Sony’s Concept for Android with 7.0 Nougat Launches for Xperia X

Way back in July 2015, Sony launched a unique "concept" software update for the Xperia Z3. Ordinarily, Sony Xperia devices came in with Sony's own skin and set of modifications on top of Android, but this concept software update was Sony experimenting with stock Android on its device. The best part about this experiment was that Sony was inviting users to be part of this project, even if Sony themselves did not have plans to abandon their own skin.

If you are a current Sony Xperia X user and are interested to see what the concept ROM experience is all about, there is some good news flowing in for you. The Xperia X is the latest addition to Sony's Concept for Android project, meaning that there will be opportunity for users to try out this ROM on their device. Additionally, since the concept ROM is based on Android 7.0 Nougat and features the stock Android experience without Sony's skin, you are practically getting a Nexus-like experience of the latest software on Sony hardware, provided to you directly by the OEM!

The latest Concept for Android for Xperia X includes:

• A sneak-peek at some of the latest features that will be part of future Xperia products
• Android 7.0, Nougat, which includes new native features such as multi-window support and improved notifications
• Access to Sony's inTouch community, providing direct access to Sony's software engineers and a chance to influence development & coming releases

The initiative is open initially to Xperia X (F5121) users in Europe. To participate in the experiment, download the Concept Installer app from the Google Play Store, and follow along the instructions to guide through the setup process. Perhaps the best part of this experiment is that it does not affect the warranty status of the device. Updates to the concept ROM are promised monthly, but users can opt-in for the alpha and experimental releases as well. You can also roll back to Sony's skin as well. You do lose your data, so users are advised to make backups beforehand.

We appreciate Sony bringing the pure Android experience to a new device and for a new OS version. We hope they extend this onto other devices as well.

What are your thoughts on Sony's Concept for Android program? Let us know in the comments below!

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Source: Sony Mobile Blog

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Google Releases Android’s Distribution Numbers for November

Google just released the November security update and around that time we also see the platform's official distribution numbers as well. This data was recorded during the 7-day period between November 1st and November 7th, and Google reminds us that any version of Android that doesn't make up at least 0.1% of the platform is not represented here in this graph. Yet, we're still seeing Android 2.2 Froyo being used by 0.1% of the people who are accessing the Play Store.

The big question here is how many people have been able to update to Android 7.0 Nougat since it was released, and now we have our answer. We're seeing that 0.3% of the platform has received their update and are using the latest version of Android. This is big as Nougat did not make an appearance in any of the previous Android's distribution reports. This is likely not as high of a percentage as many had hoped, but it's a start and it will continue to grow over the next year.

Next up, we have Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which has reached 24% of the overall user base for Android. This is up from 18.7% when compared to the September reports and was to be expected with it being shipped on new phones and more Lollipop devices being updated. Android 5.x Lollipop has actually dropped from 35% in September to 34.1% in November. But then we see that the Android 4.4 KitKat numbers have increased from 27.7% in September to 25.2% this month.

The numbers for Jelly Bean this month dropped again. They were sitting at 15.6% in September and are now at 13.7%. Both Ice Cream Sandwich and Gingerbread percentages dropped as well with both of them being on 1.3% of active devices in November when they were at 1.4% and 1.5% respectively in September. So most of the changes we have seen this month were expected, but it was a surprise to see the numbers for Lollipop dropping 0.9% compared to September.

Source: Android Developers

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Google Releases Web Share API for Website Developers

Android has had an API for sharing content between applications for a while now, but there hasn't been a similar solution for the web. You generally see share buttons for individual applications scattered across the bottom of an article as each website has their own way to share content. This process is easier for Android application developers since there is a standard and that's what Google wants to bring to the web.

Matt Giuca, a developer who works on the Chrome team, has been working on what Google is calling the Web Share API. This simple API allows developers to trigger the native sharing capabilities of the host platform (which will be Android in this case). The idea is simple, if you wanted to save the URL of a website in an application like Google Keep, you would simply need to tap the Share button that appears on the website and then it will open up the Share dialog box for Android. Here's a brief demo that Google has provided. . .

Google has just announced what they are calling an Origin Trial of the API, and it is currently working in the beta version of Chrome 55 (which was released in October). This Origin Trial means that the Web Share API will only be available on websites who opt-in to the test run. Web developers can find more information on how to participate in this trial run over on this GitHub page.

In order to implement the Web Share API in your website, you will need to have a few things setup ahead of time. For example, only websites that are hosted in a secure context (which generally means HTTPS) will be able to use this Web Share API. You will also need to supply either the Text or the URL, but both is nice, the API can only be triggered via a user gesture, and the values you pass into the API must be strings.

Source: Google

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The Google Assistant Developer Platform will be Available in December

At Google I/O earlier this year, the company announced a new service that would be used in a number of its products and services: Google Assistant. Google Assistant is an enhanced version of Google Now, and is currently being featured in Allo, the Pixel, Pixel XL and Google Home. During the Pixel launch event last month, we learned that Google would be opening Google Assistant to developers with APIs they are calling Actions on Google.

