XDA Forum Moderator The Flash has whipped up a Magisk module which enables SDCardFS on any device running Android 7.x as long as the kernel has support for it. In case you’re wondering, SDCardFS is a new filesystem which will replace Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE), and is said to significantly reduce I/O overhead and will also prevent issues like time stamp errors and more. Head over to the linked thread for more details.
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We generally see new Android Experiments sprinkled in throughout the year, but with Google I/O coming up there was a wave of projects that the company just made public on their landing page. For those unaware, Android Experiments is a way for Google to document and showcase some creative and open source projects that utilize Android in one way or another. The goal here is to show off some creative ideas in hopes to inspire other developers to build something bigger.
5 new Android Experiments were published recently with the first being a device that uses machine learning & Android Things to detect animals in the wild. The project uses cameras, sensors and neural networks to detect when a bear, moose, elk or mountain lion is present. When something is detected then it records an image as well as the environmental data.
Source: Animal Detection Device
Next up is an experiment called Shortstories and this one is a whole platform for text-based games using various elements of the Android System UI.
Notifications indicate scenarios in a story, App Shortcuts provide a means of making a choice, and then there’s icons, vibration patterns and sounds the different scenarios and actions available.
Source: ShortstoriesThen there is the Home Screen Arcade experiment which uses the wallpaper of your home screen as a canvas for an arcade game. The demo video shows you laying out arcade buttons (which are widgets) and then using them to play a game of Space Invaders on the home screen and behind your icons. There are also some other games available in this experiment though, such as Pac-Man and Tetris.
Source: Home Screen ArcadeThe next Android Experiment that was recently published is one called Camarada. This is an application that both syncs and links nearby smartphones to form dynamic camera arrays. Once the application has been installed and launched, it will check for other devices which are also running the software. Once paired, you can produce some 3D video that previously required expensive equipment to do.
Source: CamaradaLastly is an experiment called Taskzy, which is an application that opens other applications for you based on the task you need to complete. Taskzy can also just remind you to open a specific application though, which again, is based on the context of the task you need to complete.
Source: TaskzyAs we near Google I/O, we hope to see more and more interesting experiments come out of the Android Experiments project. Although some of these projects don’t really serve any practical purpose, they still demonstrate what’s possible for developers to make on the Android platform. We hope these projects inspire some of you to go out and create innovative apps!
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May is definitely one of the most exciting months for any Android enthusiast as it’s the time of the year when Google’s yearly I/O developer conference takes place. In anticipation of this year’s conference taking place on May 17-19, Google has updated the official I/O app with the most recent information that conference attendees will need.
The application is an essential source of all the information about the conference. The basic schedule is already available, but the complete schedule of all sessions will be unveiled after the Keynote event. Google introduced some new features alongside the update. Attendees will now have a chance to reserve the seats for particular sessions straight from the app. That feature should improve logistics as some smaller sessions might fill up more quickly, reducing the lines to get in to any given event. The application will also serve as a map of the amphitheater and its surroundings.
Google I/O 2017 will be available live for all users. All sessions will be streamed and the app is possibly one of the best mediums to watch them. Anyone concerned will get a chance to set up notifications for upcoming events. Finally, the personal schedule can be synced with all devices and the Google I/O site.
While waiting for the official premiere of Google I/O, you can still install the application to get the latest news from Google. Give it a try if you haven’t already.
Play Store
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The Android Nougat Beta Program is officially shut down. Google decided that all users of the current Beta Program will get an update notification to the latest version of Android N. Finally, the program’s site website has been closed as well. The closure is a part of Google’s bigger update plan, as the Android O Developer Preview 2 is expected to be released soon.
According to Google, the second Developer Preview for Android O will be an incremental update and a beta should be available to download sometime in May. We can assume that it will be released during Google I/O, which starts on May 17, or shortly after. An initial version of Google O was released on March 21.
Google is planning to release four previews before rolling out a final revision of Android O. While we can’t still predict whether it will be named Oreo, Ontbijtkoek or else, we know that the final release is scheduled for Q3 of 2017. Releasing a few previews of the new software version is not a new venture for Google. The company has done the same thing with Marshmallow and Nougat in the past.
Currently, Android O is available for the following devices:
If you haven’t tried the latest flavor of Android already, head over to the Android Developer page for details. Google will hopefully inform us about the Beta Program’s availability. Stay tuned!
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Qualcomm has just unveiled two new mobile platforms: the Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 630. These two new SoCs are designed to be used in upper mid-range devices but still provide flagship-tier performance with improved connectivity and faster charging.
