LG Innotek Unveils Button-less Fingerprint Sensor Module

Fingerprint sensors are not exactly a new feature to grace our phones. They have been around for a quite some time, with one of the first commercial Android smartphone to bear it being the Motorola Atrix 4G, way back in 2011, even predating the launch of the first Samsung Galaxy Note.

But one thing unanimous with fingerprint sensors, a talking point that has remained relevant from their start to their current forms, is how they blend in with the design of the phone. In the case of the Motorola Atrix 4G, the fingerprint scanner doubled up as the power button, but the placement of this button scanner gave the phone a very distinguished look in its prime time.

Even with current smartphones, OEMs have to make a decision on where they want to place the fingerprint scanner. Many have opted for placing it on the back of the device, some have opted for clubbing it on the side mounted power button. Samsung preferred to incorporate the fingerprint scanner onto the home button, which has remained a staple on Samsung devices. Some OEMs even went so far to add a home button on the front just to tuck away the fingerprint scanner. With this latest news, these manufacturers may have no more reason to add in a home button anymore.

LG Innotek’s latest innovation is a fingerprint sensor module that is placed beneath the glass. This module removes the requirement of having a raised button on the front of the device to act as the fingerprint sensor. LG achieved this by creating a shallow furrow on the back of the glass and installing the fingerprint sensor in there. This sensor does not directly come into contact with your finger due to the glass layer, and still manages to boast of similar recognition rates.

With the home button no longer a necessary evil for a front fingerprint scanner, OEMs will now be free to experiment with sleeker and more-minimal phone designs. It will also allow manufacturers to opt for waterproofing and scratch resistant solutions that some had to forego in lieu of the fingerprint scanner button. It will also allow more OEMs to jump back onto using the Navigation Bar instead of capacitive buttons.

As mentioned to Korea Times, LG is in talks with some handset manufacturers to commercialize the new module within the year. So, we might see smartphones with this button-less fingerprint tech by the end of 2016.

Google Publishes May’s Android Security Bulletin – Here’s What’s New

You might remember that last year Google promised to be more transparent with patching security vulnerabilities. Google promised to deliver monthly updates fixing any vulnerabilities they discovered that affected Nexus devices. Eventually, several OEMs have gotten on board with delivering monthly security patches, and eventually the scope of the Nexus Security Bulletin was broadened to discover and patch many general Android security issues. To reflect this change in scope, Google has announced that starting this month, they’ve renamed the Nexus Security Bulletin to the Android Security Bulletin. And as promised, they’ve just posted thismonth’s set of security patches.

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What’s New

This month, Google has identified and patched a total of 25 security vulnerabilities. For the severities of the discovered vulnerabilities, 6 were marked as critical, 12 as high, 6 as moderate, and 1 was marked as low. Of these vulnerabilities, 24 out of 25 affected Nexus or Android One devices. By far the most critical security issue patched by Google was an issue affecting mediaserver which allowed for remote code execution. A user who opened an infected media file from any method (by email, web browsing, MMS, etc.) could have triggered code to remotely executive on their device without your knowledge or consent. According to Google, there have been no reports that this vulnerability was exploited in a real-world setting, at least.

For a list of all other security vulnerabilities discovered and patched by Google, you can read the full Android Security Bulletin for the month of May. As you’ll notice, many of the vulnerabilities discovered are quite broad(such as the ones related to NVIDIA’s video drivers or Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi drivers) and apply to more than just Google’s Nexus devices, so it’s imperative that you accept the update as soon as you are able to no matter what device you use.

