Xiaomi is finally adding an equalizer to MiSound in MIUI 11

Ever since the launch of MIUI 11 back in September this year, Xiaomi has been testing more new features for its latest Android skin. The company has previously tested an app drawer and app shortcuts for the stock MIUI 11 launcher, new categories for the launcher, and HEIC support for the MIUI Camera app. Most recently, we saw new advanced display calibration controls in the latest nightly build. And now, the company seems to be adding an equalizer to MiSound in MIUI 11.

Igor Eisberg from the Xiaomi.eu, an MIUI-based custom ROM, recently discovered code for an equalizer in the MiSound app on the latest MIUI 11 nightly (v9.12.19). LineageOS contributor and XDA Senior Member abhishek987 managed to enable the equalizer manually and has shared the following screenshots with us. As seen in the screenshots, the new equalizer can be found within the Earphones option within the MiSound app and allows you to completely adjust the sound profile as per your preference.

Along with the new equalizer, you’ll also get access to a new Volume adjustment feature that will let you adjust the earphone volume depending on your age group. There are three group options to choose from — Up to 30 years old, 30-60 years old, and More than 60 years old — along with a custom preset option that allows you to make your own volume adjustments.

Selecting an age group gives you access to even more granular adjustments for the left and right ear volume levels, along with options to test the original sound profile and the adjusted sound profile. On top of all that, the app also lets you select the type of earphone/headphone you’re using for more accurate sound profiles.

As mentioned earlier, the equalizer isn’t live in the latest MIUI 11 nightly which means that there’s still a long way to go before the feature is released to the stable version of the ROM. Currently, we have no information on the release date but we expect to learn more about the feature in future nightly releases.

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[Update: Watch Active2 4G variant launched] Samsung launches Galaxy Tab S6 with S-Pen, Galaxy Watch 4G, and Galaxy Watch Active2 in India

Update (12/23/19 @ 6:06 AM ET): Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy Watch Active2 4G in India. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 10, 2019, is preserved as below.

Samsung is the second-largest smartphone brand in India but it leads the overall market of consumer electronics due to its expansive portfolio of products. Today, Samsung is expanding the portfolio further with three new products that have just been launched in India. These include the premium tablet, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, their first LTE-enabled smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 4G, along with the Galaxy Watch Active2.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a premium tablet in the same segment as the iPad Pro. It is one of the most powerful Android tablets and the Indian variant is powered by Snapdragon 855 along with 6GB of RAM. Meant for a truly immersive entertainment and gaming experience, the Galaxy Tab S6 features a 10.5-inch WQXGA Super AMOLED display and four AKG-tuned speakers near each of the corners. Additionally, the screen houses an optical fingerprint scanner and sports 128GB of internal storage.

The Galaxy Tab S6 comes with an S Pen inside the box and this stylus attaches magnetically to the back of the tablet where it also charges wirelessly. Like the Apple Pencil, the S Pen has a pressure-sensitive tip and comes with 4000-levels of pressure sensitivity. The stylus is Bluetooth enabled and can be used for gestures like taking selfies or scroll through the contents of the Gallery remotely.

In terms of design, the Galaxy Tab S6 has footprint fairly similar to the Tab S5e but the dual camera on the back of the former instantly draws your attention. This setup comprises a 13MP primary sensor along with a 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 123º wide field of view. On the front of the Galaxy Tab S6, there’s an 8MP selfie shooter.

The Galaxy Tab S6 is powered by a large 7,040mAh battery. To refill the battery, Samsung is launching a 15W “Adaptive Fast Charger” inside the box. We’re yet to test out the charging time taken by the not-so-fast charger as well as check for faster charging using other power bricks with higher charging rates.

Samsung will also be selling a specific keyboard case for the Galaxy S6. This keyboard case can be split into two parts – one being the keyboard along with the trackpad which aligns with the magnetic connectors on the bottom edge of the Tab S6 and the second being a backplate with a kickstand that can be used to incline the Galaxy Tab S6 at any desired angle.

One of the key features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is the DeX Mode which allows users to switch into a desktop-style UI that can be used with either the keyboard case or with the help of an external keyboard and mouse. Samsung says that many apps have specially designed interfaces for the DeX mode but most of these apps otherwise would run like tablet apps only.

