Google Duo can now make calls with users who haven’t installed the app, Allo message previews improved

Google recently updated Duo app that brought a slightly updated look to the contact list, fun rearrangement of pixels. One of the most significant features in the update was the ability of Duo to call people that haven't installed or registered with Duo in the past.  The feature almost exactly works the same way it does with the regular call, including the Knock-Knock feature. An incoming will fly over the screen with a view of the caller's camera even if the app is not installed on the phone. These are of course audio calls, and the users can either accept, reject, mute their mic, change cameras. http://ift.tt/2qWtd5S At the end of the call, users will be prompted to install the app if they're interested and will also show a pop-up which allows you to block a caller from contacting you again. This feature is powered by the  Google Play services called App Preview Messaging, which Google debuted alongside Allo in 2016. It is available to some developers through an early-access preview program, but it didn't open up to all yet. On the other hand, Allo also supports App Preview Messaging feature including two-way communication. But the messaging window for Allo looked weird. But the latest changed things slightly better and it ...

AMD chips vulnerable to both variants of Spectre security flaw, firmware updates coming this week

Though AMD's initial response to Spectre security flaw was positive as the company said the impact is 'near zero', today it confirmed that the processors are vulnerable to both variants of the Spectre security flaw. The company further added that it is rolling out firmware updates available for Ryzen and EPYC owners this week. AMD will be rolling out the patches to suppliers who will be pushing them to the users. The company didn't mention anything about the performance impact. AMD says that Google Project Zero Variant 1 (Bounds Check Bypass or Spectre could be contained with an operating system patch. It is been working with Microsoft to roll out the patches for the majority of AMD systems and is also closely following up to correct the issue that paused the distribution of patches for some older AMD processors. Linux vendors are also rolling out patches across AMD products. The variant two; Branch Target Injection or Spectre is also applicable to AMD processors. While it is hard for the variant two to exploit AMD processors, the company said that it is working to further mitigate the threat. It also mentioned that patches and firmware updates to older processors will be rolled out over the coming ...

mAadhaar app security flaw makes it easy to steal Aadhaar data

A french security researcher has reportedly found a security flaw in the mAadhaar app which makes it easy for someone with physical access to any user’s phone to acquire their personal Aadhaar card details. In a series of Tweets, he explained the flaw and has pointed out the issues that afflict the mAadhaar Android app. He further says that it is super easy to get the password of the local database since the mAadhaar is saving all the biometric settings in a local database which is protected with a password. And, to generate the password, they used a random number with 123456789 as seed and a hardcoded string db_password_123. He also said that debug feature that is enabled in the app by default lets someone to repack the app with the logging activated and distribute it so all your Aadhaar data will be available on the sdcard so the attacker can easily upload the log file to his server. [HTML1] [HTML2] However, UIDAI was quick to respond to the user and in a response Tweet, it mentioned that "mAadhaar uses a local db to store the user preferences on the user’s device. This data is application preferences as created by the user on his/her phone. The app does not capture, store ...

Weekly Roundup: Lava Red OnePlus 5T, Samsung Galaxy A8+ 2018, Smartron t.phone P and more

This week there were a lot of CES announcements from Dell,  Harman,  Lenovo, Sony, HP, Sennheiser and lots more. In India OnePlus launched the Lava Red OnePlus 5T, Samsung launched the Galaxy A8+ 2018, Smartron launched t.phone P and more. OnePlus launched the new Lava Red color variant of the OnePlus 5T in India. This has black bezel on the front and comes with bright red finish on the back and the sides of the phone. The OnePlus 5T Lava Red version with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at Rs. 37,999 in India and will be available exclusively from Amazon.in starting from 20th January 2018 at 12PM. Samsung launched the Galaxy A8+ (2018)  smartphone in India. It packs a 6-inch Full HD+Infinity Super AMOLED  18.5:9 display, is powered by Octa-Core Exynos 7885 14nm processor, runs Android 7.1.1 (Nougat),  has 16-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, and a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel dual front cameras, both with f/1.9 aperture. Dual front cameras let you switch between them for close-ups with the background to portrait shots and the Live Focus feature lets you adjust the bokeh effect before or after you take the picture. It comes with IP68 ratings for water and dust resistance and packs a 3500mAh battery with support for fast charging. It ...

