Forwarded from Google Pixel Hub
#Pixel8 #Pixel8Pro
Brand new camera features are coming to Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
• Main sensor has been changed to take better night photos with Dual Exposure
• Ultrawide sensor is now bigger with better macro
• Telephoto captures 56% more light (8 Pro)
• Front camera has autofocus
• Augmented Flash in Night Sight for more accurate dark skin tones
• Audio Magic Eraser erases distracting sounds
• Best Take lets you pick the best face of someone using a series of photos
• Guided Frame now works on both cameras, recognizes pets, food and documents
• Magic Editor lets you move/resize objects and change the background
• Zoom Enhance will sharpen the details in photos that you pinched in
Pixel 8 Pro exclusive features:
• Night Sight Video enhances the light in your videos for more details and clearer dynamic range
• Pro Controls lets you tweak ISO, shutter speed, pick lens, focus and take 50MP photos in JPEG and RAW
• Video Boost improves video processing on Google's servers
Follow @PixelHubUpdates
Brand new camera features are coming to Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
• Main sensor has been changed to take better night photos with Dual Exposure
• Ultrawide sensor is now bigger with better macro
• Telephoto captures 56% more light (8 Pro)
• Front camera has autofocus
• Augmented Flash in Night Sight for more accurate dark skin tones
• Audio Magic Eraser erases distracting sounds
• Best Take lets you pick the best face of someone using a series of photos
• Guided Frame now works on both cameras, recognizes pets, food and documents
• Magic Editor lets you move/resize objects and change the background
• Zoom Enhance will sharpen the details in photos that you pinched in
Pixel 8 Pro exclusive features:
• Night Sight Video enhances the light in your videos for more details and clearer dynamic range
• Pro Controls lets you tweak ISO, shutter speed, pick lens, focus and take 50MP photos in JPEG and RAW
• Video Boost improves video processing on Google's servers
Follow @PixelHubUpdates
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Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
The Pixel 8 is the first phone to capture photos in Ultra HDR, a new format that I think could be the future of mobile photography!
Ultra HDR is something you really need to see to understand, though, so I worked with Dylan Raga to put together a demo that shows it off. The results are STUNNING!
If you're using a Chromium-based browser on a PC running Windows 11/macOS with an HDR display or on a Pixel 7 running Android 14, then you can see these Ultra HDR samples in their full glory by going to the GitHub repo linked in my latest article for Android Police.
On Wednesday, you're going to see a lot of reviews of the Pixel 8 series go up. Unfortunately, since platform support for Ultra HDR is so limited, many of those reviews will be unable to showcase the photos taken from the phone in their full glory.
Most social media sites and CMSes compress images, which will result in the HDR gain map being removed from the Ultra HDR .jpg. Even Windows File Explorer corrupts the metadata when you simply edit the EXIF tags!
Oh, and the photos I took were all from a Pixel 6 Pro using Google Camera 9.1 (pulled from a Pixel 8). This means that yes, certain older Pixels are able to capture in Ultra HDR as well.
Ultra HDR is something you really need to see to understand, though, so I worked with Dylan Raga to put together a demo that shows it off. The results are STUNNING!
If you're using a Chromium-based browser on a PC running Windows 11/macOS with an HDR display or on a Pixel 7 running Android 14, then you can see these Ultra HDR samples in their full glory by going to the GitHub repo linked in my latest article for Android Police.
On Wednesday, you're going to see a lot of reviews of the Pixel 8 series go up. Unfortunately, since platform support for Ultra HDR is so limited, many of those reviews will be unable to showcase the photos taken from the phone in their full glory.
Most social media sites and CMSes compress images, which will result in the HDR gain map being removed from the Ultra HDR .jpg. Even Windows File Explorer corrupts the metadata when you simply edit the EXIF tags!
Oh, and the photos I took were all from a Pixel 6 Pro using Google Camera 9.1 (pulled from a Pixel 8). This means that yes, certain older Pixels are able to capture in Ultra HDR as well.