Back in November, Qualcomm announced its most powerful SoC yet – the Snapdragon 835. This chipset introduced Quick Charge 4, the next evolution in Qualcomm’s proprietary fast charging solution. Potential users of mid-range devices will not have to wait long to use QC 4.0, as these two new SoCs from Qualcomm bring Qualcomm’s latest charging technology to mid-range devices.
Qualcomm introduced some interesting changes to the successor of the Snapdragon 653. First, the new Snapdragon is built on the more efficient 14 nm lithography process. Note that for the Snapdragon 653 processors, a less efficient 28 nm node was used. Second, the higher-end model of the 600 series now uses the Kryo 260 CPU. Four cores are set at 2.2 GHz and four energy efficient cores at 1.8 GHz. The battery time should also be improved, but we’ll have to verify it through hands-on testing. It’s certainly an upgrade over the aging Cortex-A72 and A-53 big.LITTLE combo found in its predecessor, though.
According to Qualcomm, the new CPU will boost performance by 20%. The Kryo 260, however, does not hit the same peak frequencies as Kryo 280 used in Snapdragon 835. The first unit uses 1MB/1MB of shared L2 per cluster instead of 2MB/1MB of L2 for the Kryo 280. Nevertheless, the Snapdragon 660 is now the highest performing SoC in the 600-series.
Let’s now focus on the gaming experience. The GPU has also been upgraded with a more powerful Adreno 512 with driver support for the Vulkan API. Qualcomm claims that the new chip is 30% more efficient than the Adreno 510. Some of the gain comes from the frequency increase, although the Adreno 512 is still worse than the Adreno 530 used in the Snapdragon 820.
The new SoCs also feature an improved X12 LTE model that should theoretically double the download speed up to 600 Mb/s. The Snapdragon 660 also features Bluetooth 5 and USB Type-C with USB 3.1 compatibility. Qualcomm also implemented a Spectra 160 image sensor processor and support for dual cameras (up to 24 and 16 MP).
Below is a table that compares the Snapdragon 660 with its predecessor.
| Snapdragon 660 | Snapdragon 653 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4x Kryo 260 @ 2.2GHz 4x Kryo 260 @ 1.8GHz |
4x Cortex-A72 @ 1.95GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.44GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 512 (Vulkan API) | Adreno 510 |
| LTE | X12 LTE 600Mbps download, 150 Mbps upload, 3x20MHz CA, up to 256-QAM |
X9 LTE, 300Mbps download, 150Mbps upload, 2x20MHz CA, up to 64-QAM |
| Bluetooth | 5 | 4.1 |
| Quick Charge | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Lithography process | 14 nm | 28nm |
The less powerful of the two new chips, the Snapdragon 630, does not come with as many changes. It is also built on the 14 nm lithography process, but Qualcomm decided not to use the Kryo CPU and stuck with the octa-core Cortex-A53. Nevertheless, improvements come in the fields of Bluetooth, Quick Charge, and LTE connectivity.
While the Snapdragon 630 does not bring a superb increase in CPU performance, the Adreno 508 chip for GPU does enhance graphical performance. It supports Vulkan cross-platform 3D graphics and compute API. This should give about 30% better performance at gaming.
| Snapdragon 630 | Snapdragon 626 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.2GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8GHz |
4x Cortex-A72 @ 1.95GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.44GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 508 (Vulkan API) | Adreno 506 |
| LTE | X12 LTE 600Mbps download, 150 Mbps upload, 3x20MHz CA, up to 256-QAM |
X9 LTE 300Mbps down, 150Mbps up, 2x20MHz CA, up to 64-QAM |
| Bluetooth | 5 | 4.2 |
| Quick Charge | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Lithography process | 14 nm | 14nm |
Qualcomm focused on bringing features previously only seen in the premium tier of devices. Improvements such as Bluetooth 5 or Quick Charge 4 make both platforms and especially the Snapdragon 660 very compelling. The newest 600-series is ready to compete with last year’s Snapdragon 820 as the price should be much lower.
Snapdragon 660 SoC is already available for OEMs and should enter the market in the next quarter of the year. The second platform is expected to be placed in mid-range devices in a few months.
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If you’re a fan of Substratum then you’re not going to want to miss these picks for the best themes this May. You can also find tons of new themes in the Android Themes XDA forum.
Flux theme for Substratum is designed with pixel perfect precision to give your phone a completely new modern look and feel! With high quality vector graphics and full of features, you will enjoy using your phone!
GRVY – the way themes should be – combines attention to smallest details, retro feel with futuristic look paired with highest quality vectorized glyphs almost everywhere, with 40+ themed apps.
Originally made for the CM Theme Engine, now finally available for Substratum! Coalfield was completely rebuilt from the ground up and is now more detailed than ever before!
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