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Vivo's APEX 2020 concept phone has a built-in gimbal camera and supports 60W wireless charging
You won't be able to buy this phone, though
Vivo has built a habit of announcing concepts with the most outlandish hardware that it wants to add to its regular lineup in the future. Its 2018 phone was one of the first in the industry to have a pop-up front lens and virtually no screen bezels while the 2019 release fully did away with regular ports and a selfie camera to eliminate points of failure and maximize the screen size even further. The Vivo APEX 2020 continues this trend, but it has received a front camera again in the form of an in-display solution and has stepped up the wireless charging game to 60W.
Apex and Nova used to go toe to toe for launcher supremacy, but while Nova has continued to improve, Apex's fall from grace has been something of a spectacle. Last year's update to version 4 was met with criticism from users, leading the developer to exercise a partial rollback to the previous release. Now the launcher is back in the spotlight with a scammy-looking popup that recommends its own Privacy Browser when launching Chrome from the app drawer.
The Google I/O 2019 keynote was, as usual, chock full of cool announcements, and among them was mention of a lofty new goal: Project Mainline. The idea picks up where Treble left off, furthering Android's modularization and making it easier for updates to change core OS components — mitigating the effect of the big, bad Fragmentation monster.
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- We can confirm that the OTA update for those in the Beta Program is now rolling out. If you don't see the update now, you should very soon. Downloads, at the time of writing, are pretty slow, though.
Following our previous expectations and just in time for developers in attendance at the ongoing I/O developer conference, Google has just pushed out downloads for Android Q Beta 3. OTAs don't seem to be pushing out via the traditional means just yet, but you can start sideloading the update on your Pixel now. Beta 3 also adds support for 15 other partner devices from 12 OEMs.
Google's Project Treble was created to help fight Android's dirty f-word (fragmentation), by making the update process easier and faster for OEMs. Separating vendor-specific code like SoC drivers out from Android itself was meant to help when it came to OS updates and the work required to push them out. Now Google is working on increasing just how modular Android can be with something called APEX.
We saw a lot of things at Mobile World Congress this year, but one of the wildest was the Vivo Apex. Even if the name isn't familiar, you've probably seen photos of it. This prototype phone was almost entirely screen, and it had a pop-up camera instead of a notch. Now, Vivo appears to be on the verge of launching the phone. The company has sent out invites for an Apex announcement in Shanghai on June 12th.
In-display fingerprint scanners on phones had been prophesied for some time, but few expected relatively unknown Chinese manufacturer Vivo would be the first to release a consumer product to the market. The X20 Plus UD went on sale last month, exclusively in China, for around $565.
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Launchers come and launchers go, but some of them come back. Who can forget the unexpected return of ADW Launcher recently? Not to be left out, the developers of Apex promised a comeback by the end of May, and now a new version is available. It's only a beta, but count this as a promise fulfilled.
Now that the developers of the more popular apps in the Play Store have come to grips with the changes in Android 4.4, it's high time to see them take advantage of the new options. Such is the case with popular alternative homescreen Apex Launcher, which exits its KitKat-enhanced beta and lands on the Play Store today. The new version adds a host of visual tweaks to bring the launcher up to date with 4.4.
KitKat introduces a lot of much-needed features into Android, like better support for low-memory devices, a new storage framework, SMS integration with BLAH BLAH BLAH. We all know what the people want: transparent user interface elements! Following Nova Launcher's update to better visually match the KitKat launcher on the Nexus 5, popular alternative Apex Launcher now has a beta version that does much the same thing.
Google Glass hasn't even fully arrived on the consumer market, but wearable computing competition is already heating up as Samsung announced its Glass competitor: the Samsung Apex. The head-mounted display will serve up both television and internet access while simultaneously sucking your dick.
What makes a developer great is a continued commitment to a great product, and Apex Launcher dev Android Does has it in spades. Their latest in a long line of updates adds a handful of features, most of which are designed to allow the app to more seamlessly integrate with Android 4.2. There's a new shortcut to the Quick Settings menu, as well as modifications to the shortcut selection screen for 4.2 devices. Other changes include better theme, and live wallpaper support and a new dock swipe gesture on the Pro version.
Apex launcher, following closely behind Nova Launcher, has updated to include support for the Android 4.2 update that's currently rolling out to various Nexus devices. If you like your launchers like you like your anterior corner of a butterfly's wings, you can download the update directly on your device. You'll also get a few new extras, including the option to close the app drawer after launching an app and better icon label handling. Here's the full changelog:
It's National Custom Launcher Update Day! Didn't you know? Hot on the heels of Nova Launcher's recent update, Apex Launcher was also bumped up to v1.3. Only, with that update, the launcher decided to FC every time it was opened. Bummer.
Apex Launcher For ICS Gets Bumped To Version 1.2, Supports Themes, Adds CM9 Settings Integration
Apex Launcher For ICS Gets Bumped To Version 1.2
When we first took a look at Apex launcher, we loved it. One of the better ICS launchers is about to get even better, as the app gets bumped to version 1.2. The update brings, among other things, support for themes and a ludicrously high 10x10 grid of icons on phones. For those of you that like have touch screen phones, but hate how easy it is to tap on things without machine-like precision.
US Cellular may not have the most impressive lineup of phones in the world, but it would be hard to say no to getting one of them free nonetheless. And come December 17th, customers will be able to do just that - get any of US Cellular's phones for just $0.00.
LG's Optimus One series (which includes such phones as the Optimus T for T-Mobile, the Optimus S for Sprint, and the recently announced Vortex for Verizon), has been a great hit with customers, so it should come as no surprise that the company's expanding it quickly. Today's Optimus One news comes from US Cellular, who has just announced that the Apex, which is essentially an Optimus One with a keyboard tacked on, will be launching on November 19th for $79.99 after a $80 mail-in rebate. Its specs are essentially the same as the rest of the Optimus One series, but as a reminder: