The Tech Influencer

Fixing the latest bugs and exploits in Android every month. Google has detailed the latest Android Security Bulletin and released the fixes for Nexus and Pixel devices. These are exploits and other security concerns that affect Android as a whole. Issues with the operating system, kernel patches, and driver updates may not affect any particular device, but these need to be fixed in the Android base by the folks maintaining the operating system code. That means Google, and they've detailed the things they have improved for this month. Updated factory images for Pixel and Nexus devices that are supported are available, and over-the-air updates are rolling out to users. If you don't want to wait, you can download and flash the factory image or OTA update file manually, and here are some handy instructions to get you started. How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel The company that made your phone uses these patches to send an update out to you. These changes have ...

Get the latest version of Android on your phone on your own terms. Update March 2018: We now have a whole new version of Android to try as the Android P Developer Preview has begun. All the steps and methods here still apply; the only difference is if you're looking to sign up for the Android Beta Program, when it begins, you'll get P and not O. And hey, if you're looking to be a beta tester you wanted the latest bleeding edge anyway, right? We're also pretty sure these steps for manually flashing your phone aren't going to change once Android P (please let it be Pringles) becomes an official not-beta thing. We'll make sure to get everything up to date as soon as we have the skinny on it all, because we flash our phones on day one, too. Now that we're well into the cycle of Android Oreo updates, Pixel and Nexus owners are clamoring to get the latest updates to Android 8.1 as soon as possible. But Google doesn't always push these over-the-air upd...

The Nokia 7 Plus marries Nokia's industrial design with the simplicity of Android One. HMD Global revived the Nokia brand last year, initially focusing on the budget segment with the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and the Nokia 6. While the manufacturer rolled out the Nokia 8 to cater to the premium category, it wasn't quite as good as the OnePlus 5T or the Mi Mix 2. For its 2018 portfolio, HMD is introducing several phones aimed at different price points in one go — there's the Android Go-based Nokia 1 for the entry-level segment, the Nokia 6 2018 for the budget category, the Nokia 7 Plus at the mid-range segment, and the Nokia 8 Sirocco is the company's flagship. The Nokia 7 Plus is the most interesting device of the lot, as it is the first Nokia-branded phone to feature an 18:9 form factor. The 6-inch FHD+ (2160x1080) IPS LCD panel has vivid colors and decent saturation levels, and it gets sufficiently bright that I didn't face any issues trying to read the co...

Xiaomi could be going after the Razer Phone with its upcoming Black Shark device. Xiaomi is getting ready to launch a gaming-oriented phone, similar to what we've seen with the Razer Phone. The phone is slated for an official unveil next Friday, April 13, and a new teaser out of Weibo (via Gear ) gives us a glimpse at the design language. There isn't much to see, but at least we can look forward to a phone with rounded corners on all sides. Unlike previous Xiaomi phones, the upcoming device will feature the Black Shark branding and not the Mi label, suggesting this could be the first phone in a new gaming-focused sub-brand. Little is known about the device itself, other than the fact that it will be powered by the Snapdragon 845. Being a gaming-oriented device, it'll be interesting if the phone offers a similar 120Hz refresh rate as the Razer Phone. We should also see up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, and it's likely the phone will feature a sim...

The new camera app is now divided into sections and older devices are likely to receive the updated app soon The Moto G6 is about to launch, but the company is releasing a completely redesigned version of its camera app prior to the launch. Motorola has changed the app inside-out, starting with the app icon itself. The new app icon is less aggressive and looks a bit flatter. The new icon is likely to be a part of the new icon theme Moto may launch with the upcoming phones. Inside, the app is now divided into three sections, which can be toggled between by swiping. The default mode is the photo mode which has four options at the top. There is the HDR toggle, flash toggle, timer and the toggle to switch between auto and manual camera mode. Jumping into the manual camera mode, users will have the option to toggle metering, white balance, shutter speed, ISO and exposure setting. Swiping to the left, the camera will take you to the video mode and swiping to the right will take you to o...

Review The BQ-6000L Aurora one of the flagship smartphone of the brand BQ that is designed with details in mind. The built in quality let us know it is a flagship, it is a nice phone for those who do not to spend much and still have a good processor, enough RAM to run almost every game in the market, and of course all the social media y applications that you might need to check the weather, read news, chat with friends, and watch videos. The battery life it is great for this device, if you don’t squeeze it in games. Since it is not meant to be a gamer phone, but the Mediatek Helio P25 makes it possible and its 4Gb Ram can handle any of the new games. But, as I mention it is not quite the idea of the phone. The security features with It incorporated finger print sensor in the in the back. In my opinion the finger print sensor it is now the best protection, since the face recognition yet has its flaws, and it’s in it first development stages so in a few month or years it will be i...

Smart mobile networks are expected to connect with more devices, handle more data, significantly reduce latency and bring new levels of reliability. 5G service has been designed to meet these needs by pooling bandwidth to boost speed and range. Rising demand of mobile data traffic volume with high speed, increasing dependency on machine to machine communication, rising demand for broadband services and large network coverage booming the market of 5G services. Future of connectivity relies heavily on 5G and companies including Nokia, Huawei and Ericsson are got ready to prepare themselves for next generation wireless technology having services such as: Energy- smart grid, connected pipeline and logistics, physical security, asset management. Automotive- road safety and traffic efficiency, intelligent navigation. Healthcare- Mhealth and telemedicine Retail- field force tracking, supply chain management, remote monitoring, retail automation Consumer electronics- smart appliance, sma...

Blu VIVO X Review The Blu VIVO X one of the flagship smartphone of the brand BLU that is designed with details in mind. The built in quality let us know it is a flagship, it is a nice phone for those who do not to spend much and still have a good processor, enough RAM to run almost every game in the market, and of course all the social media y applications that you might need to check the weather, read news, chat with friends, and watch videos. The battery life it is great for this device, if you don’t squeeze it in games. Since it is not meant to be a gamer phone, but the Mediatek P25 makes it possible and its 4Gb Ram can handle any of the new games. But, as I mention it is not quite the idea of the phone. The security features with It incorporated finger print sensor in the front super easy to work with and face recognition unlock. In my opinion the finger print sensor it is now the best protection, since the face recognition yet has its flaws, and it’s in it first d...