In terms of connectivity, the Tab S6 supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, as well as LTE via a single SIM slot. When it comes to the software, the tablet runs Samsung’s OneUI based on Android 9 Pie. Being a flagship tablet, we can expect an Android 10 release for the Galaxy Tab S6 but the company is yet to start beta testing Android 10 so we’re not sure about the exact rollout.

In India, the Galaxy Tab S6 will only come in Mountain Gray and Cloud Blue colors.

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Size	244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7mm, 420g
Display	10.5-inch WQXGA, Super AMOLED
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 CPU: 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 485 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 485 + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 385 Adreno 640 GPU
Memory and Storage	6GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of storage Expandable storage up to 1TB via MicroSD card
Camera	Rear: 13MP (f/2.0) + 5MP (f/2.2) Front: 8MP (f/2.0)
Video	Recording: UHD 4K (3840×2160) @ 30fps Playback: UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) @ 30fps
Audio	4 speakers tuned by AKG; Dolby Atmos
Ports	USB3.1 (Type C), POGO Type-C headset connector included
Sensors	Optical Fingerprint Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, RGB Light Sensor
Wireless Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G+5GHz VHT80 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth v5.0 LTE
GPS	GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo
Battery and Charging	7,040mAh (0.35mAh S Pen); Fast Charging
Android Version	Android Pie with One UI
Accessories	Book Cover Keyboard, Book Cover, POGO Charging Dock, S Pen

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G is Samsung’s first smartwatch in India that comes with cellular connectivity. Besides the eSIM support, the Galaxy Watch 4G is essentially the same as last year’s Galaxy Watch. The existing features include inbuilt storage for storing media which is now complemented by Spotify. Users can either pair Bluetooth headsets with the Galaxy Watch 4G or listen to media content using the inbuilt speakers. Additionally, the inbuilt GPS comes in handy for tracking a wide variety of exercises.

The Galaxy Watch 4G supports eSIM functionality for Airtel and Reliance Jio in India since these are the only two operators that offer eSIM functionality in the country. It will be available in 42mm and 46mm dial sizes in Silver and Golden colors.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2

Samsung has also introduced the Galaxy Watch Active2, which is a sportier and lightweight design. The bezels around the dial can be used to as a touchpad to simulate the functionality of the rotating dial. The smartwatch is capable of 39 different types of workouts. Besides the various inbuilt and downloadable watchfaces for the Galaxy Watch Active2, users will also be able to simply create new watchfaces matching with their attire by taking a picture of what they’re wearing. The smartwatch comes with options between stainless steel and aluminum dials in silver, black, and rose golden colors with a variety of straps to choose from.

The heart rate sensor on the Galaxy Watch Active2 is improved and now comes with eight photodiodes for highly effective and fast measurements. In India, Samsung is only launching the 44mm variant of the smartwatch and it comes with a 340mAh battery. The smartwatch comes with 4GB of internal storage which can be used to save media files to be played on the go. The Indian variant does not get LTE support but there’s Wi-Fi for the watch to connect directly to the network.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, Galaxy Watch 4G, and Galaxy Watch Active2: Price & Availability in India

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is priced at ₹59,990 (~$845) in India and the S Pen does not need to be bought additionally. This price is for the 6GB/128GB variant of the Tab S6 with LTE support. The keyboard case must be bought separately and is priced at ₹10,999 (~$155) but under the limited period offer, early birds can get it at 50% discount i.e. for ₹5,499 (~$78) .

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G 42m model will be priced at ₹30,990 (~$435) and the 46mm model will be priced at ₹28,490 (~$400) . The non-4G variants in 42mm and 46mm sizes are currently priced at ₹29,990 (~$425) and ₹26,000 (~$365) in India but we may see a price-cut.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Steel finish will be priced at ₹31,990 (~$450) whereas the Aluminum variant will cost ₹26,990 (~$380) .

All of these products will be available online via Amazon India, Flipkart, and Samsung’s e-Shop as well as through Samsung’s premium retail stores throughout India starting tomorrow i.e. October 11th.