Sony Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra and Xperia L2 pre-orders begin in the US and UK, price revealed

Sony at the CES 2018 earlier this week introduced Xperia XA2,  Xperia XA2 Ultra and Xperia L2 smartphones, but it did not announce the price. Now all the smartphones are available for pre-order in the U.S. through Best Buy and in the UK through Clove UK. Pricing and availability Sony Xperia XA2 - $349.99 (Rs. 22,260 approx.) / £249.17 (Rs. 21760 approx.) exVAT  / £299 (Rs. 26,110 approx.) incVAT Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra - $449.99 (Rs. 28,620 approx.)  / £315.83 (Rs. 27580 approx.) exVAT  /  £379 (Rs. 33,099 approx.) incVAT Sony Xperia L2 - $249.99 (Rs. 15,900 approx.) / £165.83 (Rs. 14,480 approx.) exVAT / £199 (Rs. 17,380 approx.) incVAT In the U.S. these phones are available on  February 16, 2018, while the Clove UK says that the phones will be available by the end of January, which is about two weeks away. Sony Xperia XA2 specifications 5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display with Image Enhance Technology, Corning Gorilla Glass protection 2.2 GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 630 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 508 GPU 3GB RAM, 32GBGB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB via microSD card Android 8.0 (Oreo) Dual SIM (Optional) 23MP rear camera with 1/2.3″ Exmos RS sensor, Hybrid Auto-Focus, 84° wide-angle f/2.0 lens 8MP front camera with 120° super wide-angle f/2.4 lens, 1/4″ Exmor R sensor Dimensions: 142 x 70 x 9.7 ...

Honor 8 Pro, Honor 9i, Honor 7X and Honor 8 Lite to get EMIUI 8.0 Android 8.0 Oreo update

Last year Huawei confirmed that Huawei P10 and Mate 9 series will get EMUI 8.0 Android 8.0 Oreo update, now Huawei's Honor brand has confirmed that Honor 8 Pro, Honor 9i, Honor 7X and Honor 8 Lite that were launched running Android Nougat will get the Oreo update with EMIUI 8.0 in the future without confirming exact time-frame of availability. The latest Honor View 10 and the Honor 9 Lite that will launch next week come with Android Oreo-based EMIUI 8.0 out of the box. For now Honor 8 Pro and Huawei Mate 9 are confirmed to bring Google’s Project Treble with the Oreo update so that the devices will get faster updates. EMIUI 8.0 brings AI-powered Real-Time Scene and Object Recognition, Smart Tips, and AI Accelerated Translator. Some of these features might vary depending on the device. EMUI 8.0 also includes features like Smart Resolution, dynamic wallpaper, navigation bar customizations,  intelligent split-screen interface, navigation dock, simplify one-hand operation and smart view on landscape and easy switch. EMUI 8.0 gives smart tips basis the behavior cognizance and requirements. "The software provides simplified interface enabling an easy single touch switching between user spaces, prompt data transfer and quick file sharing abilities," said the company. Commenting on the EMIUI 8.0, Huawei R&D spokesperson ...

HTC 10 Android 8.0 Oreo update starts rolling out

HTC confirmed Android 8.0 (Oreo) update for some of its devices back in August last year. The HTC U11 was the first phone to get the Oreo update in November starting from Taiwan, later the U11 Life got the update, now the unlocked HTC 10 units have started receiving the update starting from the U.S.  Android Oreo comes with lots of new features and improvements including Background limits, Notification channels, snooze notifications, Autofill APIs, Picture in Picture (PIP) display, Adaptive icons and much more. The v3.16.617.2 for the HTC 10 also includes Android security patch for December, 2017. OTA update should roll out for unlocked units in the U.S. from today, but the RUU file is available, which you can download and manually flash at your own risk. No details when the T-Mobile and other carriers variants will get the update. European units should get the update later this month or early next month. HTC U Ultra is expected to get the Oreo update next as the company had already promised.

