7 Deals on Smart Home and Security Devices to Upgrade Your Living Space

Over the past few months, we have all been spending more time at home than usual. If you would like to upgrade your living space and make your home smarter, these deals are definitely worth your attention. Right now, you can save big on smart home devices and security gadgets at the XDA Developers Depot.

JOT Battery Base for Google Home Mini

Rated at 4.5 stars on Amazon, this accessory lets your Google Home Mini roam free. The 5,000mAh battery holds enough juice for eight hours of usage, and the base only adds 5.9 ounces to the weight of your smart speaker. Usually priced at $34.95, it’s now only $16.99.

TOKK™ Fingerprint Smart Lock

Ideal for secure storage lockers and outbuildings, this smart lock opens in 0.5 seconds without a key. You can program it to accept 20 different fingerprints, and the built-in battery lasts for six months. Just as importantly, it’s made from strong steel. You can grab it now for $24.99, saving 50% on the full price.

XC Security Camera

When you can’t be at home, this Red Dot Awardee lets you check in with live 1080p HD video. The camera has a wide-angle lens, and it can pilot through 360 degrees. It also has two-way audio, motion detection, night vision technology, and a 90dB siren. It retails for $59.99, but you can get the camera now for $43.99.

Smart Beat Video Breathing Monitor

This innovative baby monitor analyzes 40 million pixels every second to keep tabs on your little one. You can check the HD livestream at any time via your smartphone, and Smart Beat can alert you if something isn’t quite right. Normally $299, this gadget is now $284.

AXIS Gear: Smart Blinds Controller (5-Pack)

Compatible with all shades and blinds with a beaded chain, AXIS Gear allows you to let in the light with a tap. You can either use the supplied Touch Strip controls, or use the companion smartphone app to set up custom schedules. The Controller is easy to fit, and it raised over $128k on Indiegogo. Worth $999, this pack of five is now only $799.99. 

Gotek Smart Fridge Deodorizer

When your fridge is full of raw ingredients, it’s easy for germs and odors to build up. This smart deodorizer keeps things under control by killing 96.2% of bacteria using ozone and negative ion dual modes. It runs on a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts for 90 days. Usually priced at $119.90, the Gotek is currently just $99.99.

X1 Indoor Security Camera

Designed to blend in, the X1 Security Camera offers 360-degree coverage and smart motion detection. You receive an alert on your phone when the camera notices any unexpected movement, and you can use the integrated siren to alert your neighbors. The MSRP is $99.99, but you can get it now for $73.99.

Prices subject to change  

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Samsung Galaxy A71 5G launches in the US this week for $599

In April, Samsung announced a slew of Galaxy A devices that would be headed to the US market. A few of them have already gone on sale, but we’ve been waiting for arguably the best of the bunch. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G will be available to purchase this week on June 19th.

As you might expect, the Galaxy A71 5G is essentially the same as the LTE-only Galaxy A71, which we got our hands on at CES. It sits at the top of the A-series with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, the Snapdragon 765G SoC, quad rear cameras, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 4,500mAh battery, and Android 10. It’s very close to being a flagship-level smartphone, but the processor downgrade is enough to keep the price down.

Of course, with 5G in the name, we have to talk about 5G support. The Galaxy A71 5G will be available from T-Mobile and Sprint on June 19th, presumably with support for the networks’ sub-6GHz 5G. As we previously reported, the device will also be coming to Verizon at a later date, likely with support for its Ultrawide Band (mmWave) 5G network. The device will also be available from AT&T eventually and sold unlocked.

Samsung Galaxy A71 XDA Forums

The Galaxy A71 5G was announced with three color options, but it will only be available in Prism Cube Black to start. As mentioned, it goes on sale on June 19th at T-Mobile, Sprint, and Samsung.com for $599. You can also opt to enroll the phone in Samsung Premium Care for $12 per month to cover accidental damage and breakdowns. If you’re looking for a more affordable near high-end phone in the US, this is a great option, even if you don’t care about 5G.

		Galaxy A71 5G
Display		6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Plus
		Infinity-O Display (1080×2400)
Camera	Rear	Quad Camera Main: 64MP, F1.8 Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2 Depth: 5MP, F2.2 Macro: 5MP, F2.4
	Front	Selfie: 32MP, F2.2
Body		75.5 x 162.5 x 8.1 mm, 185g
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Memory		6GB RAM
		128GB Internal Storage
		MicroSD Slot (up to 1TB)
Battery		4,500mAh (typical), 25W Super Fast Charging
Biometrics		On-Screen Fingerprint
Color		Prism Cube Black

---

Source: Samsung

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Samsung Galaxy A71 5G launches in the US this week for $599

In April, Samsung announced a slew of Galaxy A devices that would be headed to the US market. A few of them have already gone on sale, but we’ve been waiting for arguably the best of the bunch. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G will be available to purchase this week on June 19th.

