Smartphone

Huawei is one of the most popular Chinese OEM that may soon surpass the Cupertino tech giant Apple and become the second largest smartphone vendor in 2019. Well, Huawei claims that it sold more than  200 million smartphones in 2018 which is approximately 30% more than 2017 sales.

So here’s how Huawei surpassed Apple and became the second largest smartphone vendor.

ALSO READ: Huawei is testing Google’s Fuchsia OS on the Honor Play

Huawei Might Surpass Apple: Problems Huawei Faced

By no means, 2018 was a good year for Huawei. The financial director of this Chinese tech giant was arrested in 2018. In addition to that, Huawei is still facing many issues to sell smartphones in some of the most potentially beneficial markets like Canada, Australia, and the United States.

Inspite of the above-mentioned issues, the Chinese OEM managed to grow in many other markets like China, Europe, India, and Africa. Huawei was leading many smartphone OEM’s in both the flagship and mid-range smartphone segment. Furthermore, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor helped the company to increase smartphone sales in the highly competitive budget oriented segment.

Huawei has also offered some of the most feature-rich Android flagship devices like the Huawei P20 Pro that outperforms Apple’s flagship smartphone the iPhone XS Max in multiple aspects.

It is worth noting that, the entire Android smartphone OS has around 90.11% market share. This shows that a majority of smartphone users prefer using Android over iOS. Moreover, even loyal iPhone users have been shifting toward more feature-rich and less expensive Android flagship devices.

Huawei Might Surpass Apple: The Reason Why iPhone Sales Declined

Without a doubt, one of the major issues that decreased iPhone sales was the pricing of the entire 2018 iPhone lineup. Apart from the United States and a few other countries both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max were sold as high as $2000 in many countries like Italy, Poland, UK, and India.

Some exclusive services and applications like imessages and the seamless integration between iOS and MacOS have helped Apple to retain the third position as the third largest smartphone vendor of 2018.

DriveSavers is offering a customer data recovery tool to retrieve pictures and files from locked devices

DriveSavers, Inc., a computer hardware data recovery, digital forensics, and electronic discovery firm, has announced a new smartphone data recovery service that can unlock password-protected devices, including the notoriously tough-to-crack iOS devices.

According to the company, the service called Passcode Lockout Data Recovery is the first “passcode lockout recovery service” for regular consumers that has a “100 percent success rate,” irrespective of passcode length.

The service, priced around $3,900, uses new proprietary technology to recover data from password-locked smart devices that have previously been limited to law enforcement agencies and remained unavailable to the regular consumer.

“Utilizing new technology, we have a 100% success rate with unlocking and recovering data from passcode-protected smartphones of every make, model and operating system with any length passcode, including phones and tablets with more complicated passcodes of six digits or more,” reads DriveSavers’ advertising pitch in part.

While it is unknown what technology DriveSavers is using to access data on the device, it could likely be a passcode guessing feature or something related to iCloud data. According to the company, the service helps in recovering data like photos, videos, contacts, text messages, voice recordings, and notes.

The service is being offered exclusively to consumers who have forgotten device passwords, been locked out after too many incorrect attempts, and for those who need access to data stored on the device of a deceased family member.

“How do we verify the owner of a device?” DriveSavers asks. “We understand that there may be no perfect solution to this issue. However, we attempt to validate the legal right to access the data during all phases of the recovery process. This starts with the information gathered during the intake process. We also have a legal authorization form requiring specific information identifying the right to the data.”

A DriveSavers spokesperson said, “Depending on the situation, we may request death certificates, probate documents, court documents, or other legal documents. In the case of a death, we verify who is the executor of the state through interview and documentation.”

However, the service is not available for law enforcement or other government agencies, DriveSavers says. The service can be used to get access to critical or sentimental data stored on locked smart devices running any operating system, such as iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows.

“Smartphones store irreplaceable data like family pictures and videos, contacts, notes, text messages and voice recordings,” says DriveSavers President Scott Moyer. “Losing access to this type of data can be devastating. We are delighted to offer this service to individuals who are locked out of their phones or wish to gain access to memories stored on a lost loved one’s smart device.”

Earlier this year, Israeli company Grayshift released the GrayKey device, which allowed law enforcement agencies and other organizations to get into the iPhone’s passcode security using some kind of proprietary jailbreaking software. However, Apple soon patched the flaw and the GrayKey was allegedly disabled with iOS 12.

LG patents a smartphone with 16 camera lenses on the back

LG is working on a new smartphone with 16 lenses fitted onto the back of the device, according to a new patent spotted by Dutch blog LetsGoDigital.

