the form of a Progressive Web Application (PWA) on Google’s servers. This means, if you already have Google Maps installed, simply copying and pasting the link in Google Chrome pulls up Google Maps Go.

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Google Maps Go is supported in over 70 countries, and has most of Maps’ core features, including turn-by-turn directions, map layers, and highlighted areas of interest. The app in functionally is the same as Google Maps, but less aesthetically pleasing. But that also means that it is less graphically demanding. You can add it to your homescreen through the overflow menu, and just like Twitter Lite for example, it will take on the Maps Go icon.

As reported, the PWA version of the app will also allow to detect location, give directions for cars and public transit and walking, search for places, show different layers, share your locations, and more.

Last week, as part of its Google For India initiative, Google launched the Google Go and Files Go app. Google Go is a tailor-made app for first-time internet users who mostly use entry-level devices. Google Go comes with three features. The fist is a tap-first user interface that helps users explore ideas, and find things around the web. Secondly, the Google Go app comes with small app size, and lastly, Google has made it easy to switch between languages, for instance, Hindi and English. As of now, it works with ten Indian languages. The new customized Go app is said to consume 40 percent less data. Google Go is available as a preview starting today on the Google Play Store in India.

Files Go, on the other hand, is another new app that helps free up space, find files faster and share files offline with people nearby. Like Maps Go, the app has been custom built for Go edition devices. Files Go simple interface that can give users quick insights about all the files and folders on your device. The app automatically scans for duplicate apps and allows you to ditch the ones that are not needed, identifies large files, and gives you different tips on how to save some extra storage out of your phone.

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Google Assistant now rolling out to Android Lollipop tablets and smartphones

Google Assistant, the AI-based digital assistant, is finally coming to tablets and phones running older versions of Android. Google has announced that Assistant will be rolled out to tablets running Android 7.0 Nougat and 6.0 Marshmallow, and smartphones running Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Google Assistant was first announced at Google I/O last year as the search giant’s answer to Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa. It was initially made available for smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat only, but soon Google expanded the availability to devices running Marshmallow as well. Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with an active install base of 29.7 percent, is the most widely used version of Google’s mobile operating system.

Now with the rollout of Assistant for Lollipop as well, Google Assistant is available on nearly 80 percent of all active Android devices around the world. The Assistant is available on smartphones running Lollipop as part of an update to the Google Play Services.

Google continues to struggle with Android fragmentation issues, and has taken initiatives like Project Treble and Android Go to push the adoption of latest version among smartphone makers. However, it has seen limited success, and has now resorted to pushing features like Assistant to older versions as well.

In a blog post, Google says the Assistant will only be available to Android Lollipop users in the US, UK, India, Australia, Canada and Singapore, as well as to those who have set their default language to Spanish in the US, Mexico and Spain. It will also be available to users in Italy, Japan, Germany, Brazil and Korea. Once users update to latest version of Google Play Services, they will see an Assistant app icon in their “All apps” list.

The Assistant on tablets will be rolling out over the coming weeks to users with default language set to English in the US. Google also notes that Assistant on a tablet will be ideal to control smart devices like plugs and lights or ask about the weather.

Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Amazon are reshaping their products with an AI-first approach. Google, in particular, seems to be making that transition faster than its rivals by integrating its voice-activated assistant on speakers and even headphones from brands like Bose. At the third edition of Google For India event in New Delhi, Google brought Assistant to JioPhone strongly indicating its future plan.

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