In addition, Google stresses the security offered by its SafetyNet and VerifyApps implementation. Per Google:

• Exploitation for many issues on Android is made more difficult by enhancements in newer versions of the Android platform. All users are encouraged to update to the latest version of Android where possible.
• The Android Security team actively monitors for abuse with Verify Apps and SafetyNet, which are designed to warn users aboutPotentially Harmful Applications. Verify Apps is enabled by default on devices with Google Mobile Services, and is especially important for users who install applications from outside of Google Play. Device rooting tools are prohibited within Google Play, but Verify Apps warns users when they attempt to install a detected rooting application—no matter where it comes from. Additionally, Verify Apps attempts to identify and block installation of known malicious applications that exploit a privilege escalation vulnerability. If such an application has already been installed, Verify Apps will notify the user and attempt to remove the detected application.
• As appropriate, Google Hangouts and Messenger applications do not automatically pass media to processes such as mediaserver.

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When do I get the Update?

Luckily for Google Nexus device owners, you should start seeing this update very soon on your device. As usual, the update is rolling out to users in waves so you may or may not receive it immediately. There’s always thefactory image route if you would rather not wait. If you’re waiting for a custom ROM to implement these updates, then you’ll have to wait for the updated source to drop into the AOSP within the next 2 days.

For users on devices made by other manufacturers, your wait time will vary.Google’s partners were notified of these security issues identified in this bulletin by April 4, 2016, so OEMs have had plenty of time patching their own custom builds of Android to fix these security holes. You should expect an update to roll out sometime this month, but remember that these updates always reach people in waves and that OEMs like to bundle their own feature updates alongside these patches, which may delay the update. The Nextbit Robin, for instance, pushed out an update on April 27th that patched the security issues mentioned in April’s security bulletin.

PSA: Long Press and Drag Up on Google Keyboard’s Suggestion Bar to Remove Suggestions

The Google Keyboard 5.0 update went live a few days ago, and it brought along a whole host of changes, notably one-handed mode and adjustable keyboard height. Buried in within the major changes were smaller changes all around, such as cursor control and more. So we wouldn’t fault you if you missed out on some of the small stuff.

One amongst the small stuff is the ability to now remove suggestions from coming up again. The gesture is simple and intuitive, involving just a long press on the unneeded suggestion. This will bring up a trash icon, which you can then drop the unneeded suggestion onto.he Google Keyboard 5.0 update went live a few days ago, and it brought along a whole host of changes, notably one-handed mode and adjustable keyboard height. Buried in within the major changes were smaller changes all around, such as cursor control and more. So we wouldn’t fault you if you missed out on some of the small stuff.

One amongst the small stuff is the ability to now remove suggestions from coming up again. The gesture is simple and intuitive, involving just a long press on the unneeded suggestion. This will bring up a trash icon, which you can then drop the unneeded suggestion onto.

Albeit a small change and not groundbreaking or revolutionary in any way, this will help remove those typos that accidentally get added onto your personal dictionary. It can also be used to remove words that you do not use at all, and that come in the way of more frequently used words while gesture typing.

Sony Patents Contact Lens Camera! LG Button-less Fingerprint Sensor!

Sony has patented a contact lens camera with zoom! LG unveils button-less fingerprint sensor module. Finally, the Chinese OEMs are coming west! Those stories and more are talked about by TK as he covers the news from the week ending May 6, 2016 at XDA-Developer.com. Check out this video!

Atom Is Not Dead And We’re Not Leaving Mobile

Late last week we covered stories reporting the possible death of Intel’s Atom lineup and a presumed withdrawal from the mobile market. Since then we’ve had a chance to speak with Intel’s public relations team and they’ve helped clear a few things up. After getting this additional information it seems that Intel’s decisions are not only reasonable but possibly better in a longer-term picture.

The Future of Atom

Contrary to the worst assumptions, Intel reports that it is not dead. Previously named “Cherry Trail” Atom x5 and x7 SoCs will continue to ship and remain under the Atom branding. So devices powered by it, such as the Microsoft Surface 3, Microsoft HoloLens and even Intel’s own recent refresh of the Atom-based Compute Stick will continue. After Cherry Trail though it seems that things will change.

