If you remember how OnePlus earned itself a spot in the mobile realm, then you surely remember the legendary OnePlus One. It was the “flagship killer”, which promised cutting – edge specs at an affordable price. Without digging too deep into the viral marketing aspect and the whole invitation sales policy, we will simply stick to the positive and reiterate that the OnePlus One is still a legendary device and one that has been a de facto standard and choice for a large part of the Android modding and developer community.

Whether it is the original Cyanogen OS or any of the hundreds of other custom ROMs, OnePlus One users are spoiled for choice when it comes to software. To reaffirm its love for their original product, the OnePlus team has made the extra effort to enrich the ROM pool with one more addition – a new version of OxygenOS. It powers the OEM’s new line of devices, namely the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X and it makes a lot of sense to offer original fans a taste of the homebrewed experience as well. Today, this came in the form of an official OxygenOS 2.1.4 build for the device.

There are, however, a few notable catches. First of all, the ROM comes in a complete end-to-end package, including a bootloader, recovery and the Android image itself. This naturally entails that the software won’t be made available as an OTA and has to be flashed manually onto the device. One obvious and unpleasant consequence is that the device storage is wiped while doing so. A lot of users have also expressed their concerns whether the stock recovery, provided by OnePlus can be replaced with a custom one after the flash, let’s say TWRP, a valid question for any modding and root access enthusiast.

If the aforementioned points don’t constitute drawbacks for you, you can go ahead and flash the ROM. OnePlus has even provided an extensive guide for the whole process, although we are fairly confident that most interested users are already pretty familiar with the matter. However, be advised that the experience on offer isn’t quite identical to that on the OnePlus 2 or OnePlus X. The OEM has had to strip away MaxxAudio’s proprietary sound technology and apps. Manual camera mode and RAW capture are also absent from the build.

Also, a few final notes. Going through the OnePlus forum thread and XDA, we came across quite a few people trying to side-load the ROM through TWRP. That could potentially work, but the official instructions strictly advise against it as it could lead to a malfunctioning radio. Be sure to lurk around the threads for a possible status update and resolution on the matter before you go and brick your unit. There have also been reports of an inability to charge the phone under OxygenOS 2.1.4, which is something to look out for as…

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We already knew it was coming next month, but didn’t have the exact date. Well, that was until now, as it has now been confirmed that Xiaomi’s much anticipated Mi 5 flagship smartphone will be made official on February 24, which is around 1.5 years after its predecessor Mi 4 was launched.

The confirmation came in the form of a Weibo post today from the Chinese company’s co-founder and Senior VP Liwan Jiang. He said that the handset will be unveiled at the company’s Spring Conference, which is scheduled for Feb 24. More details about the event will be announced next Tuesday – January 26.

Meanwhile, a leaked Xiaomi presentation slide is doing rounds online (head to the Via 1 link below), revealing that the main launch event will be two hours long (2pm to 4pm). This has led to speculations that multiple devices may be announced during the event, although there’s currently no information (not even rumors) of any other device launching alongside the Mi 5.

Via 1…

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Microsoft has updated its Office suite on iOS to make good use of Apple’s latest input methods. 3D touch, for example, is now integrated inside the apps to offer Quick actions (peek and pop). This allows apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint to quickly open up recent documents on launch, among other things.

The other big upgrade to the software is the addition of a new Draw tab within said apps. Its title is pretty self-explanatory – you can use your finger or a stylus to write, draw and annotate text. There is also support for the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro for a very precise writing experience. Another notable feature in the update office apps is the integration with iOS 9’s spotlight search. Documents can now pop up in search results on the fly.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but some of their features do require a subscription to Office 365.

Source |…

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Shortly after it was the rollout for the Xiaomi Mi Note, the Marshmall update has also started seeding to the company’s Mi 4 flagship smartphone.

As you can see in the screenshot above, the device is directly being updated to Android Marshmallow version 6.0.1, compared to the Mi Note which is supposed to get Android 6.0. The update, which bumps the build number to MMB29M, reportedly weighs in at around 100 MB.

In case you aren’t already aware, the phone was launched back in 2014 running Android 4.4.3 (KitKat) out-of-the-box. It received Android 5.1.1-based MIUI 7 update last October and the MIUI 7.1 update this month. A Xiaomi executive confirmed last month that the device, along with the Mi Note, will get the Marshmallow update…

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If you are in the UK and are planning to purchase the Microsoft Lumia 950 flagship smartphone, you’ll be glad to know that the Windows 10 device is now available for £390 in the country.