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Update: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 4G variant launched in India

Samsung has finally launched the 4G/LTE variant of the Galaxy Watch Active2 in India. The smartwatch comes with e-sim connectivity with support for Airtel and Reliance Jio. The presence of 4G and LTE allows users to make calls directly from the watch, as well as stay connected to the internet on the move.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 4G comes with a 44mm steel dial in silver, black and gold finishes for ₹35,990 (~$505). The Galaxy Watch Active2 4G will be available across offline channels, Samsung Opera House, Samsung e-shop and leading online portals.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 4G from Amazon.in

The post [Update: Watch Active2 4G variant launched] Samsung launches Galaxy Tab S6 with S-Pen, Galaxy Watch 4G, and Galaxy Watch Active2 in India appeared first on xda-developers.

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[Update: Watch Active2 4G variant launched] Samsung launches Galaxy Tab S6 with S-Pen, Galaxy Watch 4G, and Galaxy Watch Active2 in India

Update (12/23/19 @ 6:06 AM ET): Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy Watch Active2 4G in India. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 10, 2019, is preserved as below.

Samsung is the second-largest smartphone brand in India but it leads the overall market of consumer electronics due to its expansive portfolio of products. Today, Samsung is expanding the portfolio further with three new products that have just been launched in India. These include the premium tablet, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, their first LTE-enabled smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 4G, along with the Galaxy Watch Active2.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is a premium tablet in the same segment as the iPad Pro. It is one of the most powerful Android tablets and the Indian variant is powered by Snapdragon 855 along with 6GB of RAM. Meant for a truly immersive entertainment and gaming experience, the Galaxy Tab S6 features a 10.5-inch WQXGA Super AMOLED display and four AKG-tuned speakers near each of the corners. Additionally, the screen houses an optical fingerprint scanner and sports 128GB of internal storage.

The Galaxy Tab S6 comes with an S Pen inside the box and this stylus attaches magnetically to the back of the tablet where it also charges wirelessly. Like the Apple Pencil, the S Pen has a pressure-sensitive tip and comes with 4000-levels of pressure sensitivity. The stylus is Bluetooth enabled and can be used for gestures like taking selfies or scroll through the contents of the Gallery remotely.

In terms of design, the Galaxy Tab S6 has footprint fairly similar to the Tab S5e but the dual camera on the back of the former instantly draws your attention. This setup comprises a 13MP primary sensor along with a 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 123º wide field of view. On the front of the Galaxy Tab S6, there’s an 8MP selfie shooter.

The Galaxy Tab S6 is powered by a large 7,040mAh battery. To refill the battery, Samsung is launching a 15W “Adaptive Fast Charger” inside the box. We’re yet to test out the charging time taken by the not-so-fast charger as well as check for faster charging using other power bricks with higher charging rates.

Samsung will also be selling a specific keyboard case for the Galaxy S6. This keyboard case can be split into two parts – one being the keyboard along with the trackpad which aligns with the magnetic connectors on the bottom edge of the Tab S6 and the second being a backplate with a kickstand that can be used to incline the Galaxy Tab S6 at any desired angle.

One of the key features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is the DeX Mode which allows users to switch into a desktop-style UI that can be used with either the keyboard case or with the help of an external keyboard and mouse. Samsung says that many apps have specially designed interfaces for the DeX mode but most of these apps otherwise would run like tablet apps only.

In terms of connectivity, the Tab S6 supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, as well as LTE via a single SIM slot. When it comes to the software, the tablet runs Samsung’s OneUI based on Android 9 Pie. Being a flagship tablet, we can expect an Android 10 release for the Galaxy Tab S6 but the company is yet to start beta testing Android 10 so we’re not sure about the exact rollout.

In India, the Galaxy Tab S6 will only come in Mountain Gray and Cloud Blue colors.

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Size	244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7mm, 420g
Display	10.5-inch WQXGA, Super AMOLED
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 CPU: 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 485 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 485 + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 385 Adreno 640 GPU
Memory and Storage	6GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of storage Expandable storage up to 1TB via MicroSD card
Camera	Rear: 13MP (f/2.0) + 5MP (f/2.2) Front: 8MP (f/2.0)
Video	Recording: UHD 4K (3840×2160) @ 30fps Playback: UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) @ 30fps
Audio	4 speakers tuned by AKG; Dolby Atmos
Ports	USB3.1 (Type C), POGO Type-C headset connector included
Sensors	Optical Fingerprint Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, RGB Light Sensor
Wireless Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G+5GHz VHT80 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth v5.0 LTE
GPS	GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo
Battery and Charging	7,040mAh (0.35mAh S Pen); Fast Charging
Android Version	Android Pie with One UI
Accessories	Book Cover Keyboard, Book Cover, POGO Charging Dock, S Pen