Android Police
Hands-on with Ultra HDR in Android 14: The future of photography
Ultra HDR on Android 14 is one of those rare photography features that even an untrained eye will notice right away
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Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
The Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro supports Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) and also exposes it to the bootloader!
However, MTE is disabled by default and needs to be enabled by going to Settings > System > Developer options > Memory Tagging Extension.
(Thanks to my anonymous tipster for checking that the MTE toggle is there in Developer Options on their Pixel 8!)
However, Android 14's new "advanced memory protection" toggle under Settings > Security & privacy > More security & privacy isn't accessible by default on the Pixel 8 series. This page has to be manually surfaced by setting a certain system property.
Google is likely making MTE opt-in on the Pixel 8 series because of the slight performance penalty it brings when enabled. If I remember correctly, there's a CPU overhead of about 5% when this is enabled.
For more info on MTE and Android 14's new "advanced memory protection" feature, check out this article.
However, MTE is disabled by default and needs to be enabled by going to Settings > System > Developer options > Memory Tagging Extension.
(Thanks to my anonymous tipster for checking that the MTE toggle is there in Developer Options on their Pixel 8!)
However, Android 14's new "advanced memory protection" toggle under Settings > Security & privacy > More security & privacy isn't accessible by default on the Pixel 8 series. This page has to be manually surfaced by setting a certain system property.
Google is likely making MTE opt-in on the Pixel 8 series because of the slight performance penalty it brings when enabled. If I remember correctly, there's a CPU overhead of about 5% when this is enabled.
For more info on MTE and Android 14's new "advanced memory protection" feature, check out this article.
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Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
Factory images are now available for the Pixel 8 (shiba) and Pixel 8 Pro (husky).
Images are currently only available for the release build (UD1A.230803.0XX) and not for the Android 14 QPR1 beta.
Rooting the Pixel 8 series is easy: Just extract the init_boot image from the factory image, patch it with Magisk, and then flash the patched init_boot image using fastboot.
Thanks to PlayGloriaMMXIX for the heads up!
Images are currently only available for the release build (UD1A.230803.0XX) and not for the Android 14 QPR1 beta.
Rooting the Pixel 8 series is easy: Just extract the init_boot image from the factory image, patch it with Magisk, and then flash the patched init_boot image using fastboot.
Thanks to PlayGloriaMMXIX for the heads up!
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Forwarded from Google Pixel Hub
#Updates #Pixel8
Pixel 8 and 8 Pro factory images have been released!
Google has released the factory images for the Pixel 8/8 Pro. You can download the build it came from the factory or the October 2023 build.
The Pixel 8/8 Pro will get 7 years of guaranteed Android updates until October 2030.
Pixel 8 "shiba":
• UD1A.230803.022.A5, Sep 2023, US Non Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile carriers/CA/TW: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.B2, Sep 2023, T-Mobile: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.C1, Sep 2023, AT&T/JP/EU/IN: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.D1, Sep 2023, Verizon: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.041, Oct 2023: Factory Image | OTA
Pixel 8 Pro "husky":
• UD1A.230803.022.A3, Sep 2023, Verizon: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.A4, Sep 2023, US-Emerging/G-store,CA,TW,AU,Fi: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.B1, Sep 2023, T-Mobile: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022, Sep 2023, AT&T/EMEA/JP/IN: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.041, Oct 2023: Factory Image | OTA
Follow @PixelHubUpdates
Pixel 8 and 8 Pro factory images have been released!
Google has released the factory images for the Pixel 8/8 Pro. You can download the build it came from the factory or the October 2023 build.
The Pixel 8/8 Pro will get 7 years of guaranteed Android updates until October 2030.
Pixel 8 "shiba":
• UD1A.230803.022.A5, Sep 2023, US Non Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile carriers/CA/TW: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.B2, Sep 2023, T-Mobile: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.C1, Sep 2023, AT&T/JP/EU/IN: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.D1, Sep 2023, Verizon: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.041, Oct 2023: Factory Image | OTA
Pixel 8 Pro "husky":
• UD1A.230803.022.A3, Sep 2023, Verizon: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.A4, Sep 2023, US-Emerging/G-store,CA,TW,AU,Fi: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022.B1, Sep 2023, T-Mobile: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.022, Sep 2023, AT&T/EMEA/JP/IN: Factory Image | OTA
• UD1A.230803.041, Oct 2023: Factory Image | OTA
Follow @PixelHubUpdates
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Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
Google's new "Pixel Troubleshooting" app, which helps Pixel users diagnose battery or network issues, is available on the Pixel 8 per Andreas Proschofsky for The Standard.