Amazon UK is currently selling the handset for that price, which is further £10 less compared to the £400 price it came down to just last week. Other third party retailers like Carphone Warehouse have currently listed the phone for £399.99.

However, if you’re looking to purchase the flagship directly from Microsoft, you’ll have to shell out a bit more as the Redmond company is currently selling the device for £419.99 in the country.

Source 1 2…

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Motorola has announced that it has begun soak testing the Android 6.0 update for the second-generation Moto G (both LTE and 3G-only variants) in India and Brazil. The announcement was made by the company’s senior director of software product management David Schuster on Google+.

This comes just days after the company posted Marshmallow update release notes for the device on its India support website, indicating an imminent roll out of the update.

For those who aren’t already aware, soak test means that only a small subset of users will receive the update, and if everything goes fine – which means if there aren’t any critical issues – a full launch will follow shortly, which is likely after a week in this…

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Windows 10-powered Acer Jade Primo (shown below) isn’t available for purchase yet, and looks like the Taiwanese company is already working on an Android variant. A new device – the Acer S58A – was recently spotted on Geekbench benchmarking site, which reports say is the Jade Primo’s Android model.

If you recall, the current Jade Primo is the Acer S58. So, the Acer S58A definitely points to a variant of the Windows 10 handset. The Geekbench listing reveals that the new device is powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow, while other specs including the SD808 chipset and 3GB RAM are same as that of the Windows 10 variant.

It is being said that the company is developing the Android variant as a back up plan in case the Windows 10 model flops – the latter has already been hit by delays. The Android Jade Primo is rumored to be made official at this year’s Mobile World Congress, which is scheduled for next month – February 22 to February 25.

Needless to say, none of this has been officially confirmed, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Source | Via 1 (translated)…

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We know that Google doesn’t reveal the revenue or profit it makes off of its Android mobile-operating system. However, looks like the well-guarded secret has just been revealed by Oracle. The the database maker’s attorney in an ongoing lawsuit against Google revealed last week that the latter has made a total of $31 billion in revenue and $22 billion in profit from Android till date.

Google said that the figures were derived from its confidential internal financial documents, adding that the “extremely sensitive information” shouldn’t have been publicly disclosed as it was meant for “Attorney’s Eyes Only.”

“Google does not publicly allocate revenues or profits to Android separate and apart from Google’s general business,” the company said in a court filing. “That non-public financial data is highly sensitive, and public disclosure could have significant negative effects on Google’s business.”

The Mountain View, California-based company urged the court to edit related portions of the public transcript of last week’s hearing, following which the transcript was removed from electronic court records.

Filed way back in 2010, the lawsuit accuses Google of copyright violation saying that the company used Java APIs in its Android OS without permission. While Google argued that APIs can’t be copyrighted, a court in 2014 ruled otherwise. Following this, the search giant took the battle to the Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court’s ruling.

The ongoing arguments are now for the damages that Oracle will receive from Google. “Look at the extraordinary magnitude of commerciality here,” Oracle’s attorney had said last week while disclosing Android’s revenue and…

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The Platinum and Rose Gold variants of the Samsung Gear S2 classic smarwatch, which were announced by the company at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, are now available for pre-order in Europe.

Netherlands-based Coolblue, which is one of the largest online retailers in the country, is currently taking pre-orders for both the variants. As for the pre-order price, both carry a tag of €480, which translates into $520 at current exchange rates.

Those pre-ordering the Gear S2 in Platinum or Rose Gold will get their units shipped starting February 24.

Source 1 2 |…

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Already been the subject of several rumors and leaks, Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphones – the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge – have now been spotted on Zauba, a website which tracks India’s import and export.

As you might already know, the SM-G930R4 and SM-G935R4 are rumored model numbers of the S7 and S7 edge, respectively. And their Zauba listing reveals that the former sports a 5.1-inch screen, while the curved screen variant has a 5.5-inch display.

If you recall, this is inline with the information we exclusively reported last month. Also, just days ago, the Galaxy S7 (the Exynos variant) was spotted on Antutu, revealing a 5.1″ QHD display.

Via…

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