Sai Krishna | Fone Arena

Halide camera app to bring portrait mode support for objects and pets on iPhone XR

Apple iPhone XR_fonearena-7

The low-cost iPhone XR features some decent hardware including face unlock, edge-to-edge design, A12 Bionic chipset and more. However, when compared to the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, it falls short due to the lack of proper Portrait mode. It currently only works on people and not objects. However, the developers of popular camera app Halide, have found depth data on the iPhone XR and can enable Portrait mode for non-people. Continue reading “Halide camera app to bring portrait mode support for objects and pets on iPhone XR”

Google might be planning on replacing Android voice unlock with ‘Lock screen personal results’

Google introduced the ability to unlock the phone with a voice when interacting with Google Assistant. After being removed on Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, Google might be ending the support and might be finding a replacement on all other Android devices given how insecure the feature is. Continue reading “Google might be planning on replacing Android voice unlock with ‘Lock screen personal results’”

Google Discover starts rolling out on Google.com mobile web

Google Discover

Google rebranded Feed to ‘Discover’ which is part of the company’s efforts to surface information without users actively having to ask for it. Google Discover is now beginning to roll out in the web search on smartphones. It is available to the left of your home screen on Android, it surfaces articles based on your interests from sports, entertainment, and Search history. Continue reading “Google Discover starts rolling out on Google.com mobile web”

Qualcomm says Apple still owes $7 billion in device royalty payments

Apple

Qualcomm Inc. in its ongoing federal dispute with Apple on October 26th, in a San Diego federal court, said that the Cupertino company is $7 billion behind in patent royalty payments to the mobile chip firm. While this claim doesn’t mean that Apple owes Qualcomm that much, but reveals the scale of fines in the legal dispute. Continue reading “Qualcomm says Apple still owes $7 billion in device royalty payments”

Google said to be working on a subscription service called ‘Play Pass’

Google PlayStore

Google might be working on a new paid subscription service in Google Play which might be called “Play Pass.” Google hasn’t made any changes to PlayStore in the recent times and slightest of changes might take few months to roll out. Back in late June, there were reports about an in-development Play Store feature called “Play Pass.” Continue reading “Google said to be working on a subscription service called ‘Play Pass’”

Android Oreo adoption rate climbs to 21.5%, Nougat is now on 28.2% devices

Google is out with the latest Android distribution numbers for the month of October. The Oreo adoption rate is now at 21.5% compared to 19.2% in September. This includes both Android 8.0 and 8.1. Much like previous month, Pie didn’t make it to the final list despite it rolling out. Continue reading “Android Oreo adoption rate climbs to 21.5%, Nougat is now on 28.2% devices”

New icon in iOS hints at iPad Pro with no home button, slim bezels and more; iOS 12.1 with eSIM functionality could launch tomorrow

Apple iPad Pro

Back during iOS 12 beta 5, we have seen an icon that indicated the iPad with no Home button, rounded corner, and no notch. It was a small icon designed to be used in the battery widget. However, now we are getting to see more details and clearer look at the 2018 iPad Pro redesigned within iOS. Continue reading “New icon in iOS hints at iPad Pro with no home button, slim bezels and more; iOS 12.1 with eSIM functionality could launch tomorrow”

Weekly Roundup: Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, Black Shark Helo, Samsung Galaxy A6s, HTC EXODUS 1 and more

Xiaomi earlier this week has launched the Mi MIX 3, Black Shark Helo Gaming Phone. It also launched the 6GB RAM variant of the Mi A2 in India. Meizu has launched the Note 8, OPPO introduced the R15x in China and lots more from this week in our weekly roundup. Continue reading “Weekly Roundup: Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, Black Shark Helo, Samsung Galaxy A6s, HTC EXODUS 1 and more”

Alphabet records $33.7 billion in revenue with 21% YoY growth in Q3 2018

Alphabet Inc. has announced financial results for the third quarter of the year that ended September 30, 2018. Google reported a total revenue of $33.74 billion with 21% YoY growth and 22% increase in constant currency revenues year over year. The company had an operating income of $8.3 billion with 25% operating margin, up 7% versus last year, this is including the fines. Continue reading “Alphabet records $33.7 billion in revenue with 21% YoY growth in Q3 2018”

Twitter reports $758 million revenue, 29% YoY growth in Q3 2018, has 326 million monthly active users

Twitter, Inc. has announced financial results for its third quarter of 2018 which had a total revenue of $758 million, an increase of 29% year-over-year. The company’s advertising revenue totaled $650 million, an increase of 29% year-over-year. Twitter’s total ad engagements increased 50% year-over-year and the cost per engagement decreased 14% year-over-year. Continue reading “Twitter reports $758 million revenue, 29% YoY growth in Q3 2018, has 326 million monthly active users”

Facebook said to be working on TikTok-like Lasso video music app

Facebook is said to be working on a standalone app; Lasso where users can record and share videos of themselves lip-syncing or dancing to popular songs. The app is designed to be a standalone competitor to Musical.ly which later was acquired by Bytedance and re branded to TikTok. Continue reading “Facebook said to be working on TikTok-like Lasso video music app”

Ghostbusters World open-world game with AR Mode released for Android and iOS

Ghostbusters World

Earlier this year Google opened up Maps SDK to let game developers create real-world games. The new game to join the list is the; Ghostbusters World built with Google Maps. The game allows you to grab your virtual proton pack and bust ghosts. The game is brought to you by Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Ghost Corps, publisher FourThirtyThree Inc., and developer Next Age. Continue reading “Ghostbusters World open-world game with AR Mode released for Android and iOS”

Google said to mandate security updates for two years for popular phones in new Android contract

Google, every month releases security patches for Android and this becomes tedious for carriers and manufacturers to get them installed on actual phones. However, that might soon change. According to confidential contracts, many manufacturers now have explicit obligations to keep their phones updated written into their contract with Google. Continue reading “Google said to mandate security updates for two years for popular phones in new Android contract”

Google to discontinue Android’s Nearby Notifications on December 6th

Android Nearby Notifications

Owing to the increasing number of locally irrelevant and spammy notifications with the ‘Nearby Notifications’ feature which Google created three years ago, the company has decided to discontinue support for Nearby Notifications. In a blog post, Google confirmed that it will stop serving Nearby Notifications on December 6th, 2018. Continue reading “Google to discontinue Android’s Nearby Notifications on December 6th”

WhatsApp beta for Android gets Picture-in-Picture mode for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook videos [Update: Swipe to Reply now available for all]

[Update – October 25: WhatsApp has rolled out Swipe to Reply feature for all the Android users] Continue reading “WhatsApp beta for Android gets Picture-in-Picture mode for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook videos [Update: Swipe to Reply now available for all]”