We have taken a look at the Android N notification system previously, courtesy of Android Police. Now, they have released images of what is a work in progress Settings app that we might see in the coming Android N.

One of the changes is that they have removed the lines between items that belong to the same category, and only put them between different categories. Also, items on the main list will now show additional info below them, such as the Battery item showing the battery status. Lastly, if you are in Do Not Disturb mode, the app shows a drop down at the top for some reason.

If you click on any of the items on the main screen and go a level deeper, you will see the new hamburger menu appear on the top. This will let you jump to any of the other sections in the app without going back first.

Again, these are essentially mockups of a work in progress build of Android N, so a lot can change in the final version.

Check the source for more…

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Instagram is further buckling down on links to profiles for Snapchat or Telegram that are posted directly on the Instagram user’s short profile. The image sharing giant has been caught denying users the ability to post links that directly link followers to their “follow-me” links.

Another @Facebook tentacle closes on users’ ability to share a link to their Telegram profile. #hypocrisy http://pic.twitter.com/xC6ydp3M0p— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) March 2, 2016

Telegram tweeted about this and gave it the hashtag #hipocrisy. Instagram spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that the use-case and reason for blocked links is that it is misuse of the platform and was not intended to be used to gain followers via direct “follow-me” links.

Here is where the #hipocrisy comes in: direct “follow-me” links are allowed on Instagram profiles, only if the profile happens to be a Twitter profile.

Telegram is still a fairly new feature-packed service, but it seems that these other messaging giants feel threatened by Telegram’s potential and don’t want to have any part in Telegram potentially gaining growing any faster than it already is.

Source |…

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If you own an Amazon Echo and have a Nest smart thermostat, you’ll be happy to know that they will begin to communicate with each other over the next couple of weeks.

This new integration will allow users to simply tell Alexa to change the thermostat temperature to a specific temperature. Alexa’s new Skills feature uses contextual information to learn about the user’s preferences such as telling Alexa that you are leaving your home and Alexa would know to turn the thermostat off. Or you could tell Alexa to “tell the thermostat that I’m too hot.”

Nest also states that if you use IFTTT, there are already more than 50 recipes that you can use in conjunction with your Nest thermostat and Amazon Echo.

Source |…

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In light of all the Apple VS. FBI controversy, Amazon took it upon itself to push out an OTA to its own Fire OS devices that disables encryption. However, when asked about it, The Verge reports that Amazon claimed the decision was made several months ago when it was ‘removing features that customers were not using’.

Encrypting storage was first introduced with Android 5.0 Lollipop which first came with some performance issues that had to be addressed. The issue at hand is now all of Amazon’s products that run Fire OS will be updated to Fire OS 5, which disables encryption completely, rendering all customer’s internal storage data, no longer protected in the hands of thieves.

While Apple fights the good fight, @Amazon removes encryption as option from FireOS 5 | @csoghoian @normative @eff http://pic.twitter.com/nggBdtFG7j— David Scovetta (@davidscovetta) March 3, 2016

The update even tells customers that they need to back up their encrypted data before they can upgrade to the new Fire OS which lacks storage encryption.

Why did Amazon decide to go through with decrypting Fire OS’ internal storage? Especially at a time like this, speculation points to Amazon not wanting to become involved with the same issues that Apple faces with the FBI.

We hope that Amazon decides to change its mind in deprecating encryption in its next OTA update. The customer deserves to have its data protected and if the customer no longer has the option, then those customers who really depend on storage encryption will likely switch to another device or another platform that will protect its customers’ data, even as far as fighting through the court system.

Source |…

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Ever felt like you wanted to message someone, but have no idea what to actually write? How about when you get the urge to send someone a picture, but simply can’t decide which one?

Well, there’s a new app in town that’s ready to tackle these exact use-cases. It’s called Rando, and it’s out for iOS already. You can grab it for free from the iTunes App Store.

Rando sends people random messages on your behalf. You can pick between a photo, a GIF, or a quote. Say you go with a pic. By default, Rando offers to randomly send an image from your Camera Roll, without even showing you which one. Thankfully, you do get the option to see it before it’s shared, but in order for that to happen you need to tap a blurry rectangle.

GIFs are sourced from Giphy. It’s unclear where quotes come from, so supposedly Rando has its own database for those. Like for pictures, you can either send the GIF or quote blindly, or opt to see it first. Sending is done via text, Facebook, Twitter, or any other app that you can share stuff to in…

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While the Samsung Galaxy S7 got its first teardown last month, now it’s time for the curvy S7 edge to receive the exact same treatment. The folks over at Chipworks have done the deed this time around, disassembling the handset and letting it reveal all of its secrets.

The 12 MP camera module measures 12.1 x 12.1 x 5.4 mm. The Sony IMX260 sensor has been rumored to be inside, and while the exact model isn’t written anywhere there is a Sony logo on the module’s flex cable, so that tidbit could be true indeed.

Near the camera module there’s a STMicroelectronics K2G2IS gyroscope, used for optical image stabilization. The camera, as you may know, has 1.4 micron pixels, as well as a Dual Pixel autofocus system that’s unique for the mobile world.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 (model MSM8996) chipset is present in this T-Mobile version of the S7 edge, along with 4GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM made by Hynix (though surely Samsung-made memory is present in other batches of the device).