The main reason why people are enjoying Amazon's personal assistant, Alexa, so much is because of how many 3rd-party services that can connect to it. It seems like each month the company is rolling out another update with new skills for their customers to take advantage of. If Google Home, and ultimately Google Assistant, is going to be as popular and as useful then it will need a lot of 3rd-party developer support as well. And Google has realized this too.

Google did announce the Actions on Google API during the October launch event, but they did not tell us when they would make it available to developers. While we still don't have an exact date, we do know these APIs will be open to developers sometime in December. You can check out the landing page for Actions on Google right here, and this will let you sign up to be notified about any news and updates for the service.

Google has a lot of catching up to do if they want Google Assistant to compete with Alexa. We'll have to wait and see how many 3rd-party developers jump on board once the Actions on Google API has been made available. It's being reported that Google is already working with a number of brands to get them familiar with the system. These partners include Spotify, CNN, Uber and OpenTable.

Source: Google

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$13 Android Lav Mic Review

It's time for another adventure into the world of crappy Android accessories. This time we are trying out a lav mic that is said to work with any smartphone.

For those of you looking to improve the audio recordings from your phone, this might be the solution for you. It depends on if this lav mic is compatible with your device. While the product description suggests that this mic will work with any Android device, I was only able to get it to work on my Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. No luck with my Nexus 6P or Honor 8.

When it does work, it works well. You can use the default camera app or any recording app to make use of the mic. Personally I will use this to capture audio when filming with my DSLR, then sync the audio afterwards in editing. This is probably the main reason people buy this particular product. For this purpose, the $13 investment is worth it. Of course this is depending on if you have a compatible device.

Check out the Lavalier Lapel Microphone on Amazon, using our affiliate link here.

What would you like to see featured in an Android Crap video? Let me know in the comments down below!

 

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Android Security Update for November 2016 Released for Supported Devices

Google made a promise of providing monthly security updates, and so far, the company has kept its word. If you have a supported device, be it Nexus or Pixel, you will receive the latest in terms of security patches against exploits and vulnerabilities, and it remains in the best interest of the end user to be on the latest security patch.

So if you own a supported device and are itching to flash something new, the November 2016 Security Update is rolling out. The complete security update up to 5th November 2016 contains fixes/patches for 14 vulnerabilities marked critical, 23 marked as high severity and 10 marked as moderate severity in total as it also includes the partial patch up to 1st November 2016. Another supplemental patch dated 6th November 2016 is also included, which patches an additional critical vulnerability.

To get on this update, you can either make use of the factory images or the OTA update zips. If you are interested, the complete security bulletin for the month of November can be found here.

Interesting things to note on the update: the Pixel and the Pixel XL have builds labelled NDE63U/V/X for November, which seems to be in linear progression from the previous builds labelled NDE63H/L/P for October. The Pixel C, Nexus 5X, the Nexus Player, the Nexus 9 WiFi and Nexus 9 LTE get (individual) builds labelled NRD91N, while the Nexus 6P gets build labelled NBD91K. Surprisingly, the Nexus 6 gets a total of three builds, with two of those builds (MMB31C & MOB31K) being on 6.0.1 Marshmallow as the base, and the other (NBD91P) being on 7.0 Nougat.

Have you flashed the security update? Let us know in the comments below!

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Android Auto Now Available for Every Car through Updated App on Smartphones

While there are over 200 car models from more than 50 brands that support Android Auto, chances are you haven't gotten around to trying it yet. More are still launching every day, but to regular middle-class folk a car upgrade is not a frequent occurrence.

This is why Google is now announcing Android Auto functionality for smartphones, allowing you to use any smartphone running Lollipop or later as a mini car dashboard. This is an update to the Android Auto app that gives your phone a driver-friendly interface with easy, glanceable access to everything you need on the road. From it, you can check directions, control your music or manage communications, all with as few distractions as possible for safe driving.

You can either place your phone in a mount or connect it to your car's display to turn your not-so-smart dashboard into a driver-friendly screen. Control your music with apps like Spotify or Play Music, make calls, and control Google Maps for turn-by-turn navigation all with minimal interaction and even some hands-free voice commands. You can also start the app automatically when your phone pairs to a Bluetooth-supported car mount or the car itself. Finally, voice commands are getting enhanced in the coming weeks to make the experience more accessible, smoother and safer.

This is certainly the right way to go for Android Auto as a service going forward. Not being limited to expensive implementations in specific cars will allow everyone to get a better Android car experience. We can't wait to test the update ourselves, but in the mean time you can find the original Android Auto app on the Playstore to wait for the update or download the new APK.

More than 30 countries (where Android Auto is currently available) are receiving the updates in the coming days. You can sign up on the Android Auto website to receive an email notification once it becomes available to your device!

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