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G is Samsung’s first smartwatch in India that comes with cellular connectivity. Besides the eSIM support, the Galaxy Watch 4G is essentially the same as last year’s Galaxy Watch. The existing features include inbuilt storage for storing media which is now complemented by Spotify. Users can either pair Bluetooth headsets with the Galaxy Watch 4G or listen to media content using the inbuilt speakers. Additionally, the inbuilt GPS comes in handy for tracking a wide variety of exercises.

The Galaxy Watch 4G supports eSIM functionality for Airtel and Reliance Jio in India since these are the only two operators that offer eSIM functionality in the country. It will be available in 42mm and 46mm dial sizes in Silver and Golden colors.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2

Samsung has also introduced the Galaxy Watch Active2, which is a sportier and lightweight design. The bezels around the dial can be used to as a touchpad to simulate the functionality of the rotating dial. The smartwatch is capable of 39 different types of workouts. Besides the various inbuilt and downloadable watchfaces for the Galaxy Watch Active2, users will also be able to simply create new watchfaces matching with their attire by taking a picture of what they’re wearing. The smartwatch comes with options between stainless steel and aluminum dials in silver, black, and rose golden colors with a variety of straps to choose from.

The heart rate sensor on the Galaxy Watch Active2 is improved and now comes with eight photodiodes for highly effective and fast measurements. In India, Samsung is only launching the 44mm variant of the smartwatch and it comes with a 340mAh battery. The smartwatch comes with 4GB of internal storage which can be used to save media files to be played on the go. The Indian variant does not get LTE support but there’s Wi-Fi for the watch to connect directly to the network.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, Galaxy Watch 4G, and Galaxy Watch Active2: Price & Availability in India

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is priced at ₹59,990 (~$845) in India and the S Pen does not need to be bought additionally. This price is for the 6GB/128GB variant of the Tab S6 with LTE support. The keyboard case must be bought separately and is priced at ₹10,999 (~$155) but under the limited period offer, early birds can get it at 50% discount i.e. for ₹5,499 (~$78) .

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G 42m model will be priced at ₹30,990 (~$435) and the 46mm model will be priced at ₹28,490 (~$400) . The non-4G variants in 42mm and 46mm sizes are currently priced at ₹29,990 (~$425) and ₹26,000 (~$365) in India but we may see a price-cut.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 Steel finish will be priced at ₹31,990 (~$450) whereas the Aluminum variant will cost ₹26,990 (~$380) .

All of these products will be available online via Amazon India, Flipkart, and Samsung’s e-Shop as well as through Samsung’s premium retail stores throughout India starting tomorrow i.e. October 11th.

---

Update: Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 4G variant launched in India

Samsung has finally launched the 4G/LTE variant of the Galaxy Watch Active2 in India. The smartwatch comes with e-sim connectivity with support for Airtel and Reliance Jio. The presence of 4G and LTE allows users to make calls directly from the watch, as well as stay connected to the internet on the move.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 4G comes with a 44mm steel dial in silver, black and gold finishes for ₹35,990 (~$505). The Galaxy Watch Active2 4G will be available across offline channels, Samsung Opera House, Samsung e-shop and leading online portals.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 4G from Amazon.in

The post [Update: Watch Active2 4G variant launched] Samsung launches Galaxy Tab S6 with S-Pen, Galaxy Watch 4G, and Galaxy Watch Active2 in India appeared first on xda-developers.

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Google Duo 69 tests sharing the current image as a “Moment” during video calls

Google has been adding some cool new features to its video calling app, Google Duo, over the last couple of months. The app has received features like home calling and call reminders, a new low light mode for better video calling in dark environments, a dark theme, and much more. Google started rolling out Google Duo 69 last week with a few of these new features along with an unreleased feature, called “Moment capture”, that’s currently in the testing phase.

Our Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, managed to enable the feature manually and it added a new toggle called “Moment capture” in the app settings. Once the toggle is turned on, it brings up a new button in video calls which captures the image you and your call partner are currently seeing. For instance, if you and your video call partner are both seeing each other through the front-facing cameras on your phones, then you’ll capture an image of both your faces by tapping on this button. This essentially makes it a side-by-side screenshot feature baked into Google Duo. The feature even allows you to quickly share the screenshot from within the app, making it even more useful.

