Xiaomi starts rolling out MIUI 9.5 Stable ROM, finally brings New Notification Shade with Quick Replies

Google introduced Quick Reply and Bundled Notifications with Android Nougat back in 2016, but devices running on MIUI didn’t get these features despite devices running on Android Nougat. Xiaomi announced the lightning fast MIUI 9 Global ROM back in November 2017 with many fresh changes including Split Screen, Interactive and Fresh UI changes, New Gallery App, Calendar Cards, App Vault, New Notification Shade, Mi Video App, New Mi Explorer and Mi Drop. In January Xiaomi rolled out App Vault, Mi Video App and Gallery Editor with MIUI 9.2 but New Notification Shade couldn’t make its way to Stable ROM. [gallery link="file" size="large" ids="235833,235834,235835"] If you’re still struggling with expanding notifications with two finger swipe down gesture and have a Xiaomi device running Android 7.0 or above, there is be a good news for you as Xiaomi has finally started rolling out New Notification Shade feature with MIUI 9.5 Stable ROM. As per users on Mi Community, company has started rolling out MIUI 9.5.4.0.NCFMIFA for Redmi Note 4, February security patch is also included in this update. Apart from these, Xiaomi has introduced new Ringtones, Charging Sound, Lock/Unlock Sound as it did on Global Beta ROM back in January with MIUI Global Beta 8.1.8. [gallery ...

Microsoft Edge Browser beta now available for iPad

Microsoft first introduced the Edge Browser beta for Android and iOS back in October 2017 and during the announcement it mentioned that browser for iPads will be made available soon, and now the day has finally arrived. Edge Browser is now finally available for iPads in beta via the Apple TestFlight system. Just as you would expect, Microsoft has scaled up the interface of the browser to fit the large-screen and features like “continue on PC,” options to change from a light to a dark theme are accounted for. For now, however, Microsoft didn't include iOS 11 split screen support, which means you can't run any other app while browsing. But since this in beta, there's hope for the feature to make its way in the final release. [HTML1] Like on iPhones, Microsoft still doesn't offer any support for tab syncing between a Windows PC and the iPad or iPhone versions of Edge, but it did mention that it is working on introducing such feature soon. Other familiar features like your Favorites, Reading List, New Tab Page, Reading View, are all present here as well. If you are a Microsoft Edge tester on iOS, you can download the app right away from TestFlight. For others, Microsoft Edge would be available ...

Facebook Oculus Go standalone VR Headset expected to launch at F8 conference on May 1

Facebook is said to be planning on launching the Oculus Go VR Headset at F8 Developer Conference on May 1 according to sources of Variety. Facebook declined to comment just as expected. The company first introduced the Go VR Headset back in October 2017. During the announcement in October, company executives mentioned that the Oculus Go VR headset would be available to consumers in early 2018. Since it powers with the same software as Samsung’s Gear VR headset, it will out of the box have support for thousands of VR games and 360-degree video experiences, and other streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO. The Oculus Go VR Headset comes with an integrated display and all of its computing power directly into the headset, eliminating the need for phone or PC. Furthermore, the headset will come with a 32 GB of onboard storage for the $199 variant, and 64GB model will sell at a higher price. Unlike the  Oculus Rift headset, Oculus Go doesn’t have any positional tracking technology. If rumors are to be believed, Facebook said to have given a model of Oculus Go VR Headset that is very much like the final retail product some time last year. At CES 2018 in January, the company announced that it was partnering with Xiaomi ...

Samsung Galaxy Note8 Android 8.0 Oreo update starts rolling out

Samsung has recently resumed the roll out of Oreo update to the S8 and S8 Plus globally, and finally, it is now rolling out to the Galaxy Note 8 in France. Just like before, the major OS update is rolling out to Samsung's flagship device just as its S-series flagship goes on sale, a trend that Samsung has been following for quite some time now. The Oreo update is now finally making its way to the Galaxy Note 8 which is overdue now. While this is roll out completes the cycle in batches, it will surely raise the anticipation among the Note 8 user as they wait for the update to arrive in their region. For now, the changelog remains the same as the Galaxy S8, and it looks like the S-pen features also remain unchanged. Samsung's Experience U.I 9.0 will replace the older 8.5 version and brings features like a customizable keyboard, new emoji, stickers, Bixby briefing, new color lens display settings, dual apps, enhanced DeX support, and many more changes. The update comes with firmware version N950FXXU3CRC1 and has March security patch included as well. If you are Note 8 users from France, you can update the Galaxy Note 8 to Oreo from ...

Apple schedules ‘creative education’ event on March 27th in Chicago

Apple has announced that it scheduled 'creative education' event on March 27 in Chicago and it already started sending out media invites for the same. The keynote will commence at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. The company will focus on education-related announcements for teachers and students including a new version of Apple pen. The teaser image that Apple has posted indicates that it will be introducing a new version of Apple pen along with low-cost iPad that is said to be priced around $260 just as it was rumored back in December. The updated iPad will sport a 9.7-inches size. Along with iPad, Apple might also introduce the much talked low-cost MacBook Air. However, according to DigiTimes reports, Apple is said to announce the MacBook model at WWDC which is set for June 4th. But with Apple holding a special educated-based event later this month, it makes sense for it to bring the new low-cost MacBook now than later. The entry-level MacBook Air is expected to be priced between $799-$899 price range. Other announcements include AirPower charging mat which is a wireless charging pad that can charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and Apple Watch Series 3. In terms of ...

