Registrations for Sony’s Nougat Beta Program Now Open to Xperia X Performance Users

There's good news coming in for owners of the Sony Xperia X Performance, especially for those users that are always looking to try out new software. While Sony had cancelled off the Beta program earlier for the Xperia Z3, they had kept the program with a view to get it running for the Xperia X Performance.

Registrations for this Beta program are now open to users of the X Performance, and Sony is notifying users of the same through the Xperia Longe app. However, the registrations for the Beta program are open to users in select countries only, which includes the Nordics, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Iceland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Netherlands. To register, you need to download the app from the Google Play Store and follow along the instructions in the app.

To clarify, this Beta program will let you try out Sony's pre-release firmware of Android 7.0 Nougat. As the name implies, it is beta in nature. There will be bugs, and there's likely to be expectations of feedback that Sony wishes to receive out of this, so that they can iron out issues before they can start rolling out stable release for the general public. Also to note, these are not builds for AOSP, but are Android 7.0 Nougat with Sony's skin on top.

The Beta program will be available to limited users, so if you are interested, live in an eligible country and have the eligible device, head on over to the Play Store to download the app and register.

Source: XperiaBlog

Read on for related content:

• Sony Xperia X Compact Added to Sony Open Device Program
• Sony Xperia XA and XA Ultra Have Bloatware Issues, ~8.4GB Available in 16GB Model Out of the Box
• Sony Launches the Xperia XZ and the X Compact
• Sony Posts Guide on Building AOSP 7.0 Nougat for its Xperia Smartphones

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Indian DGCA Bans Use of Note Series in Flights After Galaxy Note 2 Catches Fire During Flight

It seems the Note series has become the favorite dropping point for all recent controversy. What started off with the Note 7 exploding and then Samsung initiating a massive recall of millions of the phones sold and pushing back much more of those unsold, the series of unfortunate event continues on with the Note 2 being involved in a controversy that could have widespread impact on the reputation of the Note lineup.

As NDTV reports, a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 caught fire in India during an active flight. The incident occurred on Friday on a Chennai-bound IndiGo aircraft (6E-054), where passengers complained of a smoking smell in flight. The crew narrowed down the smoke coming in from an overhead luggage compartment, and after relocation of passengers away from the problem area, found the cause of smoke to be a Galaxy Note 2 inside a passengers baggage. The aircraft crew informed the ATC, and followed protocol to take care of the device and ensured a safe landing.

This incident has prompted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is the Indian regulatory body that concerns itself with aviation incidents, to ask all airlines to ban the use of Note series of devices inside flights. Samsung officials have been summoned by the regulator on Monday, and the concerned departments will subject the device to further examination. Until then, all airlines in India will advise passengers to switch off all Galaxy Note phones while on-board.

Whatever be the result of the pending investigation, the damage to Samsung's reputation has been done. With the arguably unjustified blanket ban on Note-series usage, consumers with Note devices will be subject to more restrictions and inconvenience during air travel, thus making them vary of carrying the device in the first place. Depending on how the investigation shapes up in the future, the Note series could have some tough times ahead in the Indian market.

Do you think it's fair to ban all Note devices over an old one (and not a Note 7) burning up? Discuss in the comments!

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How Important are Water/Dust Resistance and General Phone Durability to You?

With the new Pixel phones not sporting a particularly impressive water and dust resistance rating, and with big OEMs like Apple and Samsung pushing for that with their flagships, many of us are left wondering whether our next device will have such specification under its belt.

At the same time, some smartphones are clearly more durable than others. Some might be built like tanks, like the HTC 10, while others have been notorious for flexing and bending easily. We use our phones every day in all kinds of scenarios, so we ask you,

How important is your phone's durability to you? Do you expect your next device to have good water and dust resistance? Do you care if your phone isn't very sturdy, and do you use accessories to counter any weaknesses in structure or scratch/scuff resistance?

Let us know in the comments down below!

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Huawei Nova and Nova Plus Coming in Early October (SD625, 5.0″/5.5″ 1080p, 3020/3340 mAh, Type-C)

Huawei has announced the release date for the Nova and Nova Plus, which are coming to North America and Europe in early October. Both devices will launch with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, which has an 8 core A53 based CPU running at 2 GHz. They will also share 32 GB of storage and 3 GB of RAM, MicroSD support, 8 MP front facing camera, USB Type-C support, rear mounted fingerprint sensors, 1080p IPS displays (albeit at 5″ and 5.5″ respectively), metallic bodies, and 2.5D glass, and they will come in Titanium Grey, Mystic Silver, and Prestige Gold.

The Nova will have a 3020 mAh battery and a 12 MP rear camera, and will come in three regional models. The CAN-L01\L11 will support UMTS bands 1/2/5/8, and LTE bands 1/3/7/8/20/38. The CAN-L02\L12 model will support UMTS bands 1/5/6/8/19 and LTE bands 1/3/5/7/8/18/19/28/38/40. And finally, the CAN-L03\L13 model will support UMTS bands 1/2/4/5/8 and LTE bands 2/4/5/7/12/17/28. Hopefully we will see T-Mobile VoLTE support on the CAN-L03\L13, as LTE band 12 is quite useful, but often has to be disabled without it.