As you might expect, the Galaxy A71 5G is essentially the same as the LTE-only Galaxy A71, which we got our hands on at CES. It sits at the top of the A-series with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, the Snapdragon 765G SoC, quad rear cameras, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 4,500mAh battery, and Android 10. It’s very close to being a flagship-level smartphone, but the processor downgrade is enough to keep the price down.

Of course, with 5G in the name, we have to talk about 5G support. The Galaxy A71 5G will be available from T-Mobile and Sprint on June 19th, presumably with support for the networks’ sub-6GHz 5G. As we previously reported, the device will also be coming to Verizon at a later date, likely with support for its Ultrawide Band (mmWave) 5G network. The device will also be available from AT&T eventually and sold unlocked.

Samsung Galaxy A71 XDA Forums

The Galaxy A71 5G was announced with three color options, but it will only be available in Prism Cube Black to start. As mentioned, it goes on sale on June 19th at T-Mobile, Sprint, and Samsung.com for $599. You can also opt to enroll the phone in Samsung Premium Care for $12 per month to cover accidental damage and breakdowns. If you’re looking for a more affordable near high-end phone in the US, this is a great option, even if you don’t care about 5G.

		Galaxy A71 5G
Display		6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Plus
		Infinity-O Display (1080×2400)
Camera	Rear	Quad Camera Main: 64MP, F1.8 Ultra Wide: 12MP, F2.2 Depth: 5MP, F2.2 Macro: 5MP, F2.4
	Front	Selfie: 32MP, F2.2
Body		75.5 x 162.5 x 8.1 mm, 185g
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Memory		6GB RAM
		128GB Internal Storage
		MicroSD Slot (up to 1TB)
Battery		4,500mAh (typical), 25W Super Fast Charging
Biometrics		On-Screen Fingerprint
Color		Prism Cube Black

---

Source: Samsung

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Some Sony Xperia 1 and 5 users are using tape to improve fingerprint scanner recognition

Sony’s Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 from last year were widely regarded as some of the best devices to come out of the company’s stables in the last few years. The devices packed top-of-the-line specifications, impressive camera setups, and stunning 21:9 OLED displays. Thanks to the tall CinemaWide displays with no notch or selfie camera cutouts, Sony’s flagships clearly stood out in comparison with flagship devices from other manufacturers. But the tall displays weren’t the only thing that Sony did differently with its flagships. Instead of featuring in-display fingerprint scanners like most of the flagships last year, Sony opted for side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanners on the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5. The scanners were marginally faster than optical fingerprint scanners and the convenient location made them easy to access. However, according to several reports from Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 users worldwide, the fingerprint scanners aren’t as good as Sony chalked them up to be.

Sony Xperia 1 XDA Forums || Sony Xperia 5 XDA Forums

Of late, we’ve come across several threads on our Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 forums which highlight the poor performance of the side-mounted fingerprint scanners on the devices. Users have reported that it takes anywhere between 2 to 5 attempts for the devices to correctly recognize their fingerprint and, even after trying all the usual troubleshooting methods, the performance hasn’t improved. The problem is so widespread that users had even started a Change.org petition asking Sony to acknowledge the issue and announce a recall if the issue is due to a hardware defect. Sony has, in fact, acknowledged the issue and has created support pages for the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5, asking users to register their fingerprint again in a specific manner.

Searching for ‘Xperia 1 fingerprint’ on the SonyXperia subreddit also brings up a lot of threads related to the issue, with users mentioning several temporary solutions. One such solution asks users to cover the fingerprint scanner with a thin layer of Sellotape to improve its performance. Out of all the solutions we’ve seen so far, this one seems to have the highest success rate, with users in the comments claiming that applying any type of clear tape on the sensor improves its performance significantly.

According to XDA Junior Member AJB1971, who initially posted the solution on our forums, the “problem seems to be that the sensor picks up fingerprint oils really easily, an imprint is left behind, and that interferes with its ability to read new inputs…Cleaning this works sometimes, but it’s unreasonable to expect a user to have to do this repeatedly.” Adding a layer of Sellotape seems to prevent the coating from interfering with the sensor and improves its performance.

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer Myself5, we learned that the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 feature fingerprint scanners from Taiwan-based Egis Technology. As of now, neither company has confirmed if the issue is due to a hardware defect. You can try out the solution and let us know how far it improves the sensor functionality on your device.