Weekly Roundup: Xiaomi Redmi 5, Honor 7C, Alcatel 1x Android Oreo (Go Edition), Fitbit Versa and more

This week Xiaomi launched its budget Redmi 5 smartphone in India. Huawei's Honor brand introduced the Honor 7C in China, Huawei introduced the P20 Lite and Nova 2 lite, Micromax launched the Bharat 5 Pro, and lots more that happened this week in our weekly roundup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi0-NtD1BZA Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 smartphone in India. It packs  a 5.7-inch HD+ 18:9 full-screen display and is powered by Snapdragon 450 with up to 3GB RAM. It runs Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) with MIUI 9, has a 12-megapixel rear camera with 1.25μm pixel size sensor and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with selfie flash, similar to the Redmi Note 5. It has a metal finish, similar to the Redmi Note 5, is just 7.7mm thick, making it 11% slimmer than the Redmi 4. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back and packs a 3300mAh battery. It comes in Black, Gold, Rose Gold and Lake Blue colors, is starts at Rs. 7999 for the 2GB RAM with 16GB storage version and the top-end 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version costs Rs. 10,999. It will be available exclusively from Amazon.in, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores starting March 20th. Huawei’s Honor brand announced  Honor 7C with a 5.99-inch HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with 18:9 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 450 with up to 4GB RAM, ...

Samsung Galaxy S9+ 256GB available exclusively at Reliance Digital, Jio Stores with 70% buyback for Jio users

Samsung launched the Galaxy S9+ in India last week and the phone went on sale in the country from today. As it had announced at the launch event, the 256GB version of the S9+ is exclusively Reliance Digital stores and Jio Stores in addition to Samsung exclusive stores and Samsung Shop. It also said that those who do a cumulative recharge of minimum Rs. 2500 within 12 months from any of the available Jio plans, they would be eligible for 70% of the MRP as buyback amount on return of the device after a year when the S9+ 256GB version is purchased at Reliance Digital Stores, Jio Stores or Jio.com. Reliance Digital is also offering up to Rs. 6000 cashback at its stores. Reliance Digital customers can also avail up to 12 months EMI on the Samsung S9+ 256GB along with an array of finance partners. As the company had announced at the launch, consumers can also opt for an exclusive Jio offer on Galaxy S9, S9+ wherein users on Jio get an exclusive offer of 1TB of 4G data along with unlimited voice & SMS for one year worth Rs. 15,000 at Rs. 4,999. Additionally, the users get a complimentary Jio Prime Membership as a part of ...

Sony Xperia XA1, XA1 Plus, XA1 Ultra Android 8.0 Oreo update starts rolling out

Sony has finally started rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Xperia XA1 series that includes XA1, XA1 Plus, and XA1 Ultra just as it promised. The update brings the build number from 48.0.A.1.131 to 48.1.A.0.116 which is based on Oreo. The update also brings February Android security patch. Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Sony Xperia XA1 series brings reminders for unfinished tasks, Xperia actions which intelligently suggests actions based on your usage with all new games and community features. Furthermore, It also brings contextual menus for app shortcuts which on long pressing will show more options for you to perform various other tasks. Since it is an Oreo update, standard Oreo features like notification channels, Background limits, Snooze notifications, Picture in Picture (PIP) display and more are accounted here. The update is around 900MB in size depending on the model you are using and we suggest you charge your phone to 50% before starting the update process. Source

Xiaomi Blackshark SKR-A0 gaming phone with Snapdragon 845, 8GB RAM surfaces again in benchmarks

A new smartphone code-named Blackshark surfaced on AnTuTu, now the phone has surfaced on Geekbench listing revealing the code-name of the phone as  SKR-A0. This is believed to be Xiaomi's first gaming smartphone under the new  Black shark brand, in which Xiaomi started investing last year. The Geekbench listing once again reveals Snapdragon 845 SoC, 8GB of RAM and Android 8.0 Oreo. Earlier AnTuTu listing revealed 160 x 1080 FHD+ 18:9 display for the phone. Benchmark scores of 2452 for the single-core and 8452 for multi-core is on par with other Snapdragon 845-powered smartphones. The scores are slightly higher than the Xiaomi Dipper that surfaced on Geekbench recently with the same SoC, but with 6GB RAM. It is believed to be Mi 7. The phone might come with a 120 Hz display to compete with the Razer Phone. Since it has been revealed in two benchmark listings, the announcement might be near. We will have to wait to find out more details about the phone. Source | Via

Honor 9 Lite gets new Ride Mode safety feature via OTA update in India, coming to Honor 7X and Honor 9i soon

Huawei's Honor Brand recently rolled out Face Unlock feature for the Honor 9 Lite smartphone in India. Today the company has started rolling out another over-the-air (OTA) update that bring new Ride Mode feature, exclusively for Honor 9 Lite smartphone in India, where numbers of road accidents are high due to several factors like distracted driving and mobile phone usage while driving  / riding. Honor said that the new feature urges consumers to follow responsible and safe smartphone usage operating a two-wheel vehicle. To enable 'Ride-Mode', you need to activate the feature either from drop-down notifications menu or by going to the phone’s Settings. Once enabled, the caller will be notified that the user is currently riding, and cannot answer calls. The feature, however, allows the caller to call the rider by pressing numeric 1 in-case of urgency or emergency. The Ride Mode update on the Honor 9 Lite will be rolled out in batches and will be available for everyone by March-end.  The new Ride Mode will soon be also rolled out to Honor smartphones like Honor 7X, and Honor 9i in future, said the company. Commenting on the roll out of the new feature,  P Sanjeev, Vice President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group, said: Honor has ...