The patent was filed by LG with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) and was granted on November 20. Apparently, the patent was filed by the South Korean giant in 2014 but only recently made public.

The patent explains that the 16 camera lenses on the back of the phone are arranged in a curved matrix arrangement that will allow the user to capture an image from multiple angles at the same time.

The camera software will then play back all the different photos in a ping-pong loop. This will allow the user to choose either a single image of the 16 or combine all the images captured by the lenses in a moving scene.

“You can also select a head of a person or object, after which you can turn it into almost any desired position”, notes the patent.

Another very interesting feature is that the users can use the multi-image feature to cut out a part of the image and replace it with an image taken by a different lens. It also allows the user to combine several parts of different photos to make an image.

“If any one of the graphic objects…is selected, the image of the select part, that is, the image of the head part may be replaced with a part of the image of taken from any one of the lenses corresponding to the rotation direction selected by the user,” adds the patent.

Other than the 16 lenses and the flash, the smartphone would also feature a mirror on the back that can be used to take a self-portrait (high-quality photos) using the main camera. The new design could possibly be used in a foldable phone or any other kind of form factor.

Please note that this is just a patent, and only a few of them end up as a finished commercial product or even a prototype.

Whether or not, will LG go ahead and implement the new design in its future devices, only time will tell. Just recently, Samsung had launched its Galaxy A9 (2018) smartphone that features a four-camera setup on the back.

iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9, and Xiaomi Mi 6 fall prey to hacking in the Pwn2Own hacking competition in Tokyo

Trend Micro-sponsored Pwn2Own, the annual hacking contest, that took place at the PacSec security conference in Tokyo, saw hackers successfully exploit iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9, and Xiaomi Mi6. Other handsets such as Google Pixel 2 and Huawei P20 too were involved in the contest.

For those unaware, Trend Micro, a global leader in cyber-security solutions, hosts Pwn2Own in an effort to promote its Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) program, that is designed to reward security researchers to exploit the latest and most popular mobile devices and demonstrate and disclose major zero-day vulnerabilities to tech companies. Following the contest, vendors will have 90 days to produce patches for these bugs.

Day 1 at the Pwn2Own Tokyo 2018

At the start of day one, Amat Cama and Richard Zhu from the “Fluoroacetate” team were the first to hack Xiaomi Mi 6 with the help of NFC component.

They used the touch-to-connect feature to force-open the web browser on the phone and navigate to their specially crafted webpage following which the webpage exploited an Out-Of-Bounds write in WebAssembly to get code execution. This hack earned them $30,000 USD and 6 Master of Pwn points.

“During the demonstration, we didn’t even realize that action was occurring until it was too late. In other words, a user would have no chance to prevent this action from happening in the real world,” ZDI reports in a blog post.

Later, the Fluoroacetate team went on to exploit another handset, Samsung Galaxy S9. They used a heap overflow in the baseband component to get code execution on the device. This hack earned the team another $50,000 USD and 15 more points towards Master of Pwn. Fluoroacetate also hacked iPhone X via Wi-Fi using a pair of bugs – a JIT (Just-In-Time) vulnerability in the web browser followed by an Out-Of-Bounds write for the sandbox escape and escalation. This hack fetched them another $60,000 USD and 10 additional Master of Pwn points.

Besides the Fluoroacetate team, another team MWR Labs (Georgi Geshev, Fabi Beterke, and Rob Miller) from UK too tried their luck on Xiaomi 6 and Samsung Galaxy S9. In the case of Xiaomi 6, they used a code execution exploit via Wi-Fi that forced the default web browser to navigate to a portal page. They then chained additional bugs together to silently install an application via JavaScript, bypass the application whitelist, and automatically start the application. This hack earned the MWR team $30,000 USD and 6 Master of Pwn points.

The MWR Labs team also combined three different bugs to successfully exploit the Samsung Galaxy S9 over Wi-Fi. They forced the phone to a captive portal without user interaction, then used an unsafe redirect and an unsafe application load to install their custom application. Although they failed in their first attempt, they successfully hacked in its second attempt, which earned the team $30,000 USD and 6 more Master of Pwn points.

Michael Contreras, a researcher who was last entry of the day, received $25,000 USD and 6 Master of Pwn points for hacking the Xiaomi Mi 6 browser via JavaScript type confusion flaw.

Day 2 at the Pwn2Own Tokyo 2018

The second day at the Pwn2Own Tokyo 2018 started with Fluoroacetate team exploiting one more zero-day vulnerabilities in iPhone X and Xiaomi Mi 6.

