2016 is almost over and with Christmas season almost upon us, many smartphone users will be looking to upgrade their phones. On the Android side of the fence, things have never been so good, with aggressively priced and well featured phones available at almost every price bracket. The companies that are to thank for this flood of great phones in the market are the Chinese upstarts with names like Oppo, Xiaomi and Huawei. Though Huawei is not exactly an upstart it is still not exactly a well known name in most large smartphone markets in the world besides China. So in many countries, Huawei is only now becoming a recognised brand and that too, only amongst the Android faithful.
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The great new Honor 8
A lot of this newfound recognition for Huawei is down to a single range of smartphones from the company; the Honor Series. The latest phone in the line-up may perhaps be Huawei's best effort yet: the Honor 8. Android smartphones users looking for a new device or an upgrade at the end of 2016 should definitely consider the Honor 8. If the number of online accessory and case makers are anything to go by, the Honor 8 must be selling like hotcakes because the market is flooded with Honor 8 cases and designer Honor 8 Mobile covers.
Customise your Honor 8
With flagship beating specs and a price tag that significantly undercuts some of its prime rivals, the new Honor 8 is a great phone from a hardware standpoint. The only issue is that it isn't exactly the most exciting phone to look and neither is the Huawei brand one that evokes strong positive feelings from anyone, outside of China at least. This shouldn't stop anyone from actively considering the Honor 8 as their next smartphone though because while the design may not be exciting it is extremely well made and beautifully finished. If you are looking to add a little style or personality, a Huawei Honor 8 case may be the answer you are looking for. There are a number of sites where you can but them online and if you want a case that truly reflects who you are, then maybe a custom Huawei Honor 8 case is what you should be looking for. Many well known sites give you the option to customise a Honor 8 Case with your favourite photo and caption, to create a case that is unique to you.
So you must have started seeing Oreo in many devices as Google expands its rollout. The most popular devices to carry Oreo are Google Pixel, Pixel C or Google Pixel XL and Xiaomi. Many companies like Huawei, Samsung, Motorola, Sony, HMD Global etc have been confirmed to support the update later this year. The company announced Project Treble (for those who don't have Google-branded phone) to ensure that Android Oreo update comes to many more devices than previous operating system.
Coming to the features and functionality --Here is what all you can do with when the new update arrives?
This feature makes it easier and quicker to use the device. If it is an address, it will begin direction there. And if it is a phone number, you can dial the number directly from the screen.
For example - if you are watching Netflix, and you suddenly remember an email you forgot to send, you can keep Netflix on small window and send email at the same time. This feature is great on large and medium screen phones.
You will be able to pop a video screen out of its application into a small panel on screen, allowing you to use the phone while keeping an eye on the action. You will surely appreciate the greater versatility and multi-tasking benefits offered by this OS.
Google introduced notification dots to apps in Android Oreo, allowing users to quickly see what is happening without the need to open the app. You can simply swipe the notification bar and get details about the notifications you have. This feature is similar to Apple's 3D Touch enabled bubble pop-ups. A long press on the small colored circle on the top rich of the app icon will pop-up the display and show more information.
Remembering the long passwords is hard. However, it is to stay safe when you are online. The previous version of Android OS allowed you to use a number of weird workarounds to help you copy and fill in your account details.
The new version Android Oreo allows apps to register, as the autofill providers within the system log you in. All you need to do is pick autofill provider in any language and input settings. Android will request login details form the app whenever you need.
The app icons could come alive when the users interact with them or scroll through homepage screens. It's potentially a new feature and we are more interested on what developers can do with it.
Google also limits the frequency of location updates in background for better health of the system. It is twice faster than the previous generation with faster boot. App developers will love this feature.
This sort of innovation is needed, if it is to become indispensable. Google ensures that Assistant grows and evolves beyond smart devices.
When it comes to presenting the users with fresh emoji, Google falls behind Apple. The inclusion of latest expressions will likely delight the Homeland Generation. You can find more than 60 new emoji. The best this is Google is going to redesign the entire emoji catalogue. So, keep out for fresh new look when Android Oreo lands on your device.
Google says that Android Oreo is much smarter when it comes to let apps run in background, reducing the amount of power and money they use. This leaves more of the battery to use in tasks that you use regularly.
Besides the above, Wi-Fi awareness is the new feature in Android Oreo that allow Wi-Fi devices to talk to each other via an ad hoc local network. Google is set to add Sony's LDAC codec to improve low-latency audio. You can also see a few improvements to the camera app. Google is reworking on the camera app, offering a new double-tap feature to quickly get 50% zoom. Android app developers believe these new features will be a game changer for them.
Finally, no Android OS would be complete without Easter egg. huawei matebook However, the one we see in Android Oreo isn't the most impressive one we have seen till date. Go to settings and tap System -> About Phone. You will see big Android O. Tap it repeatedly to get an octopus.