Intel originally stated that they “will continue to work with OEMs to develop new 2-in-1’s based on Apollo Lake and Core M for detachable 2-in-1’s.” When I followed up on Apollo Lake I was told that it “will support entry/value devices and will be branded Pentium and Celeron.” Atom launched at a time when the Core M branding didn’t exist; now there is significant overlap between the two in terms of functionality, power efficiency and cost. And while Broxton was cancelled, I don’t see anything indicating Willow Trail is also cancelled, leaving open the possibility for Atom to continue even beyond Cherry Trail.

Update: Intel has responded and stated that “…the only product discontinued were Broxton for phones and tablets, SoFIA 3GX, SoFIA LTE, and SoFIA LTE2″ They also clarified that Atom branding has not had any decisions made on it, as well as noting that many Pentium and Celeron products are based on Atom design (such as Bay Trail).

Intel and Mobile Data

One of the other prevalent myths was that Intel might be folding up its tent and ceding the mobile market to the likes of Qualcomm, Samsung and Mediatek. To address this Intel pointed to the blog post from Intel CEO Brian Krzanich on April 26th. In there he notes:

“As the world moves to 5G, Intel will lead because of our technological strength to deliver end-to-end 5G systems, from modems to base stations to all the various forms of connectivity that exist today and will exist tomorrow.”

I was confused when I read this because there is no 5G specification — 3GPP is taking steps to have one in place by 2018; some of the active players are already labeling candidate technologies as 5G, such as Samsung. Intel is pushing hard for all things related to the Internet of Things, a concept that suggests almost everything can and eventually will be “wired” in some aspect.

To get the data is one thing, but the data has to be sent back somewhere for analysis and use — and in many cases of growth, that still requires a mobile signal. One only has to look at their own graphic to see how important they place this.

The missing piece to this puzzle is this: SoFIA wasn’t the only modem Intel had. Yes, it was the one integrated with Atom; but beyond that integration Intel has several other models, all which still seem to be alive and well. Any of these could easily still be paired with a processor, now likely with Pentium or Core M on Intel. It could even pair with SoCs from another manufacturer, such as the rumored deal with Apple. And since they’ll want to grow that business they’ll need to support it on the platforms which it could be used on, including Android.

The moves announced by Intel seem like a company looking forward and dropping what isn’t working. Atom marches on with a focus away from the very low end and full integration. Keeping the Atom x5 and x7 allows them to work on products that offer support, like 4K displays, that Intel can best market to. The theory of Intel’s demise in the mobile scene seem to be greatly exaggerated as well. Whether those For those who believe we need more players in the mobile scene, it has to be welcomed news in contrast to the articles originally written last week on the topic.

Anker PowerHouse: Portable Power for More Than Smartphones And Laptops

When most of us think of Anker, the first thought that comes to mind is smartphones. They are one of the more well-known players in aftermarket solutions for charging and batteries. So when Anker announced last month that they were going to release something called the PowerHouse, a 430 watt-hour battery with multiple charging methods as well as discharge methods… that got the attention of many of its customers. So when I recently received my PowerHouse from Amazon, I figured it was time to put it through the paces and see what it could do.

Let’s first start off with the reminder that this is not a power generator. It is though a very large battery. The initial charge took less than 4 hours to get a full charge; charges from a full discharge are estimated between 8 to 10 hours. While it is not available yet, a very important feature will be the option of purchasing solar panels which can fully charge the PowerHouse with 16 hours of sunlight. And if you don’t fully discharge it each day, that makes the charge a likely solution for the camper, so long as they’re not parked under trees. And when looking at the side panel to see what can be charged, it becomes obvious that this opens many possibilities.

There are 3 options for connecting to the PowerHouse:

• A 12V cigarette lighter port (120W max)
• 4 USB ports that support up to 5V max
• A 120V AC plug with max draw of 1.36A (About 160W draw)

Enabling a charger is as simple as pressing the button above each charge option. As power starts to discharge a timer estimating hours remaining at current draw will begin to update. To turn off the discharge, either unplug and/or press the button again. USB also seems to support up to Quick Charge 2.0 but a test with the LG G5 indicated that 3.0 is not supported. Anker even offers a few suggestions on what the PowerHouse can power, but what about things not on the list?