This app will likely come to other Pixel devices in the Android 14 QPR1 release.
This app will likely come to other Pixel devices in the Android 14 QPR1 release.
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Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
While digging through the Pixel 8's device tree the other day, I discovered some features that were scrapped before launch.
These include 8K video recording, 480fps slo-mo videos, and sadly display output. Full details in this Android Authority article.
I'm hoping at least the display output feature can be re-enabled in the future!
These include 8K video recording, 480fps slo-mo videos, and sadly display output. Full details in this Android Authority article.
I'm hoping at least the display output feature can be re-enabled in the future!
Android Authority
Here are three Pixel 8 features that didn't make the cut
The Pixel 8 series adds a lot of new software features, but not every feature Google planned to add made it in. Here are some examples.
Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
Smartspacer is a supercharged version of Google's At a Glance widget.
Google's At a Glance widget can already do a lot of things like show you timer and stopwatch info, flashlight reminders, and more, but it has limited support for showing info from other apps. It can show the status from ridesharing apps like Uber, doorbell alerts from Nest, safety check countdowns from Personal Safety, fitness tracking info from Adidas Running and Strava ... but not much else.
Smartspacer, though, has 20 different plugins to pull info from a variety of apps and OS settings, including:
* Aftership
* Amazon
* BBC Weather
* Google Finance
* Google Keep
* Google Maps
* Google Wallet
* Health Connect
* Pokemon Go
* Samsung Health
* Uber
* Yahoo Sports
* YouTube
There are also plugins for showing the battery (of the device, connected devices, and remote devices), notifications, sunrise/sunset info, data usage, and energy monitor.
Oh. And it HAS A PLUGIN FOR TASKER! That means you can basically program Smartspacer to show ANYTHING you want.
Using Smartspacer, you can do things like show your loyalty cards or Keep lists when you're at certain locations. You can also show more advanced flight tracking info, better delivery alerts, and so much more.
Best part: It doesn't require root access and works on both Pixel and non-Pixel devices. On Pixel devices, Smartspacer even keeps all the original At a Glance functionality, so you lose nothing by switching to it.
My friend Kieron Quinn has been working on Smartspacer for nearly a year and a half now and is getting ready to release it. Right now, it's in a preview state and is only available to a handful of testers. If you're interested, then join the Discord group!
(Developers: Kieron says he's making an SDK for launcher integration. Documentation and the SDK for plugin development will also be released soon.)
Google's At a Glance widget can already do a lot of things like show you timer and stopwatch info, flashlight reminders, and more, but it has limited support for showing info from other apps. It can show the status from ridesharing apps like Uber, doorbell alerts from Nest, safety check countdowns from Personal Safety, fitness tracking info from Adidas Running and Strava ... but not much else.
Smartspacer, though, has 20 different plugins to pull info from a variety of apps and OS settings, including:
* Aftership
* Amazon
* BBC Weather
* Google Finance
* Google Keep
* Google Maps
* Google Wallet
* Health Connect
* Pokemon Go
* Samsung Health
* Uber
* Yahoo Sports
* YouTube
There are also plugins for showing the battery (of the device, connected devices, and remote devices), notifications, sunrise/sunset info, data usage, and energy monitor.
Oh. And it HAS A PLUGIN FOR TASKER! That means you can basically program Smartspacer to show ANYTHING you want.
Using Smartspacer, you can do things like show your loyalty cards or Keep lists when you're at certain locations. You can also show more advanced flight tracking info, better delivery alerts, and so much more.