In case you turn off the “Moment capture” toggle in the app Settings, the app gives you a warning that people can still take screenshots even if the feature is turned off. The feature can really come in handy if you want to take a quick screenshot of whatever you’re seeing on your screen during a video call and it eliminates the need to use the power button + volume down shortcut. As of now, Google has released no official information regarding the feature or its release date. Since “Moments capture” is currently in the testing phase, it’s quite possible that the feature may not be released in its current state.

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Google Duo 69 tests sharing the current image as a “Moment” during video calls

Google has been adding some cool new features to its video calling app, Google Duo, over the last couple of months. The app has received features like home calling and call reminders, a new low light mode for better video calling in dark environments, a dark theme, and much more. Google started rolling out Google Duo 69 last week with a few of these new features along with an unreleased feature, called “Moment capture”, that’s currently in the testing phase.

Our Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, managed to enable the feature manually and it added a new toggle called “Moment capture” in the app settings. Once the toggle is turned on, it brings up a new button in video calls which captures the image you and your call partner are currently seeing. For instance, if you and your video call partner are both seeing each other through the front-facing cameras on your phones, then you’ll capture an image of both your faces by tapping on this button. This essentially makes it a side-by-side screenshot feature baked into Google Duo. The feature even allows you to quickly share the screenshot from within the app, making it even more useful.

In case you turn off the “Moment capture” toggle in the app Settings, the app gives you a warning that people can still take screenshots even if the feature is turned off. The feature can really come in handy if you want to take a quick screenshot of whatever you’re seeing on your screen during a video call and it eliminates the need to use the power button + volume down shortcut. As of now, Google has released no official information regarding the feature or its release date. Since “Moments capture” is currently in the testing phase, it’s quite possible that the feature may not be released in its current state.

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Huawei, Honor, and OPPO double down on developers and partners in India

Huawei, its sub-brand Honor, and OPPO have announced new initiatives of engaging with Indian developers using incentives under their global funds to build localized mobile services, as part of Huawei Developer Day and OPPO Developer Conference respectively.

In the past few years, China-based smartphone device makers have continuously tried to attract localized app developers as they view India as one of their key markets. This strategy is more important for Huawei and its sub-brand Honor. Huawei is banned from using Google Mobile Services (GMS) on new phones because its continued presence on the US Entity List. The company is, therefore, building an alternative to GMS that is known as Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). GMS includes the Google Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Drive, and all the other Google apps. Honor is in talks with 150 top apps in India to get them on HMS, according to Charles Peng, CEO, Huawei and Honor India, Consumer Business Group. According to him, most of the key apps such as navigation, payments, gaming, and messaging will be ready by the end of December.

HMS will effectively act as a replacement of GMS, as Huawei’s long-term strategy is to reduce its reliance on Google. The company is trying to build its own mobile ecosystem, and according to Mr. Peng, consumers won’t see a difference between GMS and HMS, but he did acknowledge that working with developers to offer a good customer experience was a challenge that the company was trying to address. He also stated that Huawei HQ is in touch with China developers. The India developer base will help the company in India as well as in regions like Europe, and the company’s focus is bringing the top 100-150 apps to customers through HMS in every country.

Huawei has a million registered developers globally for HMS, and is offering an incentive of up to $17,000 on the integration of apps with HMS in India through its $1 billion global fund, which was announced earlier this year. The company’s goal is to create an end-to-end business model with developers, content and service providers. These announcements were made at the Huawei Developer Day, which was held on December 18 in New Delhi. The event saw the participation of 150 mobile apps developers from leading organizations, and it showcased the technical capabilities of Huawei’s HMS ecosystem.

Mr. Peng said in a statement that HMS has been growing at an “unprecedented pace” with a user base of 500 million and a developer base of one million worldwide. Huawei introduced the HMS Core kits at the event. These are a collection of software development frameworks that help crate a version of the app compatible with Huawei/Honor phones. They include the location kit, map kit, push kit, account kit and others, with the aim of accelerating app development process at lower cost. Huawei states that HMS will be available globally with services such as Huawei ID, Mobile Cloud, AppGallery, Themes, and Huawei Assistant.