• Office Desktop: I was able to power my PC (HP Prodesk 600 G1 SFF w/i7-4790K), 2 LCD monitors and my office LAN switch.  But turn on my printer (HP Laserjet M401dn) and it was too much for the PowerHouse. My estimated draw would have let me power for several hours, handy for short power outages.
• Home Refrigerator: Obviously people’s results will vary here since the size and power draw of a refrigerator may vary. Anker indicates that a mini fridge can be powered for at least 7 hours – but my full-size refrigerator was under the draw limit as well. It may not last long, but that short time may be enough to help someone find an alternative for their frozen foods if power isn’t restored promptly.
• Living Room: My TV (Sony Bravia KDL-40HX800), cable box and cable modem were all under the draw limit. Perhaps not good in a power outage but might work for parties.
• Lights: Anker notes a camping light will be supported but owners could easily power a floor lamp or string of lights with the PowerHouse. Again, great for power outages and for outdoor use, but by no means a long-term power solution without charging.In the office, I found a few unique solutions as well. The USB ports allowed me to keep power to tablets as I needed to apply OTAs as part of their initial setup – an option that before would have required me to get a long extension cord with a power strip at the end to plug in multiple tablets. The availability of power long enough for road trips also meant I could keep the family iPad Mini plugged in and have power for the 8-hour drives that we occasionally make. This could easily also work to power a person’s CPAP system while camping or on the go, or possibly with a low enough draw support a projector. While the PowerHouse does a lot of good it’s also important to compare to competitors already in the scene – and so I looked up the specifications on a Goal Zero Yeti 400. The Yeti is similar in specifications but the differences are something that Anker should really consider looking to add to the PowerHouse. The Yeti allows for a 300W power draw with a 600W power burst, which could offer larger options such as DJ usage at events or parties. It can also be chained, which the PowerHouse does not appear to support. I am trying to confirm this with Anker and will update if they respond.
  How about price? Currently, Anker has it priced at $499 on Amazon – about $50 more than the Yeti 400 and offers more power. When considering how long the life of such a portable power solution would be it’s easy to see how someone who is outdoors often or is prone to needing portable power of this strength might easily come out on top by buying one. But short of camping and mobile power cases the PowerHouse is more of a “what if” $499 investment. If you are one to be out camping or outdoors very often and can use this to solve a smaller power need it may be the right choice. Those who may use it very little or not may want to give it some consideration before jumping on one.
  All in all, Anker seems to have pulled off a good product here. With perhaps a bit more aggressive pricing and expansion options like chaining multiple PowerHouses together they could address the small concerns that may hold some back from purchasing this. If you’re a reader that likes Anker products and have been considering a solution like this, the PowerHouse may be right up your alley.
  Pros:
  • 434Wh/120,000 mAh capacity
  • Charging solutions both on AC and solar, allowing for extended use such as road trips and camping
  • Easily supports most needs for a product in this category
  • Power time remaining is very handy when it updates
  Cons:
  • Priced slightly higher than competitors like the Goal Zero Yeti 400.
  • Unable to chain multiple PowerHouses together (confirming with Anker)
  • Lower AC max draw compared to competitors like the Yeti 400

Moto X 2016 Specs Detailed Along With Amps Modular Backplates

Earlier on in the day, new leaked renders for the Moto X 2016 and the Droid 2016 left everyone questioning the decision making process behind Lenovo-Motorola’s attempt at a Moto flagship. The devices looked very different, if we were trying to be polite. If you loved how the predecessors of these lineups looked, the renders would have left you sorely disappointed.

In a bit of a turnaround, here’s some good news. The devices pictured as the Moto X 2016, and widely assumed to be color variants, are actually two different devices. And that ugly design choice, that might just have a very good purpose to it as well.