Best part: It doesn't require root access and works on both Pixel and non-Pixel devices. On Pixel devices, Smartspacer even keeps all the original At a Glance functionality, so you lose nothing by switching to it.
My friend Kieron Quinn has been working on Smartspacer for nearly a year and a half now and is getting ready to release it. Right now, it's in a preview state and is only available to a handful of testers. If you're interested, then join the Discord group!
(Developers: Kieron says he's making an SDK for launcher integration. Documentation and the SDK for plugin development will also be released soon.)
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Forwarded from Mishaal's Android News Feed
I WAS RIGHT! THE PIXEL 8 SUPPORTS DISPLAY OUTPUT!
Earlier I shared a method to enable DisplayPort Alt Mode on the Pixel 8. At first I thought it didn't work, but Micha Lechner (@mile_freak07) tried the same method and it worked for him!
Video proof + full details available in this article.
Earlier I shared a method to enable DisplayPort Alt Mode on the Pixel 8. At first I thought it didn't work, but Micha Lechner (@mile_freak07) tried the same method and it worked for him!
Video proof + full details available in this article.
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Google confirms Pixel 8 series will support lossless USB audio in the future
Source
Google first introduced lossless USB audio with Android 14 beta 2. The feature promises audiophile-level experiences over compatible USB wired headsets.
Google has now confirmed that lossless USB audio will come to the Pixel 8 series and phones from other OEMs very soon.
Replying to a question during a Reddit AMA, Google’s VP of Engineering, Dave Burke said that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are expected to gain a lossless mode with future software implementations.
But before that happens, app developers will need to adopt the new API for lossless audio to take advantage of the feature. Once they do that, audio can be sent directly over USB without mixing, volume adjustment, or processing effects.
Join @Pixel8Channel
Source
Google first introduced lossless USB audio with Android 14 beta 2. The feature promises audiophile-level experiences over compatible USB wired headsets.
Google has now confirmed that lossless USB audio will come to the Pixel 8 series and phones from other OEMs very soon.
Replying to a question during a Reddit AMA, Google’s VP of Engineering, Dave Burke said that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are expected to gain a lossless mode with future software implementations.
But before that happens, app developers will need to adopt the new API for lossless audio to take advantage of the feature. Once they do that, audio can be sent directly over USB without mixing, volume adjustment, or processing effects.
Join @Pixel8Channel
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Forwarded from Tech & Leaks Zone
Google India announced that Pixel smartphones will now be made in India
"Today we see an even greater opportunity to make Pixel smartphones available to more people in India, and are very excited to announce our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India.
We intend to start with the Pixel 8, and will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce Pixel smartphones locally. We expect these devices to start to roll out in 2024, joining India’s Make in India initiative."
Imo, its a good move considering Apple has also started making iPhones in India which has led to decrease in cost of iPhones in the country
Pixel 8 series is quite expensive in India and since Google will ship made in India Pixel 8 starting next year only, a good price cut is expected
Also, since the Pixel 8 series will get 7yrs of support till 2030 officially, it's still a good option to buy a Pixel 8 even in 2024
Follow @TechLeaksZone
"Today we see an even greater opportunity to make Pixel smartphones available to more people in India, and are very excited to announce our plan to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India.
We intend to start with the Pixel 8, and will partner with international and domestic manufacturers to produce Pixel smartphones locally. We expect these devices to start to roll out in 2024, joining India’s Make in India initiative."
Imo, its a good move considering Apple has also started making iPhones in India which has led to decrease in cost of iPhones in the country
Pixel 8 series is quite expensive in India and since Google will ship made in India Pixel 8 starting next year only, a good price cut is expected
Also, since the Pixel 8 series will get 7yrs of support till 2030 officially, it's still a good option to buy a Pixel 8 even in 2024
Follow @TechLeaksZone
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Forwarded from Google Pixel Hub
#Android #A14QPR1
Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2.1 has been released!
Release date: October 19, 2023
Build: U1B2.230922.010
Security patch level: October 2023
Play Services version: 23.32.17
Google has released an update to Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 for Pixel 5a to Fold devices. Enroll into the beta program to get OTA directly from Google. Here's the list of fixes.