The post Some Sony Xperia 1 and 5 users are using tape to improve fingerprint scanner recognition appeared first on xda-developers.

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Some Sony Xperia 1 and 5 users are using tape to improve fingerprint scanner recognition

Sony’s Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 from last year were widely regarded as some of the best devices to come out of the company’s stables in the last few years. The devices packed top-of-the-line specifications, impressive camera setups, and stunning 21:9 OLED displays. Thanks to the tall CinemaWide displays with no notch or selfie camera cutouts, Sony’s flagships clearly stood out in comparison with flagship devices from other manufacturers. But the tall displays weren’t the only thing that Sony did differently with its flagships. Instead of featuring in-display fingerprint scanners like most of the flagships last year, Sony opted for side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanners on the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5. The scanners were marginally faster than optical fingerprint scanners and the convenient location made them easy to access. However, according to several reports from Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 users worldwide, the fingerprint scanners aren’t as good as Sony chalked them up to be.

Sony Xperia 1 XDA Forums || Sony Xperia 5 XDA Forums

Of late, we’ve come across several threads on our Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 forums which highlight the poor performance of the side-mounted fingerprint scanners on the devices. Users have reported that it takes anywhere between 2 to 5 attempts for the devices to correctly recognize their fingerprint and, even after trying all the usual troubleshooting methods, the performance hasn’t improved. The problem is so widespread that users had even started a Change.org petition asking Sony to acknowledge the issue and announce a recall if the issue is due to a hardware defect. Sony has, in fact, acknowledged the issue and has created support pages for the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5, asking users to register their fingerprint again in a specific manner.

Searching for ‘Xperia 1 fingerprint’ on the SonyXperia subreddit also brings up a lot of threads related to the issue, with users mentioning several temporary solutions. One such solution asks users to cover the fingerprint scanner with a thin layer of Sellotape to improve its performance. Out of all the solutions we’ve seen so far, this one seems to have the highest success rate, with users in the comments claiming that applying any type of clear tape on the sensor improves its performance significantly.

According to XDA Junior Member AJB1971, who initially posted the solution on our forums, the “problem seems to be that the sensor picks up fingerprint oils really easily, an imprint is left behind, and that interferes with its ability to read new inputs…Cleaning this works sometimes, but it’s unreasonable to expect a user to have to do this repeatedly.” Adding a layer of Sellotape seems to prevent the coating from interfering with the sensor and improves its performance.

Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer Myself5, we learned that the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 feature fingerprint scanners from Taiwan-based Egis Technology. As of now, neither company has confirmed if the issue is due to a hardware defect. You can try out the solution and let us know how far it improves the sensor functionality on your device.

The post Some Sony Xperia 1 and 5 users are using tape to improve fingerprint scanner recognition appeared first on xda-developers.

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Download: Xiaomi Mi 10 gets official Android 11 Beta 1 build

Android 11 Beta 1, as the name implies, is the first beta from Google for its upcoming Android release. Beta 1 comes after a string of Developer Previews (namely  Preview 1, Preview 2, Preview 3, and Preview 4). While Developer Previews remained restricted to Google Pixel devices, the Betas have been making their way to several other devices from other OEMs. OnePlus released Beta 1 builds for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, and Vivo has released builds for the Vivo Nex 3S and iQOO 3. Xiaomi promised to release builds for the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and the POCO F2 Pro. Now, Android 11 Beta 1 is live for the Xiaomi Mi 10.

Android 11 News on XDA

It was widely believed that the first beta for the Xiaomi Mi 10 would be with MIUI on top since the announcement for the beta release was done through the official Twitter handle of MIUI. However, the URL of the build that has gone live indicates that this build is based on AOSP and does not come with MIUI on top.

Currently, builds are available only for the Xiaomi Mi 10. But we presume that builds will be pushed for the other promised devices soon. We will update the article when we get access to the same.

Download Android 11 Beta 1

Caution: The builds mentioned on this page are for developers only and are not intended to be used by end-users. These builds are early releases and contain bugs and other system instabilities. They also wipe your device completely. It is highly recommended that you back up your data before proceeding. Please exercise your own discretion.

You can download Android 11 Beta 1 from the following links:

• Xiaomi Mi 10:
  • Primary Download Link
  • Alternate Download Link
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro: <to be announced>
• POCO F2 Pro: <to be announced>

---

Flashing instructions for the Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro

Since the official ROM comes in the form of a .tgz extension, commonly referred to as a Fastboot ROM, it requires a Windows computer for installation. You also need to have a phone with an unlocked bootloader. Instructions to unlock the bootloader of your phone can be found on your device’s subforums on XDA.