This report originates from VentureBeat and is authored by Evan Blass. The devices pictured above are actually two different phones. The left phone in the white color is codenamed Vertex while the black phone on the right is codenamed Vector Thin. The phones will also sport different hardware on the inside, which will add onto their differentiation.

Starting off with the Vertex, the phone will come with a 5.5″ FHD AMOLED display. On the inside, the device is likely to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 clocked at 2.4GHz. There will be two RAM and storage combos to choose from, 16GB internal + 2GB RAM, and 32GB internal + 3GB RAM. For the camera, the Vertex is sporting a 16MP sensor with laser autofocus as well as PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus). The phone will be kept juiced up by a good capacity 3500mAh battery, likely to be non removable thanks to the metallic unibody design.

The Vector Thin, on the other hand, is the more “premium” of the duo. The 5.5″ AMOLED panel gets bumped up toQHD resolution, while the SoC gets the flagship treatment with Snapdragon 820 clocked at 2GHz. The phone will have 32GB of internal storage, but will have RAM choices for 3GB or 4GB. The camera on the Vector Thin will be a13MP sensor with laser autofocus and OIS. As its name suggests, the Vector Thin will be pretty thin, reportedly measuring 5.2mm compared to the thin-as-well Vertex which will be 7mm thick. The shaved off dimensions have an effect on the battery capacity as well, dropping down disappointingly to 2600mAh, which makes us wonder how long a 5.5″ QHD device with flagship SoC would last.

An independent report also claims that the Moto X 2016 will have shattershield protection just like on the Moto X Force. There is no mention which of the two models will be getting this shock resistant treatment.

But this is not all there is to the Moto X 2016 story. The pins on the back of the Moto X 2016 devices, which we predicted to be connection areas for some sort of docking mechanism, are actually present for modularity. The 16 connection pins are present for “Amps“, which is Motorola/Lenovo’s take on modules. These pins will allow modular backplates to be snapped onto either handset magnetically. This is claimed to provide a tight and secure connection, while still allowing easier swappability.

There will reportedly be six modules available at launch:

1. A Simple color backplate, which will ship free with both handsets
2. Stereo speakers
3. Extended battery pack
4. Camera grip with flash and optical zoom
5. Pico Projector
6. Rugged cover with wide angle lens attachment

The official modules mentioned above will be sold separately by Moto. There is also mention of 3rd party modules. The modules will also make the device flat, hiding the noticeable camera bump away.

So, when can we expect to hear more about these devices? If the good folks over at Droid-Life are to be believed, the Moto X 2016 duo are set for launch on 9th June 2016 at Lenovo’s Tech World, which is where the first consumer-ready Project Tango device is also set to be revealed.

The Moto X 2016 duo have certainly raised our curiosity, giving us a good example of why we should never judge a book by its cover. The deviations from the classic Motorola design might just be forgiven if Motorola/Lenovo can manage to do modularity better than LG could with the LG G5.

Do remember, we are still in the leak stages. As it happened with the earlier news, things can and will change as new information appears. Stay tuned for more coverage!

Xiaomi Launches the 6.44″ Mi Max, MIUI 8 Based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow

In an event in China, Xiaomi has launched the physically mammoth Mi Max, its largest smartphone in recent years; and MIUI 8, the next iteration of its home brewed custom OS/skin based on Android.
The first thing that one would notice about the Mi Max is its massive size. Bearing a 6.44″ FHD LCD display, the Mi Max is unapologetic about its size, made for users who want nothing smaller than a phablet in their pocket. The phone itself looks close to the Redmi Note 3, with a metallic back (and likely plastic bits on the top and bottom cover). On the back is a fingerprint sensor, with the rear camera setup on the top left corner.
The first thing that one would notice about the Mi Max is its massive size. Bearing a 6.44″ FHD LCD display, the Mi Max is unapologetic about its size, made for users who want nothing smaller than a phablet in their pocket. The phone itself looks close to the Redmi Note 3, with a metallic back (and likely plastic bits on the top and bottom cover). On the back is a fingerprint sensor, with the rear camera setup on the top left corner.
The Mi Max will be available in Silver, Light Grey and Gold colors, going on sale on May 17 in China. The base variant with SD 650 will cost CNY 1500 ($230), the middle SD 652 + 3GB RAM/64GB storage variant will cost CNY 1700 ($260) while the top variant with SD 652 + 4GB RAM/128GB storage will set you back by CNY 2000 ($300). Availability outside of China is not known, but we expect the device to at least make its way to the Indian market, to compete with local Indian players and their recent phablet devices.
Along with the Mi Max, Xiaomi also took the wraps off MIUI 8, which is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Featuring a colorful facelift of several apps, MIUI 8 also adds in new features. The user interface elements change colors based on the weather. Also mentioned on the forum announcement was Multi-Window Support, a feature that is not ready for prime time just yet on stock Android. Multi window makes the Mi Max much more practical, as otherwise the stylus-less phablet would have just been a large phone.
Another notable addition to MIUI 8 is a power saving mode which goes a step ahead by freezing background app activities, suspending app syncs and background tasks. MIUI 8 also limits chain start-ups from unessential apps, further giving you more headroom with processing and battery.

The camera and calculator apps have also received significant rework. The calculator app can now support advanced calculations and conversions, while the camera app can also solve high school level Math problems in Chinese and provide step-by-step answers, which is a very handy addition to a stock app. Further employing image recognition and visual search in the stock camera in other areas, users can snap photos of products and purchase similar items online.

The stock MIUI Gallery app has also received some love. There is a functional image editor with the ability to change filters, doodle on the images and even add stickers. Editing is also being extended to videos as well, as you can now crop videos, add filters, captions and music to videos, without needing any other external app.

MIUI 8 will come as a Developer ROM to all Redmi and Mi Note series devices, as well as the Mi 2, 2S, 3, 4, 4C, 4S and 5. Initially, MIUI 8 will be limited to China ROM during beta, with registrations for China Beta starting on May 16, with beta testing beginning on June 1. MIUI 8 will then roll out to China Developer branch by June 17. The forum announcement does not mention when MIUI 8 will roll out to China Stable, Global Developer, and Global Stable branches of MIUI; though all of these will be after the China Developer branch rollout.

While the Mi Max may fill in a niche role in the market, it is still another area which Xiaomi now competes in. Bearing very good specs for a mid-end phablet, the Mi Max is also budget friendly in the Chinese market, although the price is likely to adjust for Indian/Global availability. Xiaomi did not include any stylus support with the Mi Max, which will likely hurt its competitiveness, and pose a barrier for optimum utilization as a large phablet.

Nonetheless, the Mi Max and MIUI 8 bring a lot to the table. If nothing, they spur other OEMs to make competing products, providing an incentive to introduce innovation if they are to compete with Xiaomi and its price-value ratio.

Google Providing Full OTA Images for Nexus Devices

One of the perks of owning a Nexus or Google device is the ability to manually upgrade or rollback to any version that is officially supported through factory images. Other phones also give you this freedom, but Nexus devices just make it a breeze.

However, one of the downsides of factory images, if you could actually call them a legitimate downside, is that you need an unlocked bootloader in order to flash the factory images. Keeping the bootloader unlocked poses security risks, and is not really recommended unconditionally for the general public. So when one does need to flash a factory image, they will have to unlock that moment, and also deal with their data being wiped in the process of unlocking.

Now, there’s one less thorn in the road if you did wish to flash a different system, but had a locked bootloader. Google is now posting full OTA images for supported devices for Android 6.0 builds. These are different from incremental OTAs as these are full images which can be sideloaded with adb. You do not need an unlocked bootloader for adb sideloading, so this works for both locked as well as unlocked bootloader.