Download for Google Pixel devices:
Factory Image | OTA update
Follow @PixelHubUpdates
Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2.1 has been released!
Release date: October 19, 2023
Build: U1B2.230922.010
Security patch level: October 2023
Play Services version: 23.32.17
Google has released an update to Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2 for Pixel 5a to Fold devices. Enroll into the beta program to get OTA directly from Google. Here's the list of fixes.
Download for Google Pixel devices:
Factory Image | OTA update
Follow @PixelHubUpdates
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Forwarded from Tech & Leaks Zone
Google is shipping Some Pixel 8 smartphones with unlocked bootloaders
Reddit
Some users are reporting that their Pixel 8 smartphones have unlocked bootloaders out of the box. Its NOT a widespread issue though
This is shocking for average users and at the same time hilarious for tech enthusiast. Hear me out
Imagine unboxing your pixel smartphone and Google splash screen is expected at booting time
But the reality happens to be: WARNING ⚠️
“The bootloader is unlocked and software integrity cannot be guaranteed.
Any data stored on the device may be available to attackers. Do not store any sensitive data on the device,”
I think an average consumer after seeing this warning would just freak out thinking that his new smartphone got hacked at boot up only XD
Anyways, Pixels are one of the BEST smartphones for development & its pretty easy to unlock bootloader on them & you can even RELOCK bootloader on custom ROMs
Kernel sources are released properly on time unlike with Xiaomi
Follow @TechLeaksZone
Some users are reporting that their Pixel 8 smartphones have unlocked bootloaders out of the box. Its NOT a widespread issue though
This is shocking for average users and at the same time hilarious for tech enthusiast. Hear me out
Imagine unboxing your pixel smartphone and Google splash screen is expected at booting time
But the reality happens to be: WARNING ⚠️
“The bootloader is unlocked and software integrity cannot be guaranteed.
Any data stored on the device may be available to attackers. Do not store any sensitive data on the device,”
I think an average consumer after seeing this warning would just freak out thinking that his new smartphone got hacked at boot up only XD
Anyways, Pixels are one of the BEST smartphones for development & its pretty easy to unlock bootloader on them & you can even RELOCK bootloader on custom ROMs
Kernel sources are released properly on time unlike with Xiaomi
Follow @TechLeaksZone
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Forwarded from Tech & Leaks Zone
Google Tensor G3 is the first Android smartphone chip to only support 64-bit apps
Starting with iOS 11, Apple removed 32-bit app support to improve the performance, and Google's Tensor G3 chip is the first Android smartphone chip to do the same.
Google claimed that the Pixel 7 was the first 64-bit-only Android phone, but later it was found that 32-bit support can be enabled with root.
Now with Tensor G3, Google has removed all 32-bit hardware support on the chip, which has these advantages:
- 64-bit apps run faster because they have access to more registers and instructions
- saving up to 150MB of RAM that was used by the OS even when 32-bit apps weren't running
- 64-bit apps are more resistant to security vulnerabilities than 32-bit
- 64-bit-only device configurations halve the CTS testing time which can let phone OEMs update devices faster and more easily
Although most apps already support 64-bit, users won't be able to use some old games/apps that only support 32-bit devices.
Follow @TechLeaksZone
Starting with iOS 11, Apple removed 32-bit app support to improve the performance, and Google's Tensor G3 chip is the first Android smartphone chip to do the same.
Google claimed that the Pixel 7 was the first 64-bit-only Android phone, but later it was found that 32-bit support can be enabled with root.
Now with Tensor G3, Google has removed all 32-bit hardware support on the chip, which has these advantages:
- 64-bit apps run faster because they have access to more registers and instructions
- saving up to 150MB of RAM that was used by the OS even when 32-bit apps weren't running
- 64-bit apps are more resistant to security vulnerabilities than 32-bit
- 64-bit-only device configurations halve the CTS testing time which can let phone OEMs update devices faster and more easily
Although most apps already support 64-bit, users won't be able to use some old games/apps that only support 32-bit devices.
Follow @TechLeaksZone
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