Their first iPhone X zero-day combined a JIT bug in the browser along with an out-of-bounds access that resulted in a deleted photo getting exfiltrated from the targeted phone. This hack fetched them a $50,000 USD.

In the case of Xiaomi Mi6, the team used an integer overflow vulnerability that allowed them to exfiltrate a picture from the device, earning them an additional $25,000 USD.

MWR Labs too successfully hacked the Xiaomi Mi6 on the second day. They loaded a custom application by combining a download bug along with a silent app installation and stole some pictures from the phone. They earned $25,000 USD for this hack.

Team Fluoroacetate with a total of 45 points and $215,000 USD in prizes won the title of Master of Pwn!

One of the major design flaws on the Pixel 3 XL was its massive notch accompanied by thick bezels on the bottom of the display. This massive notch on the Pixel 3 XL houses two front-facing cameras and forward firing stereo speakers. Well, a new Glitch on the Pixel 3 XL is enabling the second notch on the right side of the display.

Second Notch On Pixel 3 XL Screen

Many Pixel 3 XL users are reporting the existence of a second notch on the right side of the smartphone’s display. The dimensions of the second notch resemble the notch on top of Google Pixel 3 XL. Google announced that it will soon release a fix to the above-mentioned glitch. Initially, the option to disable and add more notches on the Pixel 3 XL was hidden in the developer’s option.

Surprisingly, the second notch on the Pixel 3 XL is not a permanent issue. This second notch can be eliminated either by restarting the smartphone or tweaking the developer options on the smartphone.

Disable The Default Notch On Pixel 3 XL

One of the major reason why users prefer buying the Pixel 3 XL over the Pixel 3 is due to the increment in both the quality and size of the display on the Pixel 3 XL. The OLED panel on the Pixel 3 XL is visually appealing. Well, if you want to get rid of the massive notch on the device you can do that by following these simple steps.

• Unlock the developer options by tapping on build number of the device.
• Now open Settings > System > Advanced > Developer options.
• Scroll and select Display cutout, and then change it to Hide.

This will completely disable the default notch on the Pixel 3 XL. Every application will now adapt to the new screen size of the Pixel 3 XL.

Do share your thoughts and opinions on the above-mentioned glitch in the comments section below.

Woman sues Samsung over Galaxy Note 9 bursting into flames

A woman in Long Island has filed a lawsuit against Samsung after her Galaxy Note 9 caught fire inside her purse, the New York Post reported Saturday.

The report brings back ill-fated memories of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which was infamously recalled twice and discontinued merely weeks after it was released due to its exploding battery.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Catches Fire

Diane Chung, a real estate agent based in Long Island, was in the elevator of a Bayside building on September 3^rd when her new Galaxy Note 9 “became extremely hot” after use, reveal the legal documents. As a result, she stopped using the phone and put it inside her purse.

Chung said she then “heard a whistling and screeching sound, and she noticed thick smoke” coming out of her purse.

According to the lawsuit filed to the Queens Supreme Court, Chung tried to empty the purse’s contents on the floor but in the process, she burned her fingers while trying to touch the Samsung phone that had caught fire. The moment the doors of the elevator opened, Chung kicked the burning handset out of the elevator. However, the device did not stop burning until a passerby picked it up with a cloth and placed it into a bucket of water, the newspaper reports.

Chung calls the experience “traumatic” in her lawsuit, adding that the fire left her unable to contact clients and ruined everything in her bag. She is seeking unspecified damages and a restraining order barring the sales of any Galaxy Note 9.

Ironically, the incident comes barely a month after DJ Koh, head of Samsung’s mobile business had promised consumers the batteries on the new Galaxy Note 9 are “safer than ever” and it goes “well above and beyond the industry standard.”

Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson for Samsung told the New York Post that “Samsung takes customer safety very seriously and we stand behind the quality of the millions of Galaxy devices in use in the United States. We have not received any reports of similar incidents involving a Galaxy Note 9 device and we are investigating the matter.”

Oppo R17 Pro launches with triple rear cameras, Super VOOC charging, and in-display fingerprint scanner

Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Oppo unveiled its flagship smartphone, Oppo R17 Pro in China with top-notch features and premium hardware.

The biggest USPs of Oppo R17 Pro is the triple rear camera set-up, in-display fingerprint scanner, and SuperVOOC fast charging support.