So, now if you would like to upgrade or downgrade your system on a Nexus device, but would rather keep your bootloader locked and data intact, head on over to the official download page and download the requisite file for your device. Even though your data will not be wiped, it is always a good idea to back it up if it is important to you. Afterall, that is the whole point of a backup.

The Best File Managers for Android

The saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Apparently ES File Explorer has never heard that saying, or they chose to ignore it. After updates late last year brought harsh criticism for their inclusion of invasive and annoying popups and advertisements, ES has seemed to be on a steady decline. What first started as memory cleanup notifications have blossomed into a full blown lockscreen replacement application that brings with it, you guessed it, advertisements to your lockscreen. ES was powerful, bringing with it a host of cloud connections, local LAN/FTP support and even a browser making it a great all-in-one solution and one that many of us still used despite its lackluster UI.

With so many of us not wanting to subject ourselves to a bombardment of useless junk, it brings us to the question, what good, powerful, beautiful file managers are out there currently? There is no lack of available apps on the Google Play Store.  So the choice of a file manager largely depends on what you plan on doing with it and if you want your tool to be form or function focused or some sort of balance between the two. Do you want or need LAN, Cloud or Root abilities? Do you demand material design with theming options, or will yolo-holo do? We looked at quite a few of the applications you said were your favorites on Twitter and rounded the list to the top three, plus a few honorable mentions:

#1 Solid Explorer – $1.99 (14 day trial) – Root: Yes

By far one of the top responses from both the XDA Writers team and Twitter was Solid Explorer, and it is not difficult to see why. Personally I have never used it before today, but I am hooked. Solid Explorer is a surprisingly robust explorer with an astonishing amount of plugins and external storage support. All your favorite cloud storage service hooks are here including Dropbox, OneDrive, Box along with local solutions like LAN/SMB and FTP support and even more can be added through plugins like Amazon and Mega. The application also looks fantastic. Beautiful theming, colors, (limited) icon support, and a healthy dose of material design sprinkled throughout really do the almost impossible, combine power and beauty. If I had to nitpick a little it would be that the application canhave a few too many IAP’s. Some color schemes and plugins cost money on top of the $1.99 price of the application itself and I found myself wishing I could just purchase everything in one shot. An important note though is that this never gets in the way of using the application. I am all for an app developer making money without selling themselves out to advertisements or restricting basic features, so if this is how they found to keep the lights on and bills paid then keep on going guys. For $1.99 Solid Explorer is a… solid buy…. 

#2 FX File Explorer – Free/$2.99 – Root: Yes

If you liked the look of ES File Explorer you will feel somewhat right at home on FX. It follows a similar tile arrangement that while functional, can be a little cluttered. When it comes to displaying its capabilities, FX is quite a bit better for discovery than Solid or Root Explorer since it places almost all available features front and center. Colors are bright, iconography is nice and they help distinguish different features instead of being a singular mess of things to do. FX also goes further by trying to be a jack of all trades by offering a gallery, file sharing manager, as well as a music and video player. You know what they say about a jack of all trades though and FX is no different, in most cases you’re better off going for a dedicated application for these features as FX doesn’t do any of them especially well, but for some users it may be nice to have. One of FX’s best features though is its split view multi-window mode (Solid has this as well but only in landscape mode). Dragging files from one directory into another is simple and painless and this is a nifty feature, but one many people won’t need to use often. When all is said and done though, FX File Explorer is a fully featured file manager that has many tricks up its sleeve and is a good purchase if you just have to have that tiled home 

#3 Explorer/Root Explorer – Free/$3.99 – Root: Yes (Paid)