There’s a big increase in interconnecting solder bumps between the top and bottom parts of the PoP (that’s the package-on-package format in which the SoC is hidden under the RAM). This could either account for higher memory bandwidth or the need to dissipate more heat from the CPU and/or GPU.

The touchscreen controller is made by Samsung itself, with part number S6SA552X. This hasn’t been a widely used module so far, but that will probably change in the future. The Galaxy S7 edge also features a Knowles 9291S microphone, a Murata KM5D18098 Wi-Fi module, an NXP 67TO5 NFC controller, an IDT P9221 wireless power receiver, and an STM LPS25HB barometer. Make sure you hit the Source link below for the full…

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With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Apple has introduced the 3D Touch feature, which works because the two handsets’ displays are pressure-sensitive. Although this hasn’t really taken the world by storm like some previous Apple innovations, it looks like its Android competitors are still looking into adding 3D Touch functionality to their devices.

A new rumor out of China today claims that Google will add the necessary software to support this feature into the next Android release. As this will be built into the OS, phone makers won’t have to create their own software implementations for it, which should speed up adoption.

In fact, HTC is said to be adding 3D Touch to this year’s Nexus phone, which it will make. It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about an HTC Nexus, and the last rumor on the matter said we’d see not one but two HTC-made handsets in 2016. If that’s true, perhaps they’ll both have pressure-sensitive screens.

But the Nexus line isn’t the only one getting the functionality. Xiaomi, Meizu, Oppo, and vivo are all said to be working on future devices with pressure-sensing displays. So it looks like this is bound to become a staple feature of Android smartphones later this year. That is, of course, if this particular rumor turns out to have been true. That’s a big if, so don’t take anything for granted just yet.

Source (in Chinese) |…

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Xiaomi announced the Mi 5 flagship at the MWC a few days ago, and it quickly became one of the most anticipated smartphones this year. The Mi 5 will be available in three different editions, and China is the first market to get it.

The first flash sale in China sold 4 million units in no time – all Xiaomi has prepped for the occasion – and registered more than 17 million interest entries. The second flash sale is scheduled for March 8 (10 AM Beijing time) and is expected to sell at least as many phones.

As it turns out Xiaomi didn’t anticipate the huge demand, and it asked Foxconn and Inventec to increase the Mi 5 production.

Naturally, China is the first market to get the Mi 5, but Xiaomi plans to bring the flagship to other key markets shortly after. And it can expect similar high demand there, too.

We’ll keep you in the loop as the story develops, but if you live in China and want a Mi 5, you should act fast. And with the second batch to enter production only now, some of the pre-orders may ship in April, or even May, as a report suggests.

Source 1 | Source 2 |…

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Today Samsung has announced the Upgrade Programme for the UK. This is basically the company’s own device leasing scheme, which should also make its way to South Korea as past rumors have told us.

The Upgrade Programme lets you get a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge by paying a 10% deposit upfront, and then making monthly payments for the phone. For the S7, the deposit is £56.90, and after that you’ll pay £24.58 per month. After 12 months, you can upgrade to the next Samsung flagship (let’s call it the Galaxy S8), by simply returning the S7 in “good working condition”. And from that point on you pay 12 monthly installments for the S8.

The good thing is that you can upgrade your device every year. On the other hand, there are plenty of caveats. First off, if you don’t upgrade the handset after a year, you’ll still have another 12 monthly payments to make on that S7, as the agreement is for 24 months (but Samsung will “cover” the 12 remaining installments if you upgrade and return your S7). And once you’ve upgraded to the S8, you’ve entered another two-year agreement (so if you don’t upgrade to the S9 in 2018, then you still have 12 more payments to cover the price of the S8… and so on).

The installments are not interest-free, as they are in the case of certain smartphone purchases from US carriers. With the Samsung Upgrade Programme, there’s a 14.9% APR. And obviously the scheme does not include an actual contract with an operator, so you’ll have to get that separately – or use a Pay as you go SIM.

Still, despite the caveats, it’s always nice to have yet another option to purchase a much-craved item such as a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. It remains to be seen how far this Upgrade Programme will spread, geographically speaking, in the coming…

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The Xperia X and Xperia X Performance are the first devices to come under the new X series and will become available very soon.

The Xperia X and Xperia X Performance are both 5″ 1080p devices with 23MP rear snappers, 13MP selfie shooters, fingerprint scanners, and Android Marshmallow. The Xperia X runs on Snapdragon 650 chipset with 3GB RAM, while the Xperia X Performance utilizes Snapdragon 820 chipset with 3GB of RAM and adds waterproofing to the mix.

Sony is going to launch dual-SIM options of both Xperia X and Xperia X Performance. The white papers of the devices have been recently uploaded on Sony’s Dev Portal, and we found some interesting info inside.

Apparently both Xperia X and Xperia X Performance will feature 64GB internal storage, double the amount of their single-SIM flavors. The firmware will occupy about 15.4GB of those, and 48.6GB will be available for your apps, multimedia, and files.

The Dual SIM versions of the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance will accept nano-SIM cars only.

Thank you, Ibrahim Gnono, for the tip!

Source 1 | Source…

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