Let’s have a detailed look at the specifications and features of Oppo R17 Pro

Display

The Oppo R17 Pro comes with a 6.4-inch AMOLED bezel-less display and 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Oppo claims that the device has a screen-to-body ratio of 91.5 per cent, thanks to the waterdrop-style notch. Further, the top of the display is protected by the latest Gorilla Glass 6 from Corning.

Processor and storage

The Oppo R17 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC (Dual 2.2GHz Kryo 360 + Hexa 1.7GHz Kryo 360 CPUs) with Adreno 616 GPU. On the memory front, it comes with 8GB of RAM and a massive 128GB of internal storage. However, there is no support for microSD expansion. The device runs on ColorOS 5.1 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo).

Camera

The Oppo R17 Pro packs a 25MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture on the notch, which should work pretty well for selfies, along with Oppo’s camera AI (Artificial Intelligence).

The triple rear camera set-up at the rear is where the USP of Oppo R17 Pro lies. The device packs in a 12MP + 20MP + TOF (Time of Flight) 3D stereo camera. The primary 12MP rear camera comes with a variable aperture (f/1.5 and f/2.4) that switches depending on the light, PDAF and dual pixel. Then there is a 20MP secondary sensor which comes with aperture of f/2.6 that helps in capturing depth in portrait shots.

The third sensor is a Time of Flight (TOF) 3D Sensing camera that enables to capture 3D pictures.

In-display fingerprint sensor

Another USP feature of Oppo R17 Pro is the in-display fingerprint sensor. According to Oppo, the R17 Pro’s fingerprint sensor can unlock the smartphone in just 0.41 seconds.

SuperVOOC fast charging

Another interesting feature of Oppo R17 Pro is the support for company’s homegrown SuperVOOC fast charging technology, that was introduced with the Find X Lamborghini Edition earlier this year.

Further, the 50W SuperVOOC charger provided with the Oppo R17 Pro can charge 40 percent in just 10 minutes.

Battery

The 3,700mAh battery on the smartphone has been divided into two halves measuring 1,850mAh each, which will end the battery charging woes.

Connectivity and other features

The connectivity options on Oppo R17 Pro include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, GPS/ A-GPS, and NFC support. Other features include dual SIM card slots, while sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light, and a proximity sensor. Oppo R17 Pro measures 157.6×74.6×7.9 mm and weighs 183 grams.

Oppo R17 Pro Price

The Oppo R17 will be available at a cost price of CNY 4,299 in China. Oppo R17 Pro will be available in the country from mid-October later this year. The smartphone will be available in ‘Fog gradient’ color option. Currently, there’s no official information on when the Oppo R17 Pro will be rolled out globally or in India.

Another unboxing video of Google’s unannounced Pixel 3 XL surfaces online

For the past one month, the internet has been buzzing with leaked videos and images of Google’s upcoming flagship, Pixel 3 XL. In the past, we have seen a couple of leaked videos that showed unboxing of the unreleased Google Pixel 3 XL. In fact, a majority of the leaks have come from Russian sources.

Yesterday, yet another video has surfaced online from a Russian electronics store that shows the detailed unboxing of Pixel 3 XL. Check out the video below.

The high-quality video shows off the Pixel 3 XL’s top notch and other features.

According to the video, the Pixel 3 XL will include a set of USB Type-C headphones, USB Type-C to Type-C cable, USB Type-A to Type-C adapter, and a 3.5mm headphone adapter.

Also, the unit shown in the video is Clearly White, which could be the model for 2018. The device has a mint green power button on the side of the phone.

Besides this, the previous leaked videos and images reveal that the Pixel 3XL will have a massive 6.7-inch screen with a 2960×1440 display and 494ppi.

It will come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of non-expandable onboard storage. The device will run on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box and will be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chipset.

The Pixel 3 XL will apparently come with three front-facing cameras, all of which are 8.1MP. It will also have a single 12.2 MP camera on the rear. The device will be backed by a 3,430mAH battery.

The Pixel 3 XL smartphone is expected to launch on October 4. Since the device is still in the processing stage, there are chances that the hardware and specifications may change when the Pixel 3 XL is finally launched. Stay tuned for more updates!

• Unreleased Google’s Pixel 3 XL available in black market for $2,000

Stolen Google Pixel 3 XL available for sale in Russian black market for $2,000

Google’s upcoming flagship, Pixel 3 XL has been in the news for some time now. Thanks to the leaked videos and images of Pixel 3 XL that are doing the rounds of the internet.

In fact, majority of the leaks have come from a Ukrainian blogger, Ivan Luchkov, who reportedly works for Wylsacom media.

