Our first official look at the OnePlus 5
We're now only a couple of weeks away from the launch of the OnePlus 5, but concrete details about the smartphone are still a little thin on the ground. And "thin" is an important word -- OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has said that the OnePlus 5 will be the thinnest flagship phone.
Ahead of the launch, and after sharing samples of photographs taken with the smartphone, the company has finally shared an image of the OnePlus 5. The picture shows that the handset is indeed thin, and confirms that there is a dual camera setup.
OnePlus 5 launches June 20
The launch date for the OnePlus 5 has officially been announced. The big day is June 20, and the latest flagship will be revealed online after an exciting teaser campaign, but there are also 10 pop-up events taking place around the world.
This time around, OnePlus is referring to its upcoming smartphone as "our next flagship phone," with no reference to it being a "flagship killer" as has been the case in the past. While details keep trickling out about the OnePlus 5, in announcing the launch date, OnePlus is giving little more away other than suggesting the importance of the camera by saying: "Focus on what matters."
Microsoft releases Face Swap app for Android
After selfie taking, the act of face swapping is an incredibly common use for smartphones. iPhone users have a plethora of tools to choose from -- as, indeed, do those who prefer Android devices, and Microsoft has decided to get in on the action with the appropriately-named Face Swap app for Android.
The free app does very much what you would expect -- combining the joy of selfies with the fun of face swapping. Snap a selfie and you can then swap faces from another photo -- it's a simple idea, and Microsoft has put its own twist on it by integrating Bing Image search.
Nokia 6, 5 and 3 will get Android O update
For a newcomer, it is reassuring to know that HMD Global cares about software updates. The company has announced that the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3, which were unveiled earlier this year, will all receive an update to Android O.
HMD Global has not provided an estimate as to how long it will take for the Android O update to be available for the Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3 but, in the past, large manufacturers have needed a few good months to push out such major software releases.
Automatically change Android device settings with AUTOSET
AUTOSET is an interesting $2 app which enables altering your Android device settings when you run an app, when an event happens, on a particular schedule, and more. This opens up all kinds of possibilities. Choose a navigation app in AUTOSET’s list, for instance, and you could increase the screen brightness and media volume.
You could use Wi-Fi more selectively by configuring your device to turn it on when you run YouTube and similar apps, and turn it off when they close.
This is the OnePlus 5 and its packaging
Rarely does a phone -- or even a company -- generate quite as much interest as the OnePlus 5. The upcoming flagship killer is hotly anticipated, and the mood among the almost cult-like following is reaching a fever pitch.
Of course, OnePlus is doing nothing to calm things down, having embarked on an advertising campaign that involves teasing its customers until they can take no more. The latest move finds the company tweeting an image of the OnePlus 5, while a separate leak gives a glimpse at the packaging complete with the tagline "Dual Camera. Clearer Photos."
Minecraft 'Discovery' update hits Windows 10/Pocket editions, has llamas
Minecraft developer Mojang has just announced the release of the latest update to its block-stacking, world-building smash hit video game. The "Discovery" update brings the Pocket Edition and Windows 10 editions of the game from version 1.0.9 to 1.1.0.
First announced in March, the update includes a new world, called Woodland Mansions, to explore. It also adds a smattering of new achievements, and ultra exciting glazed terracotta blocks (to say nothing of the concrete and concrete powder). And that's just the beginning.
Microsoft unveils a massive redesign of Skype, heavily plagiarizing Snapchat
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there's a hell of a lot of flattery going on in the world of chat and messaging apps. Such is the level of feature borrowing and design inspiration that we're entering a phase of unbridled homogeneity. This isn’t enough to put off Microsoft, of course, and today the company lifts the lid on its latest -- and arguably most radical -- redesign of Skype.
Coming first to Android -- as is becoming increasingly common for Microsoft these days -- the Skype redesign boasts a fresh new look that makes it clear from the start that things are going to be different around here. While Skype is well known for its voice and video calling capabilities, now the focus switches rather more toward messaging; as Microsoft puts it: "chatting is front and center."
OnePlus releases OxygenOS Open Beta 17/8 -- here's what's new
On top of the official software releases, OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 users also have access to beta versions of OxygenOS. The builds, which are labeled "Open Beta," typically add new features and improvements to the Android distribution, but may also cause some issues -- something that's to be expected, given their nature.
The latest Open Beta build, which was just released, bears the 17/8 version number and comes with a number of new features, improvements, optimizations and changes to OxygenOS. Here's what you should be looking forward to.
Microsoft Planner now available for Android
Nearly two weeks after introducing the iPhone app, Microsoft officially announces the availability of Planner on Android. The tool was released a year ago to help teams using Office 365 better manage and collaborate on projects.
Microsoft says that Planner is available to Office 365 subscribers on the Business Essentials, Business Premium, Enterprise E1 to E5 and Education plans.
US roll-out of Samsung Bixby delayed as the virtual assistant struggles with English
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 was slightly marred by the absence of the promised virtual assistant, Bixby. We may now be in June, but it looks like it's still going to be a few weeks until Samsung's assistant arrives in the US. The problem? It's having trouble understanding English syntax and grammar.
So far Bixby has emerged with Korean support, but the Wall Street Journal reports that the English-language version is still weeks away from completion. The news comes from "people familiar with the matter," but Samsung has responded to the claims, adding weight to their veracity.
OnePlus 5 will be 'the thinnest flagship phone' says CEO
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has just let a little more slip about the upcoming OnePlus 5. According to a Weibo post by the company founder, the OnePlus 5 will be "the thinnest flagship phone" when it launches later this summer. Importantly, Lau says that the thinness does not mean compromises have been made.
There have been all manner of leaks and rumors about the latest version of the so-called "flagship killer," but this comes straight from the horse's mouth. OnePlus has started a teaser campaign for the smartphone, inviting social media users to guess which of two photographs was shot on the OnePlus 5. While thin on detail, the latest teaser from the CEO is one of some limited pieces of information to be announced by the company itself.
OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 will get Android O
OnePlus has been great when it comes to supporting the OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3. The company has released a ton of software updates for the two flagships, including an upgrade to Android 7 Nougat. But it will not be long before Google takes the wraps off Android O, so what can users expect?
First of all, we do not know exactly when Android O will be introduced, but it is likely that Google will stick to a late-summer/early-fall release schedule. But the good news is that OnePlus will update the OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 to Android O.
YouTube keeps Android users guessing, updates app
If you have automatic updates enabled on your Android phone, your index fingers and your brain may have hit a moment of panic and confusion as you realized everything was rejiggered from top to bottom, literally.
Par for the course with Google, you will now have to get used to a new interface, different placement of on-screen buttons, and more confusing navigation streams to get to the menu you want. That is, until you get used to it all, at which point you'll appreciate that they were all actual improvements after all.
Twitter now handles DMs from strangers differently
Taking a leaf out of Facebook's, er, book, Twitter has introduced a new filtering system for Direct Messages. Now if you receive a DM from someone you don’t follow, it will be channeled to a new Requests folder rather than appearing in your Inbox.
The new system gives you a chance to review messages from unknown senders before you decide whether to continue the conversation. It's a simple system that's very similar to Facebook Message Requests, and it's in the process of rolling out at the moment.
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