I have been a long time user of Root Explorer so placing it in third hurt a little. Whenever I reset a device it is one of the first apps installed because of its sheer ability to do exactly what I want it to do without getting in the way. Recently receiving a fresh coat of material design and a splash of color didn’t hurt either and the app looks better than it has in years. However, comparing Root Explorer to Solid Explorer or FX isn’t an easy or even fair task. Solid Explorer is almost like Root Explorers faster, slicker, more capable brother. Both handle cloud accounts, but Solid allows for more. Both use material design, but Solid’s implementation is better. Both do many of the same things and both do them capably, Solid just does more and most times it does it better. If you already own Root Explorer and love what it does, great. But if you want something that does a whole lot more and does it for cheaper, then head for Solid Explorer. I’d just wish the Root Explorer developers would fix that application icon…

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As I mentioned in the beginning, there is no shortage file managers on Google Play so here are a few honorable mentions. Total Commander (Link) is a very powerful application but suffers from a horribly confusing interface. MK Explorer and Documents Beta (Link and Link) are both great beautifully material designed explorers that are simple with very little fluff and some tricks of their own. They are quick, simple, easy to use, and perfect to move a file from point A to B without needing to include all of the cloud features others have.

The truth is that even though ES File Explorer has turned its back on the Android faithful by resorting to some rather distasteful tactics, there are a lot of excellent file managers for Android. With so much choice one is guaranteed to fit your needs and look great at the same time, all without pushing annoying advertisements in your face.

FlashFire v0.33 Update Brings Ability to Backup and Restore via ADB over WiFi

FlashFire, for the uninitiated, is the work of XDA Recognized Developer Chainfire, a man who needs no introduction to an Android enthusiast. FlashFire is the successor of Mobile Odin, an application that aids in flashing Android devices on-the-go.

The latest update to FlashFire has brought the ability to backup and restore your phone partitions through ADB. These are full backups of your device, but you do have the ability to choose which parts of your phone you want to back up. As an added bonus, the backup and restore options also works wirelessly through ADB over Wi-Fi. However, Chainfire notes that the backups are created and wrapped in a ZIP file in a specific order, which means that you cannot zip existing backed up partitions created on your phone and restore them through adb.

Along with this, FlashFire is also changing a few things related to how it handles Adopted Storage on newer Android versions. To note, FlashFire will always treat your Internal Storage as Internal Storage, and your Adopted Storage as Adopted Storage; this works like this even if you have migrated or swapped the two on your device.

There are a host of other changes too. Some of the notable ones include better startup performance for users with many backups, improvements to back key behaviour in-app, improvements in display of progress information, support for additional partition types and more. The full changelog can be viewed below:

Changelog

• Add support for backing up to and restoring from ADB, through USB or Wi-Fi (special ZIP format)
• Completely reworked progress code, more info is shown in more places now (current file, speed, progress)
• Improved back key handling
• Improved app startup performance
• If sdcard is adopted, reflect that in location display name
• Fix adopted SD card sometimes not showing up in mixed partition mode
• Attempt to identify external sdcard (rather than calling it USB)
• Adjust storage location display order
• Add warning when using adopted storage
• Rewrote file creation routines to cope better with adopted storages
• Fix reboot card popup title
• Refactor shell commands as root
• Change install location to internal-only
• Fix backup of internal storage not skipping backups in some cases
• Adjust ZIP parser so it can cope with Samsung FOTA ZIPs
• Added warning for Huawei users about brickability
• Add OEM partition to TWRP emergency restore
• Fix backup/restore per-file progress freezing
• Archives: Add suppport for Huawei’s UPDATE.APP format
• OTA: Add detection for Samsung, Huawei, HTC, Letv
• OTA: Add multi-zip-file capability
• Partitions: Add various Tegra-specific partitions
• Partitions: Add various Mtk64-specific partitions
• Partitions: Add various Huawei-specific partitions
• Partitions: Add various Pixel-C-specific partitions
• Partitions: Add generic Factory Reset Protection partition
• Partitions: Add support for eMMC boot and general purpose partitions
• Partitions: Attempt r/w unlock before writing
• EverRoot: Updated embedded SuperSU to v2.72 BETA
• EverRoot: Use LESSLOGGING mode, reduces SuperSU output

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