Information Weekly
Information Weekly is our column the place we spotlight and summarize a number of the week’s prime tales so you may compensate for the newest tech information.
That is Android Central’s Information Weekly, your go-to supply for a concise roundup of the week’s most vital tech tales. That is the place we delve into the highest headlines that present the newest developments and improvements contributing to the digital panorama.
This week, Google dropped a second Android 16 developer preview, Motorola is susceptible to being banned within the U.S., OnePlus teased the 13R with an enormous battery, Samsung’s Android 15 beta continues, and the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses simply obtained an enormous replace.
Android 16 is one step nearer to beta
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Android 16 is ready for an early launch in 2025, so it is no shock Google has already pushed the second developer preview to eligible Pixel smartphones. With this new replace, we’re beginning to get a greater concept of what to anticipate from the subsequent main replace.
There are many under-the-hood adjustments to assist enhance app startup, help for adaptive refresh charge, and haptics. There are additionally updates to Well being Join with help for extra knowledge sorts and APIs for sharing well being data. The cloud photograph picker is getting a search perform, and there are new APIs for predictive again animations and behaviors.
In fact, as is common with developer previews, there are tons of options beneath the hood that Google is engaged on, but it surely’s probably not all will make it to beta or steady. Fortuitously, we do not have to attend lengthy to get a superb have a look at the user-facing options, because the Android 16 beta is anticipated to reach in January.
Motorola might be banned within the U.S.
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If Ericsson will get its method, Motorola’s finest telephones might be banned from the US and different areas. This is because of a patent dispute between the businesses that discovered Lenovo infringing on Ericsson’s 5G patents.
The telephones in query? The Moto G, Edge, and Razr lineups, based on Reuters. These are the corporate’s major smartphone households, with the Moto G lineup performing strongly amongst low-cost Android telephones, whereas the Edge and Razr lineups have been well-liked sufficient within the U.S. and globally that the corporate is set to double its enterprise by 2026. As such, the prospects of a ban within the U.S. can be fairly catastrophic for the corporate and the market, particularly after the lack of LG years in the past.
Ericsson has received preliminary rulings towards Motorola earlier than and can be concerned in patent disputes in different areas, however Lenovo has thus far managed to stave off a ban in South America. Hopefully, Lenovo can do the identical for the U.S., and the 2 firms can come to some kind of settlement.
The second One UI 7 beta is already right here
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Samsung is lastly giving us a style of its Android 15 software program, and the second beta is now out there for Galaxy S24 fashions in numerous international locations.
So, what’s new on this beta? It is largely bug fixes geared toward addressing points that cropped up from the first One UI 7 beta launched simply a few weeks in the past. This contains sooner transitions, improved GPS, Fast Panel fixes, and way more. Nonetheless, per the changelog, one identified situation that is been identified is that the Software panel generally doesn’t seem within the Edge Panels.
When you’re new to the One UI 7 beta, the replace could are available at round 4GB, whereas these updating from the primary beta could have solely a 1GB obtain. For now, the beta stays unique to the Galaxy S24 collection in choose international locations.
We not too long ago printed our first impressions of the One UI 7 beta, highlighting the brand new UI parts (a vertical app drawer!), new options, and extra. The steady replace is anticipated to reach with the Galaxy S25 collection in early 2025.
The OnePlus 13 collection features a mighty mid-ranger
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OnePlus not too long ago revealed the launch date for the OnePlus 13 collection, which made us marvel if there was additionally a OnePlus 13R coming alongside. It seems there’s, as the corporate confirmed shortly after that we’re getting an R-series midranger alongside the flagship.
The telephone will seemingly function an almost equivalent design to the common OnePlus 13, which launched in China in October. In keeping with OnePlus, the 13R will function a large 6,000mAh battery, which is bigger than the 5,500mAh battery on the OnePlus 12R. It is going to additionally apparently function a brand new Gorilla Glass 7i, a thickness of 8mm, and a flat show.
There’s nonetheless rather a lot we do not know in regards to the 13R, such because the chipset, charging velocity, and value. It is going to probably sport a lesser chip than the Snapdragon 8 Elite that can be featured within the OnePlus 13 and sure much less RAM than its flagship sibling’s 24GB max.
Each telephones will launch globally on January 7, 2025.
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When you’ve been holding off on shopping for the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses (like I’ve), this newest replace could make you wish to lastly hit the “Purchase” button. Meta simply up to date its spectacular sensible glasses with extra options that might make even Google jealous.
The brand new v11 replace brings Stay AI, which makes use of video that lets the sensible glasses repeatedly see what you see, permitting it to achieve extra context and converse extra naturally with customers with out the “Hey Meta” wake phrase. It sounds rather a lot like what Google is promising with Mission Astra, which goals to make use of AI to see and keep in mind issues for the person that may be introduced up later.
Moreover, dwell translate will robotically translate speech to English, supporting Spanish, French, or Italian, and it’ll both be performed by the built-in audio system or seem as transcripts in your telephone.
These new dwell options can be found through Meta’s Early Entry Program, which is offered within the U.S. and Canada.
Lastly, the Ray-Ban Meta Sensible Glasses are gaining help for Shazam within the U.S. and Canada, that means you may ask it a few tune that is enjoying, and it’ll use Shazam to establish it for you. One much less purpose to tug out your telephone.
Extra tales this week
These are a number of the largest tales from this week. In the meantime, listed here are another tales which might be price catching up on:
