T-Mobile LG K30 launches tomorrow with support for 600MHz LTE

Before T-Mobile invested in their 4G LTE network they were known for having poor signal due to the fact that they didn't own much low-frequency spectrum. This changed last year when the company ended up spending $8 billion to acquire 45% of the 600Mhz spectrum in an auction held by the FCC. It wasn't until the second half of last year when they enabled their first network site that can use this spectrum, but the user still needs a device with the hardware that can support it. As T-Mobile continues to bring more network sites online, we're starting to see more and more devices for sale that can connect to them. The latest addition will be the LG K30 which will be launching tomorrow.

LG K30	Specifications
Software	Android 7.1 Nougat
CPU	Snapdragon 425
GPU	Adreno 308
RAM and storage	2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, microSD card slot
Battery	2880 mAh
Display	5.3-inch, 720p
Ports	Micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Cameras	13MP Rear 5MP Front
Connectivity	600 MHz LTE, WiFi calling, HD Voice, VoLTE
Extras	NFC, fingerprint scanner
Bands	4G LTE: 2/4/5/7/12/66/71 3G/4G (HSPA/UMTS/HSPA+): 1/2/4/5 2g (GSM, GPRS, EDGE): 850/900/1800/1900

We have obtained photos of the device and internal T-Mobile documents. The support page for the device is already live right here, but it doesn't list all of the specs yet. The page also incorrectly says it has a USB-C port. The LG K30 won't be on the radar of folks who want the latest and greatest, but it could make for a nice little backup device while still being able to connect to T-Mobile's 600Mhz spectrum. We have yet to learn exactly how much T-Mobile will charge for the LG K30, but those who are on the company's Jump on Demand program will be able to get it for zero money down. If you're looking to pay for the device outright then we have to suspect it will be fairly cheap with the low-end to mid-range specs.

Thanks to XDA Member trix4rix for the tip!

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Xiaomi partners with Three to sell phones in the UK

Xiaomi released their first smartphone back in 2011 and have since made a huge splash in markets all around the world. They were named China's largest smartphone company back in 2014 and have continued to grow to become the 4th largest in the world as of last year. On the heels of their IPO announcement, it was been revealed that Xiaomi has partnered with Three to begin selling their smartphones in the United Kingdom in the near future.

Xiaomi has been careful when it comes to which markets they have expanded into. Unlike LeEco, who expanded too fast and too much, Xiaomi has been very methodical with their plans for expansion and have even chosen to create relationships with well-known carriers and retailers in the area before doing so. The company first began selling smartphones in Europe last year in November with devices being sold in Spain. Xiaomi has plans to continue this expansion in various markets throughout Europe and Three will be helping out.

It has been confirmed that Three will begin selling Xiaomi smartphones in the multiple markets they have a presence, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, and Sweden. Three UK's chief digital officer, Tom Malleschitz, had very nice things to say about the company and says the company has been "impressed with the huge range of connected devices that they currently offer." This move is likely only the first in the company's plan to expand into the western market and their recently announced IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange will help to finance this expansion.

It's said that Xiaomi is aiming to raise about $10 billion with this IPO, which would make it the largest offering since Chinese e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba's $25 billion listing in New York in 2014. If they are able to hit this number then it could end up valuing the company at $100 billion when all things are said and done. This would be a major success for Xiaomi as it would make them the third largest Chinese tech firm by value behind Tencent and Alibaba.

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Source: The Guardian

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Honor 8 Android Oreo update in testing with Project Treble support

It's been a while since we last checked in on the status of Android Oreo for the Honor 8. Late last year, the Honor CEO said they were conducting tests on the Honor 8 (along with other devices) for the Android 8.0 Oreo update. A month later, Honor India stated that the Honor 8 would not receive the Android Oreo update. Then, just a couple weeks later, Honor said the device would get EMUI 8.0 features but not Android Oreo.

Huawei builds out for hi3650 with treble Support in cn versions @MishaalRahman @Huawei_Blog @CaschysBlog pic.twitter.com/5Mdhw0wNpg

— dkionline_HwFanion (@dkionline) May 3, 2018

That leads us to today. Twitter user @dkionline tweeted out a couple of images that show Android Oreo builds for the Chinese Honor 8, and that it has Project Treble support. We have confirmed that this build is indeed for the Chinese Honor 8 and that it does indeed show the device is Project Treble compatible. We downloaded the firmware (linked below) and extracted the images ourselves to corroborate @dkionline's screenshots. This appears to be the first device with the HiSilicon Kirin 950 system-on-chip with Android 8.0 Oreo. Several newer Honor devices with different SoCs have already received EMUI 8.0 and Oreo.

This update should include the usual array of features from EMUI 8.0. That includes the floating navigation dock, updated settings menu, updated Phone Manager, recycle bin for the Gallery, and LinkedIn integration. However, we can't confirm all of these features are included for sure. The usual Android 8.0 features such as picture-in-picture mode,  notification channels, autofill API, and more should be present as this is based on Oreo.

Download Honor 8 Android Oreo firmware for the Chinese model

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New YouTube Music redesign is rolling out to some users

Last week, we wrote about Google Play Music being on life support. According to reports, Google is ready to kill Play Music to make way for a new, more cohesive streaming service. That service is rumored to be called YouTube Remix. Currently, Google already has a music app for YouTube. Some users are reporting a redesign that could be a sign of things to come.

Reddit user c2fifield noticed a YouTube Music redesign this morning and shared a screenshot and video (which has since been removed). Google seems to have only updated the Now Playing list and the Player, but nothing else. The new design looks more like a traditional audio player. The Reddit user also says the playlist view now correctly lists the shuffled music and he feels like the shuffle algorithm is better in general.

This is pure speculation at this point, but these changes could signify that Google will rebrand the YouTube Music app instead of launching something new. It would be easy for Google to slowly merge more Play Music features into the existing app. With Google I/O coming up next week, it's possible we could learn more about the future of YouTube Music, Google Play Music, and the mysterious YouTube Remix service.

YouTube Music (Free, Google Play) →

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Source: Reddit user c2fifield

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HTC U12+ will be announced on May 23rd

Over the last couple of months, we've seen a number of rumors surrounding the HTC flagship smartphones planned for 2018. At first, it was a list of the hardware the company was said to be using in the HTC U12. Shortly after this, we learned about some design choices they had been planning. There have also been leaks about the HTC U12+. At the time there hadn't been any information about a launch date or how much it would cost, but today the HTC USA Twitter account revealed they would be launching a new device that "is more than the sum of its specs" later this month on the 23rd of May.

If recent rumors are indeed true, we are expecting HTC to announce a new Snapdragon 845 smartphone later this month. This SoC is said to be paired with 6GB of RAM and will have storage options at up to 256GB available for purchase. It's assumed that HTC will be sticking with the microSD card slot they have been known to do, but specific details about this have not been discussed in these rumors. As far as display sizes are concerned, the rumors are saying the HTC U12 will come with a 5.99″ QHD+ panel which suggests it will have an 18:9 aspect ratio at 1440×2880 pixels.

HTC had previously said they would be releasing a smartphone in 2018 with a dual camera setup on the back of the device and the current rumors peg these specs at 16MP and 12MP for each sensor. As for the selfie camera of the HTC U12 though, we're looking at an 8MP sensor that will get the job done. Wrapping things up, the battery is said to be 3,420mAh in size and it will be IP68 certified (meaning it is dust, wind resistant, and can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes).

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Source: @HTCUSA

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How to install May security update on the Snapdragon Galaxy S9/S9+

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been out for a little over a month now. Samsung and the carriers have not released an update for their phones since the day one update. Almost every Snapdragon Galaxy S9 and S9+ are still running the February security patch from launch.

The updates in this guide are for the Snapdragon variants of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Exynos variants of the phone have already received the March security update, but nothing past that. The update has not been certified in the Play Store and doesn't pass SafteyNet, but while running this update on my own device, Google Pay and all the Google apps are still working. This build includes the May security patch and bug fixes, though we do not know any specific bugs that were fixed. This update also adds Chatbots for AT&T users.