HTC U11 EYEs with 6-inch FHD+ full-screen display, dual front cameras surface, expected on January 15

HTC U11 EYEs, a new mid-range smartphone in the U11 series codenamed Harmony is expected to be introduced in China on January 15th, according to @evleaks. It will have a 6-inch FHD+ full-screen screen, on-screen button and Edge sense technology that lets you launch apps or perform certain actions just by squeezing the phone. [HTML1] It will have IP67 ratings for dust and water resistance and pack a 3930mAh battery. Even though details about the camera is not mentioned, the image reveals single rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and dual front cameras. HTC U11 EYEs rumored specifications 6-inch (1080 x 2160 pixels) Full HD+ Super LCD 3 display Octa-Core Snapdragon 652 64-bit processor with Adreno 510 GPU 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, expandable memory with microSD Android 7.1 (Nougat) with HTC Sense UI Fingerprint sensor Water and dust resistant (IP67) 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4 and 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS with GLONASS, USB Type-C 3930mAh battery The HTC U11 EYEs is said to come in Black, Silver and Red colors and will cost 3,299 yuan (US$ 510 / Rs. 32,490 approx.). We should know more details when the phone goes official in a couple of days. Source 1, 2

Samsung Galaxy S9 retail box surfaces – f/1.5 aperture camera, stereo speakers and more specifications revealed

We're just a month away from the launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. While the company is busy at work, retail box of the Galaxy S9 has allegedly surfaced online. The retail box found by Reddit users reveal some basic yet key specifications of the S9 that should keep us excited till the launch which happens to be in February at the MWC 2018 event.  As rumored, the Galaxy S9 will sport a 5.8-inches curved-edge Super AMOLED Infinity display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The retail box shows key camera specifics including a super-speed Dual-Pixel 12-megapixel camera with OIS, an F1.5/2.4 variable aperture camera similar to Samsung W2018 that can record super slo-mo videos, but we're yet to know the frame rates at which the videos are recorded. It has an 8-megapixel selfie snapper on the front and Stereo speakers and earphones tuned by AKG. The Galaxy S9 duo will be water and dust resistant rated at IP68. There is an Iris scanner, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and support for wireless charging. While there are not many differences in terms of specifications between the S9 and this year's S8+, it should be interesting to see the what features that would tag along. Though ...

Insta360 Nano S offers 360-degree 4K videos, multiview shooting and more

Insta360 introduced the ONE, 4K 360 camera last year. This year at the CES it has introduced new Nano S, a compact camera that attaches to iPhone using lightning port to shoot 4K 360° video and 20 MP 360° photos. It also has MultiView feature that allows users to show multiple angles of a scene simultaneously and share them via a live broadcast or one-on-one chat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQfJbHblqiY Insta360 Nano S highlights and specifications Sony sensor with f/2.2 aperture Integrated support for 360° live-streaming on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (via Periscope) Uses iPhone's gyroscope to counteract every wobble and shake for shooting smooth footage MultiView lets you record in every direction, and arrange the best of what you see in one frame One-touch sharing to social apps - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more Converts iPhone’s display into a real-time 360° camera viewfinder Photo resolution: 6272x3136; Video resolution: 3840x 1920 at 30fps; Photo format: jpg, insp, RAW(DNG format); Video format: mp4, insv, Log Dimensions: 110 x33x21mm SD Card: Supports UHS-I, exFAT(FAT64) format; max storage capacity is 128 GB 800mAh battery with 60 minutes of endurance The Insta360 Nano S comes in Silver and Matte black colors, is priced at  $239 (Rs. 15,200 approx.) and is available through Insta360 Store and Amazon.