XDA Forums: Xiaomi Mi 10 || Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro || POCO F2 Pro

To flash the downloaded file, follow the instructions below:

1. Download MiFlash Tool on your Windows computer. The latest version can be found in Step 1 of this link. Once downloaded, extract the tool and install it. It is also advisable to have ADB and Fastboot installed, just in case you need it.
2. Reboot your phone into Download mode by powering it off and then pressing both the Power and Volume Down buttons together.
3. Connect your phone to the computer using the appropriate USB cable.
4. Download the Fastboot ROM .tgz file and extract it. Remember the extract location, as you will need to paste the address into MiFlash Tool. Also, ensure that there are no spaces in the extract location path.
5. Run MiFlash Tool on your Windows Computer and in the address bar within the tool, paste the extract location from Step 4.
6. Click “Refresh” within MiFlash and the app should automatically recognize your device.
7. Click “Run” within MiFlash to flash the ROM file to the device.
8. The progress bar within MiFlash will turn green, which indicates that the ROM was successfully installed. Your device should boot automatically to the new version.

Xiaomi has not provided specific instructions for downgrading yet.

---

Let us know your experience with the new release in the comments below!

The post Download: Xiaomi Mi 10 gets official Android 11 Beta 1 build appeared first on xda-developers.

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Download: Xiaomi Mi 10 gets official Android 11 Beta 1 build

Android 11 Beta 1, as the name implies, is the first beta from Google for its upcoming Android release. Beta 1 comes after a string of Developer Previews (namely  Preview 1, Preview 2, Preview 3, and Preview 4). While Developer Previews remained restricted to Google Pixel devices, the Betas have been making their way to several other devices from other OEMs. OnePlus released Beta 1 builds for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, and Vivo has released builds for the Vivo Nex 3S and iQOO 3. Xiaomi promised to release builds for the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and the POCO F2 Pro. Now, Android 11 Beta 1 is live for the Xiaomi Mi 10.

Android 11 News on XDA

It was widely believed that the first beta for the Xiaomi Mi 10 would be with MIUI on top since the announcement for the beta release was done through the official Twitter handle of MIUI. However, the URL of the build that has gone live indicates that this build is based on AOSP and does not come with MIUI on top.

Currently, builds are available only for the Xiaomi Mi 10. But we presume that builds will be pushed for the other promised devices soon. We will update the article when we get access to the same.

Download Android 11 Beta 1

Caution: The builds mentioned on this page are for developers only and are not intended to be used by end-users. These builds are early releases and contain bugs and other system instabilities. They also wipe your device completely. It is highly recommended that you back up your data before proceeding. Please exercise your own discretion.

You can download Android 11 Beta 1 from the following links:

• Xiaomi Mi 10:
  • Primary Download Link
  • Alternate Download Link
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro: <to be announced>
• POCO F2 Pro: <to be announced>

---

Flashing instructions for the Xiaomi Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro

Since the official ROM comes in the form of a .tgz extension, commonly referred to as a Fastboot ROM, it requires a Windows computer for installation. You also need to have a phone with an unlocked bootloader. Instructions to unlock the bootloader of your phone can be found on your device’s subforums on XDA.

XDA Forums: Xiaomi Mi 10 || Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro || POCO F2 Pro

To flash the downloaded file, follow the instructions below:

1. Download MiFlash Tool on your Windows computer. The latest version can be found in Step 1 of this link. Once downloaded, extract the tool and install it. It is also advisable to have ADB and Fastboot installed, just in case you need it.
2. Reboot your phone into Download mode by powering it off and then pressing both the Power and Volume Down buttons together.
3. Connect your phone to the computer using the appropriate USB cable.
4. Download the Fastboot ROM .tgz file and extract it. Remember the extract location, as you will need to paste the address into MiFlash Tool.
5. Run MiFlash Tool on your Windows Computer and in the address bar within the tool, paste the extract location from Step 4.
6. Click “Refresh” within MiFlash and the app should automatically recognize your device.
7. Click “Run” within MiFlash to flash the ROM file to the device.
8. The progress bar within MiFlash will turn green, which indicates that the ROM was successfully installed. Your device should boot automatically to the new version.

Xiaomi has not provided specific instructions for downgrading yet.

---

Let us know your experience with the new release in the comments below!

The post Download: Xiaomi Mi 10 gets official Android 11 Beta 1 build appeared first on xda-developers.

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