Google to use AV1 codec to improve bandwidth for Stadia, Photos, Meet, and TV

The Alliance for Open Media came out with the royalty-free AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) codec back in 2017 to replace H.264 as the primary codec for online streaming and media consumption. The AV1 codec offered around 30% better compression than Google’s previous VP9 standard without hampering picture quality. Since its release, the AV1 codec has been adopted by several services and platforms, including Google Chrome, Android, YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo, and Facebook. Recently, Microsoft also announced that it was bringing hardware-based AV1 codec support to Windows 10. Now, in a recent panel discussion on the codec’s commercial readiness, Matt Frost from Google has revealed that the company will soon bring AV1 support to Stadia, Photos, Meet, and TV.

#ICYMI – Watch this @IBCShow 2020 Panel Discussion with @amazon, @Facebook, @Google, @IntelSoftware, @Netflix, and @TencentGlobal on #AV1 Commercial Readiness: https://t.co/X70Gq0S2Vb pic.twitter.com/9zeizTfSWJ

— Alliance For Open Media (@a4omedia) November 2, 2020

During the panel discussion, Frost revealed that the AV1 codec has already been deployed in several of the company’s platforms and services, including Google Duo, YouTube, Chrome, and Android. Going forward, the company plans to deploy AV1 support to “the whole range of Google’s video applications and services.” Although Frost didn’t explicitly mention the names of the applications and services that will get AV1 codec support in the near future, a slide shown during the discussion highlighted that AV1 support will soon make its way to Google Photos, Meet, Stadia, and TV. Sadly, the discussion didn’t highlight how and when Google plans on deploying AV1 support on the aforementioned services.

Along with Google, the panel discussion included representatives from Intel, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, and Tencent, who talked about how the respective companies plan on deploying AV1 support to their various products and services. If you’re interested in learning more about AV1 commercial deployment, you can check out the panel discussion by following the link below. Do note that you will have to create an account on IBC in order to watch the discussion. To learn more about the AV1 codec, you can check out our detailed explainer by following this link.

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Source: IBC Showcase

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Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B mark the return of Micromax to the Indian smartphone market

Micromax today launched two new Android smartphones in India: Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B, marking a re-entry of the Gurugram-based OEM into the Indian smartphone market. The new smartphones boast interesting hardware, including a quad-camera array, a 5,000 mAh battery, MediaTek Helio G series chipset, and reverse charging support.

Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B Specifications:

Specifications	IN Note 1	IN 1B
Dimensions and Weight	NA	NA
Display	6.67-inch IPS, FHD+ 21:9 450nits Centered hole-punch 78% NTSC	6.52-inch HD+ Waterdrop notch
SoC	MediaTek Helio G85 ARM Mali G52 MC2 GPU	MediaTek Helio G35 IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU
RAM and Storage	4GB + 64GB 4GB + 128GB	2GB + 32GB 4GB + 64GB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh 18W fast charger Reverse charging support	5,000mAh 10W charger Reverse charging support
Rear Camera	48MP primary 5MP ultra-wide, 115-degree 2MP macro sensor 2MP depth sensor	13MP primary 2MP depth sensor 960fps video support
Front Camera	16MP front shooter	8MP front shooter
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-FI 4G LTE Bluetooth 5.0 Dual SIM Type C 3.5mm jack MicroSD card	4G LTE Type C Bluetooth 5.0 3.5mm jack Dual SIM MicroSD card
Other feature	Dedicated Google Assistant key Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock	Dedicated Google Assistant key Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
Software	Android 10	Android 10

Micromax IN Note 1

The Micromax IN Note 1 is the more powerful of the duo, packing a 6.67-inch FHD+ IPS screen with a centered hole-punch on the front and a square camera module on the back. The quad-camera system is comprised of a 48MP primary camera, a 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensors. On the front, there’s a 16MP wide-angle selfie camera with a 78-degree field-of-view. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, coupled with Mali G-52GPU and up to 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone packs a 5,000 mAh battery and comes with an 18W fast charger and reverse charging support. The phone runs a near-stock version of Android 10, and Micromax is promising “two years” of Android updates.

Micromax IN 1B

The Micromax IN 1B, on the other hand, is an entry-level device. It sports a 6.52inch display and packs a MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, featuring 8x ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.3GHz. In terms of camera, the Micromax IN 1B has a 13MP primary sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and an 8MP selfie camera. Just like its bigger brother, the IN 1B packs a 5,000 mAh battery but comes with a slower 10W charger. The phone runs a near-stock version of Android 10, and Micromax is promising “two years” of Android updates.