How to Update Galaxy S9 and S9+ to May security patch:

1. Check your phone's model number to see if its G960U or G965U.
2. You will need to download ARC6 Odin for S9 and update for S9 and the ARC6 Odin for S9+ and update for S9+.
3. Copy the OTA file onto the SD Card on your phone. If you don't have an SD Card, you can skip this step but you will still need the OTA file on your computer. Extract the Odin firmware linked earlier. It will be in a zip format.
4. Make sure before you continue to disable all Substratum themes on your device. You will be able to re-enable them once the update is installed.
5. Reboot your device into download mode by powering off your device then holding the Bixby button + Volume down + power
6. Download the Odin tool and plug in your phone to your computer. Odin is an official tool from Samsung that can flash official Samsung firmware onto Samsung Galaxy devices. In Odin on the right side, you will see 5 sections, but only 4 of those will be used.
7. Click the BL button and navigate to your Odin firmware folder where you extracted your files, and then click the file starting with BL. Do the same for AP and CP and HOME_CSC, do not use CSC_OYN as this will wipe all data on your phone..
8. Click start at the bottom of Odin.
9. Wait for your device to flash and then reboot. As soon as it reboots, power off your phone again. Then, boot into recovery once more by holding down the Bixby button + Volume up + power.
10. If you have an SD card, select "apply update from SD card." You can select this by using your volume rockers to navigate and the power button to select. After selecting the option, find the file called "update.zip" and select it with the power button.
11. If you don't have an SD card, select "apply update from ADB." On your computer, open a command prompt by pressing Windows key + R and typing "cmd." Once this command prompt opens up, type "adb sideload" and press enter. If you don't already have ADB set up, you can follow these quick set of instructions to get up to speed.

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Google Maps Platform lets businesses integrate Maps navigation data in their apps

Google launched the first Google Maps APIs for developers back in 2005. Now, the company has announced the Google Maps Platform. It encompasses "streamlined API products" and "new industry solutions to help drive innovation."

Google notes that it announced the first industry solution for game studios to use Google Maps data for creating real-world games in March. Now, the company also offers solutions that are tailored for ride sharing and asset tracking companies. Ride sharing companies can embed the Maps navigation experience directly into their apps to optimize the driver and customer experience.

The asset tracking offering will help businesses improve efficiencies by locating vehicles and assets in real-time, according to Google. Businesses will be able to visualize where assets have traveled, and will be able to route vehicles with complex trips. The company states that it also expects to bring new solutions to market in the future in areas where it's positioned to offer insights and expertise.

According to Google, one of its goals is to evolve its core APIs to "make them simpler, easier to use and scalable […]." Now, the company has simplified its 18 individual APIs into three core products: Maps, Routes, and Places. This simplification has been done to make it easier for developers to add new features to their apps and sites. Additionally, Google states that these new updates will work with developers' existing code — with no changes being required.

The company also announced that it has merged its Standard and Premium Plans to form one pay-as-you-go pricing plan for its core products. Developers buying this plan will receive the first $200 of monthly usage for free, and Google estimates that most developers will have monthly usage that will keep them within this free tier. The new pricing plan will enable them to pay only for the services that they use each month with no annual, up-front commitments, termination fees or usage limits. Google is also rolling out free customer support for all developers, and the company's products are now integrated with Google Cloud Platform Console. The integration will make it make it easier for developers to track usage, manage projects, and discover Cloud products.

Developers will need a valid API key and a Google Cloud Platform billing account to access Google's core products beginning June 11. After they have enabled billing, they will gain access to their $200 of free monthly usage to use for Google's Maps, Routes, and Places products. The plan will scale according to business growth or usage spikes.

Developers currently using the core APIs are advised by Google to take a look at their guide for existing users to understand these changes in more detail and for help in the transition to the new plan.

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Source: Google

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