The Nova Plus will have a 3340 mAh battery and a 16 MP rear camera with OIS and a two-tone flash, and will also come in three regional models. The MLA-L01/L11 will support UMTS bands 1/8 and LTE bands 1/3/7/8/20/38. The MLA-L02/L12 will support UMTS bands 1/5/8 and LTE bands 1/3/5/7/8/28/38/40. And the MLA-L03/L13 will support UMTS bands 1/2/4/5/8 and LTE bands 2/4/5/7/12/17/28.

Unfortunately, while the regional models have fantastic frequency band support for their own regions, they may not be the best choices for travelling as there is relatively little overlap, with the North American version missing LTE bands 1, 3, and 8, and the other two versions missing LTE bands 2, 4, 12, and 17, and even some major UMTS bands for the Nova Plus.

While the prices of the devices have yet to be announced, both devices have potential to be interesting options in the midrange.

What are your thoughts on the Huawei Nova and Nova Plus? Let us know in the comments below!

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BLU Life One X2 Launches on October 7th for $150 (SD430, 5.2″ 1080p, 3000mAh, QC 3.0)

The BLU Life One X2 was just announced, and at $150 for the unlocked base model it appears to be a solid budget offering.

It launches with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 with Quick Charge 3.0, a 3000 mAh battery, a 5.2″ 1080p IPS display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass, an 8 MP front camera with a front facing flash, a 16 MP rear camera with PDAF and laser autofocus and an f2.4 aperture, a microUSB connector, a front-mounted fingerprint sensor, a microSD slot, and dual SIM support.

Storage options are 16 GB of storage with 2 GB of RAM, or 64 GB and 4 GB for an extra $50, and the metallic housing comes in Gunmetal Grey or Rose Gold.

BLU is advertising support for AT&T, T-Mobile, and MetroPCS, and the phone has all the right bands with support for HSPA 850/1700/1900/2100 and Category 4 LTE bands 2/4/7/12/17, although it remains to be seen if the phone will have VoLTE support on the T-Mobile network (as if it doesn't then Band 12 LTE will likely need to be disabled for T-Mobile users).

While the BLU Life One X was relatively successful last year, moving to a Snapdragon SoC instead of Mediatek could see improved developer support, and the addition of Quick Charge 3.0, a fingerprint sensor, a better camera, and a larger storage option are particularly welcome.

The BLU Life One X2 looks to be another neat addition to the increasingly competitive budget phone space, and appears to be a compelling option for anyone looking to get the most out of their money.

The device is available on Amazon with a 10% discount for pre-orders, placing it at $134.99 for the 16GB/2GB RAM base model and $179.99 for the 64 GB/4GB RAM version.

What are your thoughts on the BLU Life One X2? Let us know in the comments below!

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Bluetooth SIG Updates Developer Toolkit Lineup and Documentation

Bluetooth is one of those pieces of tech that help make our lives easier in small and subtle ways. Whether you use it to connect to your car, to your smartwatch or perhaps you are forced to use it for audio — Bluetooth has become one of those essential features that we take for granted these days.

It's ubiquitous: we assume that most modern devices that rely on inter-communication will sport Bluetooth connectivity, a testimony to the convenience that we have become so used to.

A lot of this convenience associated with Bluetooth originates from the widespread use of the standards. The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) is the organization that oversees the development of these Bluetooth standards, and also concerns itself with the licensing and trademark usages associated with Bluetooth. However, Bluetooth SIG is a not-for-profit, and as such, they do not make, manufacture or sell Bluetooth products.

Instead, what they do is provide developer toolkits and documentations for making it easier for developers to work with Bluetooth technologies. The Bluetooth SIG has issued updated developer toolkits and step-by-step kits that serve as very useful tools for people looking to get started with wireless tech. You can find more information about these updated kits below:

• Bluetooth Secure Gateway Toolkit – This toolkit provides example components and simple initial set-up, in-depth and hands-on labs, and enhanced security components to create an Internet gateway that gives people the ability to monitor and control their Bluetooth sensors remotely.
• Bluetooth Starter Kit – This comprehensive training package with hands-on labs and sample source code introduces developers to Bluetooth, giving them foundational knowledge to add wireless connectivity to products and apps.
• Application Accelerator 2.1 – This toolkit helps third-party developers build Bluetooth apps on phones, tablets, and PCs with support for Android 6.0, iOS 9, Windows 10, Tizen, and Blackberry.
• Beacon Smart Starter Kit – This step-by-step kit gives instructions on how to build a beacon, leveraging the potential of these low-cost, simple yet powerful sensors.

So, if you are looking to get started with wireless technology, build related mobile apps along with low-cost beacons and gateways for controlling IoT sensors, you now have good starting points that are also up-to-date in their knowledge bases. The tools will help make it easier for you as a developer to prototype, test and scale your solutions.

Give these a shot and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Best Note 7 MODs ( V4A, Xposed, 3imit…)

A while back TK made a video for XDA TV showing you how to root the Galaxy Note 7. Now if your phone is rooted and you're wondering what to do next, you should check out some of these MODs. TK will walk you through how to install Xposed and what some of the best MODs are for the Galaxy Note 7.

If you own a Note 7 then let us know what MODs you're using in the comments down below. If you haven't rooted your device yet, be sure to check out the video on how to do that.

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