Huawei also noted that with the Huawei Developer Day global program has been conducted in countries such as Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and others. Huawei and Honor are set to conduct more such conferences in different parts of India in 2020.

ET notes that Huawei and Honor’s sales have drastically decreased following the May US trade ban. Even so, Honor is targeting 10% market share in 2020. The lack of Google Mobile Services is a big software issue for Huawei when it comes to selling phones to Indian consumers, and the news of engaging with Indian developers is only a small step to try to solve the problem. While Honor is focusing on expanding its smart devices portfolio, including smart TVs, smart audio devices, and other IoT devices, Huawei is separately focusing on things like smartwatches in India.

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Separately, OPPO made its announcements as part of the 2019 OPPO Developer Conference in Beijing on December 19. The company is allocating $143 million in 2020 for supporting global developers, including India. The aim is to develop a new intelligent service ecosystem with developers and partners on the ColorOS operating system (ColorOS is OPPO’s custom user interface on top of Android). The three new initiatives announced at the conference include the enhanced developer support program “Gravity Plan 2.0”, for which OPPO will allocate RMB 1 billion (USD $143 million) in 2020, the “Five System-level Capability Exposure Engines” and the “IoT Enablement Plan”.

OPPO has placed a lot of importance of India as a key market. In a statement, the company said that it aims to reach out to the large talent pool of innovators, developers, and partners in the country. OPPO India Vice President R&D Tasleem Arif recently told ET that the company is closely looking for start-ups to incubate and develop services and applications that OPPO could integrate with ColorOS 7. Mr. Arif said that there are a few startups that the company has shortlisted, in the belief that integrating them in its own platform will lead to a better user experience.

OPPO says that ColorOS has 320 million monthly active users globally. More than 120,000 developers have joined the OPPO open platform to date, where its open capability service has been used more than three billion times per day. At last year’s Developer Conference, the company launched the “Gravity Plan”, which was a RMB 1 billion program to support outstanding developers worldwide. The plan has provided resources for more than 2,000 applications since then, resulting in 9.2 billion impressions and more than 180 million downloads.

ColorOS is now available in 140 countries and regions around the world. The Gravity Plan 2.0 will build on last year’s plan to provide “sustained and all-round support to partners in the four major fields of applications, services, content, and global development,” according to Henry Duan, Vice President, Internet Services, OPPO.

The company also launched the “Five System-level Capability Exposure Engines” to enable developers to connect to OPPO’s system-level capability more smoothly for a better user experience. These include Hyper Boost, Link Boost, CameraUnit, MediaUnit, and ARUnit capabilities.

OPPO also announced that it will soon debut its first smartwatch, the OPPO Watch, as well as a health platform. It will invest RMB 50 billion ($7 million) into R&D spending in the next three years to develop core technologies in hardware, software, and system in addition to 5G, AI, AR, big data and other frontier technologies. The rest of the company’s announcements (which include IoT-related announcements) at the OPPO Innovation Day can be read here. The company says that it has been more than just a phone maker from the beginning.

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Via: The Economic Times

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Huawei, Honor, and OPPO double down on developers and partners in India

Huawei, its sub-brand Honor, and OPPO have announced new initiatives of engaging with Indian developers using incentives under their global funds to build localized mobile services, as part of Huawei Developer Day and OPPO Developer Conference respectively.

In the past few years, China-based smartphone device makers have continuously tried to attract localized app developers as they view India as one of their key markets. This strategy is more important for Huawei and its sub-brand Honor. Huawei is banned from using Google Mobile Services (GMS) on new phones because its continued presence on the US Entity List. The company is, therefore, building an alternative to GMS that is known as Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). GMS includes the Google Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, Drive, and all the other Google apps. Honor is in talks with 150 top apps in India to get them on HMS, according to Charles Peng, CEO, Huawei and Honor India, Consumer Business Group. According to him, most of the key apps such as navigation, payments, gaming, and messaging will be ready by the end of December.

HMS will effectively act as a replacement of GMS, as Huawei’s long-term strategy is to reduce its reliance on Google. The company is trying to build its own mobile ecosystem, and according to Mr. Peng, consumers won’t see a difference between GMS and HMS, but he did acknowledge that working with developers to offer a good customer experience was a challenge that the company was trying to address. He also stated that Huawei HQ is in touch with China developers. The India developer base will help the company in India as well as in regions like Europe, and the company’s focus is bringing the top 100-150 apps to customers through HMS in every country.

