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Vivo X5Max has all the thinnest components

So Chinese OEM Vivo has again managed to pull it off and has unveiled what is most likely the world's thinnest smartphone. Measuring only 4.75 mm, the Vivo X5Max naturally has to have similarly thin components in order to reach that size. And yet, it still manages to cram a regular 3.5 mm headphone jack on top of it all. And it even has one or two gimmicks to keep it interesting as well.



The smartphone is powered surprisingly by a Qualcomm chip, specifically the 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615. There's 2 GB of RAM and only 16 GB of storage, though that can be expanded by a micro SD/TF card (more on that point later). The screen is a rather big 5.5 inches, yet it only reaches 1080p resolutions. The 13 megapixel rear camera is powered by Sony's IMX214 sensor and it has a selfie-friendly 5 megapixel front shooter.


But you're probably more interested in the thickness, or rather thinness, which is really the Vivo X5Max's defining trait. To pull off the 4.75 mm size, Vivo sought out the thinnest possible parts and frames. Supposedly, it has the thinnest motherboard at 1.77 mm, made possible by using a unique "one-sided" layout. The Super AMOLED display is also claimed to be the thinnest there is at only 1.36 mm. The speaker box is also quite thin, though thicker than the rest at 2.45 mm. That, by the way, is driven by a Yamaha YSS-205X Hi-Fi chip. Despite that thin-ness, there is still a regular size headphone jack, which cause a slight bump on that edge of the smartphone. Battery is at 2,000 mAh, on par with the thickness. The custom Funtouch OS 2.0 is based on Android 4.4 KitKat.


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The Vivo X5Max has another rather intriguing feature. Like almost all Chinese smartphones, this one supports a dual SIM setup, but that second card slot has a split personality. One one hand, it house a nano SIM card for your second SIM, while the main SIM slot houses a micro SIM card. But in case you don't have or want a second SIM, you can use that to hold a microSD card instead. A pretty ingenious way to save up space and avoid adding thickness, but it does mean you can't have an expanded storage and use two SIM cards at the same time.


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You get all of these for only 2,998 RMB, roughly $486. The Vivo X5Max goes on sale December 22, but you can already pre-order it now. That is, of course, if you're located in China.


SOURCE: Vivo

VIA: Weibo





Tap2Unlock Brings Security to Tap2Wake

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Android OS offers many ways of unlocking your device. Among the most popular are entering a pattern or PIN and face unlock. Although patterns and PINs can be pretty secure, there are still ways to improve upon them.


The Android kernel offers many functions that can be used even when the screen is powered off. Double-tap-to-wake is a common feature that can be found on many custom ROMs here at XDA. XDA Senior Member goutamniwas created quite an interesting method for screen unlocking using the tap2wake technology.


With Tap2Unlock, you can unlock your screen by entering a PIN code while your screen is off. This module splits the screen into four squares. Pressing the wrong pattern will light up the screen but disable touch, so the person who enters will not be able to use the phone. Entering the correct pattern will fully unlock the device.


This kernel feature can work with most currently available kernels built from source. The developer was kind enough to provide necessary patches that need to be cherry picked in order to make it work.


If you are a kernel developer, you can consider adding this to your project. If you’re just a user, you can also request the feature to be implement by your favorite kernel developer. You can learn more by visiting the Tap2unlock – a new tap2wake feature with pattern forum thread.


The post Tap2Unlock Brings Security to Tap2Wake appeared first on xda-developers.


HTC One M7 GPe Gets Lollipop, Verizon G3 CM11 Nightlies – XDA TV

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Android 5.0 Lollipop is available for the HTC One (M7) Google Play Edition! That and much more news is covered by Jordan when he reviews all the important stories from this weekend. Included in this weekend’s news is the announcement of Lollipop landing on the Sony Xperia S, Ion and Acro S and be sure to check out the article talking about Cyanogen to update the OnePlus One globally, even in India! That’s not all that’s covered in today’s video!