 

Pricing & Availability

The Micromax IN Note 1 is priced at ₹10,999 ($147) for the base 4GB/64GB variant, while the top 4GB/128GB variant will cost ₹12,499 ($168). Meanwhile, the entry-level Micromax IN 1B starts at ₹6,999 (~$94) for the 2GB/32GB model and ₹7,999 (~$107) for the 4GB/64GB variant. Both phones are available for pre-order today and will be exclusively available from Flipkart. The IN Note 1 will go on sale on Nov. 24, followed by the IN 1B on Nov. 26.

The post Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B mark the return of Micromax to the Indian smartphone market appeared first on xda-developers.

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Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B mark the return of Micromax to the Indian smartphone market

Micromax today launched two new Android smartphones in India: Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B, marking a re-entry of the Gurugram-based OEM into the Indian smartphone market. The new smartphones boast interesting hardware, including a quad-camera array, a 5,000 mAh battery, MediaTek Helio G series chipset, and reverse charging support.

Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B Specifications:

Specifications	IN Note 1	IN 1B
Dimensions and Weight	NA	NA
Display	6.67-inch IPS, FHD+ 21:9 450nits Centered hole-punch 78% NTSC	6.52-inch HD+ Waterdrop notch
SoC	MediaTek Helio G85 ARM Mali G52 MC2 GPU	MediaTek Helio G35 IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU
RAM and Storage	4GB + 64GB 4GB + 128GB	2GB + 32GB 4GB + 64GB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh 18W fast charger Reverse charging support	5,000mAh 10W charger Reverse charging support
Rear Camera	48MP primary 5MP ultra-wide, 115-degree 2MP macro sensor 2MP depth sensor	13MP primary 2MP depth sensor 960fps video support
Front Camera	16MP front shooter	8MP front shooter
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-FI 4G LTE Bluetooth 5.0 Dual SIM Type C 3.5mm jack MicroSD card	4G LTE Type C Bluetooth 5.0 3.5mm jack Dual SIM MicroSD card
Other feature	Dedicated Google Assistant key Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock	Dedicated Google Assistant key Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
Software	Android 10	Android 10

Micromax IN Note 1

The Micromax IN Note 1 is the more powerful of the duo, packing a 6.67-inch FHD+ IPS screen with a centered hole-punch on the front and a square camera module on the back. The quad-camera system is comprised of a 48MP primary camera, a 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensors. On the front, there’s a 16MP wide-angle selfie camera with a 78-degree field-of-view. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, coupled with Mali G-52GPU and up to 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone packs a 5,000 mAh battery and comes with an 18W fast charger and reverse charging support. The phone runs a near-stock version of Android 10, and Micromax is promising “two years” of Android updates.

Micromax IN 1B

The Micromax IN 1B, on the other hand, is an entry-level device. It sports a 6.52inch display and packs a MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, featuring 8x ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.3GHz. In terms of camera, the Micromax IN 1B has a 13MP primary sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and an 8MP selfie camera. Just like its bigger brother, the IN 1B packs a 5,000 mAh battery but comes with a slower 10W charger. The phone runs a near-stock version of Android 10, and Micromax is promising “two years” of Android updates.

 

Pricing & Availability

The Micromax IN Note 1 is priced at ₹10,999 ($147) for the base 4GB/64GB variant, while the top 4GB/128GB variant will cost ₹12,499 ($168). Meanwhile, the entry-level Micromax IN 1B starts at ₹6,999 (~$94) for the 2GB/32GB model and ₹7,999 (~$107) for the 4GB/64GB variant. Both phones are available for pre-order today and will be exclusively available from Flipkart. The IN Note 1 will go on sale on Nov. 24, followed by the IN 1B on Nov. 26.

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Samsung S Translator service will be shut down next month

After discontinuing some of Bixby Vision’s augmented reality features last month, Samsung has now announced that it will shut down its S Translator service next month. Much like the Bixby Vision announcement, Samsung is now sending out in-app notices to South Korean users announcing its plans to discontinue its in-house translation service.

The notice states that the S Translator service will be shut down on December 1, 2020, and Samsung will promptly delete all personal information collected by the service. In the notice, the company also thanks S Translator users for showing interest in the service and using it over the last few years. For the unaware, the S Translator service came pre-installed on several flagship Galaxy devices and offered language translation between 11 languages: Brazilian Portuguese, English (UK), English (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish.

Although Samsung is shutting down S Translator, Galaxy users already have access to an alternative translation service in the form of the company’s voice assistant Bixby. The voice assistant can translate text from one language to another, it supports a larger number of languages, and it offers a significantly better user experience than the outgoing service. On top of that, Bixby also supports live translation that makes use of your device’s camera to instantly translate any text you see around you from one language to another.

In case you don’t wish to use Samsung’s virtual assistant for your translation needs, you can also use Google Translate from the Play Store. The app features a ton of useful features to help with translations, including a real-time transcription feature that will help you have a conversation with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you.