The same blogger had also released a hands-on Pixel 3 XL video but it had a watermark attached which was a Telegram account.

In the latest development, 9to5Google has learned that a Ukrainian seller is selling stolen Google Pixel 3 XL “near production” units for $2,000 each on the black market in Europe.

Apparently, the Telegram account selling the pre-production units is the same Ukrainian blogger that has been watermarked on some of the early leaks.

Those interested in buying the earlier version of Pixel 3 XL need to connect to another Telegram user who allegedly possesses these Pixel 3 XL 64 GB devices in England.

Below are the details shared by the seller in the public Telegram group (a message that was translated from Russian):

Remains only 3 pcs, Google Pixel 3 XL:  I answer immediately to the most popular questions The price is $2000. Payment is possible via PayPal or Bitcoin. The second is preferable because PayPal has a horse commission for international transfers.

Dispatch is made from London via DHL or FedEx. Regarding the purchase, please contact [REDACTED]. Also, I remind you that there is a large amount of Google Pixel 2 XL available at good prices. Please!

It is unclear how the seller got his hands-on Google Pixel 3 XL units so early. Also, there is no information on how many Pixel 3 XL devices have been stolen and sold. It is also claimed that these pre-launched phones cannot be remotely deactivated by Google.

All the leaks of Pixel 3 XL until now have shown only the ‘Clearly White’ variant of the smartphone, which means this particular dealer could be the source of all the different leaks.

The Pixel 3 XL smartphone is expected to launch on October 4. While it may be tempting to pick up the Pixel 3 XL before its release, it is advisable not to refrain from buying from the black market, as there is no guarantee whether the product will reach you.

Meanwhile, both Google and Foxconn, who has been selected to produce both the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL smartphones this year, are involved in internal investigations and discussions about the leaks.

Xiaomi Poco F1 launched with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, liquid cooling & 4,000mAh battery

Xiaomi, the renowned Chinese smartphone manufacturer, yesterday launched the flagship phone ‘Poco F1’ from its new sub-brand, Poco, starting at INR20,999, ($300).

Specifications and Features

Display and processor

Poco F1 features a 6.18-inch full HD+ (2246×1080) notch display with 18.7:9 aspect ratio, a pixel density of 403 ppi, 1500:1 contrast ratio, 2.5D curved glass display, 84 percent NTSC color gamut and Corning Gorilla Glass protection.

It is one of the most affordable smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s 2.8Ghz 10nn FinFet Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU.

Storage

Poco F1 will come with 6GB/8GB of RAM and will have 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 256GB via MicroSD card slot.

Cooling Technology

Another interesting feature is the “LiquidCool Technology” that will keep the thermals in check during extended gaming sessions. This system will not only enhance performance but also improve battery life and longevity.

Camera

Poco F1 features a 12-megapixel rear camera sensor (1.4 micron-pixel, dual-pixel autofocus, and f/1.9 aperture) with Sony IMX363 sensor and a secondary 5-megapixel camera (1.12 micron-pixel and f/2.0 aperture) with Samsung sensor at the back with Dual Pixel technology, HDR, and real-time AI photography.

On the front, there is a 20-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture.

Battery and security

The dual-SIM Poco F1 also features a 4,000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 out-of-the-box. There is a rear mounted fingerprint scanner and infrared face unlock for security, which the company claims can even work in the dark.

In fact, the company has been teasing that “Poco F1 can see you in the dark” in some of the official teasers.

Connectivity and other features

It runs on customized MIUI based on Android 8.1 Oreo, which is upgradable to Android 9.0 Pie. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm headphone jack and Location.

Further, the handset uses a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfers. The new handset will be available in three colors- Graphite Black, Rosso Red, and Steel Blue.

Poco F1 will go on sale from August 29 on both Flipkart and Xiaomi’s official website, while it is expected to go on sale in Indonesia, France, and Hong Kong on August 27.

The handset comes in three RAM+Storage configurations:

6GB+64GB will cost INR20,999 ($300),

6GB+128GB will cost INR23,999 ($345) and

8GB+256GB will cost INR28,999 ($415).

However, the Armoured Edition model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant will cost INR29,999 ($430).

Purchases made using HDFC credit or debit card will allow users to get Rs. 1,000 discount during the first sale. On the other hand, Reliance Jio is offering up to Rs. 8,000 of benefits, and 6TB of additional data.

The Poco F1 also comes with a free super soft case in the box. The company is also offering Ultra-slim case for Rs. 399 and Armoured case for Rs. 799. Additionally, the company has also launched official skins for Poco F1 for Rs. 299.