Jordan talks about the other videos released this weekend on XDA TV. XDA TV Producer droidmodd3r shows you how to turn off the forced encryption on Lollipop. XDA TV Producer TK released a video talking about his top Nexus 6 Mods. And if you missed it be sure to check out Jordan’s Review of the Nvidia SHIELD Tablet. Pull up a chair and check out this video.



Links to stories mentioned:



Check out Jordan’s YouTube Channel and Jordan’s Gaming YouTube Channel


The post HTC One M7 GPe Gets Lollipop, Verizon G3 CM11 Nightlies – XDA TV appeared first on xda-developers.


The Extra-Private Phone Is Getting Its Own Private App Store

The Extra-Private Phone Is Getting Its Own Private App Store


The Blackphone is an Android handset for people who think 'tinfoil-hat-wearing' is a prudent measure, not an insult. It launched earlier this year , but now it's getting the ability to actually install third-party apps. Aww, our little baby, he's growing up so fast.


Read more...
















Google Play Services 6.5 rolling out with new APIs

The new version of Google Play Services will help you build better apps, or at least that’s what Google’s plan is as they release an addendum to version 6 of Google Play Services. Included in the new batch of APIs will be new entry points from apps for Google Drive, Google Maps, a new button for Google Wallet, and an invitation for app builders to use Google Fit.



App developers can now tell their apps very specific commands when uploading data to Google Drive – ideally, that would be when battery levels are optimum and when connected to a WiFi network. Apps can now be told not to upload data when these circumstances are not met to save on power and data.


Apps can now also use a “lite mode” of Google Maps, where the map will be confined to a smaller area – like a town or a specific area of a town where you want your app to focus on – but still have all the features and functionalities of the real Google Maps app.




We’ve discussed before that the Google Wallet API will be getting a new “Donate with Google” button, and that Google is also putting a bit of pressure to app developers out there to make apps utilizing the Google Fit API which was launched in October.


SOURCE: YouTube





Roller Polar rides a snowball onto Android

Roller Polar is a game that puts players into that action as a cute little polar bear who has to ride a giant snowball down a mountain. Players have to zip down the mountain as they dodge boulders, trees, and other wildlife.



The game has day and night settings and as the snowball rolls down the mountain, it goes faster and faster making it harder to stay on top. The game has pixilated art from Nitrome studio. The game play is tied to the time of day where you live so if its day out, its day in the game and vice versa.


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The game was updated this week to fix a bug affecting in-app purchases. UI improvements were also made. Polar Roller is 21MB in size and has as many as 10,000 installs so far. The current version is 1.0.2.


Android 2.3 or higher is required to play and the game is rated for everyone. The game is free and supported by in-app purchases at $1.55 per item. You can check out the trailer for the game in the YouTube video below. Roller Polar looks like a lot of fun.




SOURCE: Google Play


Tipsoccer: fun game even if you don’t know anything about soccer

"We have no idea how soccer works. We just want to play it." So goes the game description for Tipsoccer. But lest you be fooled that it's just a bit of non-sense game that will take up space on your device, it is actually a physics-based game, with a lot of fun, drunk AI opponents and pop culture references thrown in the mix.



Soccer, which the rest of the world calls football, is always a fun game to while away the time, even digitally. Don't expect FIFA levels kind of gameplay, but you still need to use your knowledge of physics, your swiping and flicking powers, and your ability to get past drunk computer-generated AI opposition. You have the option to play solo against the aforementioned inebriated AI or play against a friend, who may or may not be under the influence as well.


The game has two versions, light (which is free) and the regular version (with a fee of course). If you're not yet sure if this kind of soccer game is for you, you better try it out first on light. You get to have four teams to choose from and a two button configuration if you want to make it more complicated. You can download the light, free version from the Google Play Store.


But when you've already started enjoying it, but would like to get rid of the ads that interrupt your gaming experience, you can get the regular version for just $0.99. There are no in-app purchases as well, so that is just the amount you need to spend to have crazy teams like Spartans, Zombies or 'murica. You can also have more fun with other configurations that have nothing to do with soccer, like acrobatics, tennis balls, steel balls, etc. You can download it from the Google Play Store as well.


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