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Via: TizenHelp

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Samsung S Translator service will be shut down next month

After discontinuing some of Bixby Vision’s augmented reality features last month, Samsung has now announced that it will shut down its S Translator service next month. Much like the Bixby Vision announcement, Samsung is now sending out in-app notices to South Korean users announcing its plans to discontinue its in-house translation service.

The notice states that the S Translator service will be shut down on December 1, 2020, and Samsung will promptly delete all personal information collected by the service. In the notice, the company also thanks S Translator users for showing interest in the service and using it over the last few years. For the unaware, the S Translator service came pre-installed on several flagship Galaxy devices and offered language translation between 11 languages: Brazilian Portuguese, English (UK), English (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish.

Although Samsung is shutting down S Translator, Galaxy users already have access to an alternative translation service in the form of the company’s voice assistant Bixby. The voice assistant can translate text from one language to another, it supports a larger number of languages, and it offers a significantly better user experience than the outgoing service. On top of that, Bixby also supports live translation that makes use of your device’s camera to instantly translate any text you see around you from one language to another.

In case you don’t wish to use Samsung’s virtual assistant for your translation needs, you can also use Google Translate from the Play Store. The app features a ton of useful features to help with translations, including a real-time transcription feature that will help you have a conversation with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you.

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Via: TizenHelp

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Lenovo Smart Tab range has ambient display crippled ‘by Google App’

Lenovo Smart Tab users are awaiting a fix for one of the range’s unique features after a Google app update crippled it. The Smart Tab series is a range of tablets which, when docked in their charging stand, use Android’s Ambient Display to double up as a Google Assistant client similar to Google Nest Hub, with far-field microphones to allow voice commands when docked.

Reports began to surface on the Lenovo forums earlier this summer as users complained that despite the correct settings, their screens were simply turning blank when docked. We’ve tested it on our Lenovo M8 Smart Tab and sure enough, there’s no ambient mode to be found.

There are countless threads in the product forum all complaining about this one issue. At one point, it was suggested that a fix had been found, but it proved not to work either. It has been confirmed that it affects both the 8-inch and 10-inch versions.

Lenovo Tab M10 HD 2nd Gen with Google Assistant

The most recent response from the forum administrators suggests that the issue is with the Google App and specifically Ambient Mode, rather than the tablet hardware and that a bug report is open at Google’s end as well as Lenovo’s. There is no indication of exactly what the cause is, nor a timeline for resolution.

We’ve checked the upgrade path for these devices and it does appear that an Android 10 upgrade for these devices is due to land just before Christmas, which may also contain a fix, given that Android 9 device compatibility is becoming increasingly a legacy issue. The frustration being felt by users stems from the fact that this range was advertised around its dual-functionality. Without that, it’s essentially a competent mid-range tablet running Android 9 – not the product that was advertised. As with any new feature, there’s always the risk of problems, but when you hang your hat on that feature for a range of products, it doesn’t exactly look good.

We’ve asked Lenovo for any further updates but had no response at the time of going to press.

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LG Wing and Samsung Galaxy S20 FE kernel sources are now available

The foundation of Android is built on top of the Linux kernel, thus OEMs are obliged to provide the source code (upon request) for any Linux kernel binaries that ship on their Android-powered devices. Apart from the compliance with the GNU General Public License v2, kernel source releases also help developers cook up custom ROMs and enhanced third party kernels which, in turn, boosts the aftermarket modding scene for the device. Manufacturers like LG and Samsung have a good track record of releasing such sources in a timely manner and they have now posted kernel source codes for the LG Wing and the Galaxy S20 FE, respectively.

LG Wing

The LG Wing (our hands-on preview) features an innovative design with a swiveling main display and a small secondary display hidden underneath. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G-powered device runs LG UX based on Android 10 out of the box. Below you can find the kernel sources for different variants of the LG Wing, including LMF100EM, LMF100EMW, LMF100N, LMF100NO, and LMF100VMY.

LG Wing Kernel Sources || LG Wing XDA Forums

LG has a love-hate relationship with the power users, as only a handful of phones manufactured by the Korean OEM are whitelisted for bootloader unlocking. Now that the kernel source code for the LG Wing is up, we hope that the company will soon allow bootloader unlocking on this phone.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Samsung has launched two variants of the Galaxy S20 FE so far: A 5G variant powered by the Snapdragon 865 and a 4G variant powered by the Exynos 990 SoC. Both models feature a 120Hz high refresh rate display and a triple camera setup on the back, but their RAM and storage configurations are different. At the time of reporting, we can only spot the kernel source code corresponding to the model numbers SM-G781B and SM-G781U, which are the Snapdragon 5G models.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Kernel Sources || Samsung Galaxy S20 FE XDA Forums

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