Huawei has a million registered developers globally for HMS, and is offering an incentive of up to $17,000 on the integration of apps with HMS in India through its $1 billion global fund, which was announced earlier this year. The company’s goal is to create an end-to-end business model with developers, content and service providers. These announcements were made at the Huawei Developer Day, which was held on December 18 in New Delhi. The event saw the participation of 150 mobile apps developers from leading organizations, and it showcased the technical capabilities of Huawei’s HMS ecosystem.

Mr. Peng said in a statement that HMS has been growing at an “unprecedented pace” with a user base of 500 million and a developer base of one million worldwide. Huawei introduced the HMS Core kits at the event. These are a collection of software development frameworks that help crate a version of the app compatible with Huawei/Honor phones. They include the location kit, map kit, push kit, account kit and others, with the aim of accelerating app development process at lower cost. Huawei states that HMS will be available globally with services such as Huawei ID, Mobile Cloud, AppGallery, Themes, and Huawei Assistant.

Huawei also noted that with the Huawei Developer Day global program has been conducted in countries such as Poland, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and others. Huawei and Honor are set to conduct more such conferences in different parts of India in 2020.

ET notes that Huawei and Honor’s sales have drastically decreased following the May US trade ban. Even so, Honor is targeting 10% market share in 2020. The lack of Google Mobile Services is a big software issue for Huawei when it comes to selling phones to Indian consumers, and the news of engaging with Indian developers is only a small step to try to solve the problem. While Honor is focusing on expanding its smart devices portfolio, including smart TVs, smart audio devices, and other IoT devices, Huawei is separately focusing on things like smartwatches in India.

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Separately, OPPO made its announcements as part of the 2019 OPPO Developer Conference in Beijing on December 19. The company is allocating $143 million in 2020 for supporting global developers, including India. The aim is to develop a new intelligent service ecosystem with developers and partners on the ColorOS operating system (ColorOS is OPPO’s custom user interface on top of Android). The three new initiatives announced at the conference include the enhanced developer support program “Gravity Plan 2.0”, for which OPPO will allocate RMB 1 billion (USD $143 million) in 2020, the “Five System-level Capability Exposure Engines” and the “IoT Enablement Plan”.

OPPO has placed a lot of importance of India as a key market. In a statement, the company said that it aims to reach out to the large talent pool of innovators, developers, and partners in the country. OPPO India Vice President R&D Tasleem Arif recently told ET that the company is closely looking for start-ups to incubate and develop services and applications that OPPO could integrate with ColorOS 7. Mr. Arif said that there are a few startups that the company has shortlisted, in the belief that integrating them in its own platform will lead to a better user experience.

OPPO says that ColorOS has 320 million monthly active users globally. More than 120,000 developers have joined the OPPO open platform to date, where its open capability service has been used more than three billion times per day. At last year’s Developer Conference, the company launched the “Gravity Plan”, which was a RMB 1 billion program to support outstanding developers worldwide. The plan has provided resources for more than 2,000 applications since then, resulting in 9.2 billion impressions and more than 180 million downloads.

ColorOS is now available in 140 countries and regions around the world. The Gravity Plan 2.0 will build on last year’s plan to provide “sustained and all-round support to partners in the four major fields of applications, services, content, and global development,” according to Henry Duan, Vice President, Internet Services, OPPO.

The company also launched the “Five System-level Capability Exposure Engines” to enable developers to connect to OPPO’s system-level capability more smoothly for a better user experience. These include Hyper Boost, Link Boost, CameraUnit, MediaUnit, and ARUnit capabilities.

OPPO also announced that it will soon debut its first smartwatch, the OPPO Watch, as well as a health platform. It will invest RMB 50 billion ($7 million) into R&D spending in the next three years to develop core technologies in hardware, software, and system in addition to 5G, AI, AR, big data and other frontier technologies. The rest of the company’s announcements (which include IoT-related announcements) at the OPPO Innovation Day can be read here. The company says that it has been more than just a phone maker from the beginning.

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Via: The Economic Times

The post Huawei, Honor, and OPPO double down on developers and partners in India appeared first on xda-developers.

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