Android N Developer Preview 2 available to download now
It's only a few weeks since the first developer preview of Android N was released, but now it's time for the second. Google has announced the availability of Android N Developer Preview 2 packed with bug fixes and a raft of new features.
Among the new tools for developers to play with is Vulkan, a new 3D rendering API which Google says provides a big performance boost for certain apps. Other key additions include support for the more human-looking Emoji Unicode 9, and new launcher shortcuts that can be used to quickly jump to specific actions within an app.
Meizu Pro 6 is a new flagship Android smartphone with 10-core processor
The Android flagships introduced so far this year feature an octa-core processor, typically a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Hardly anyone can argue that eight cores are not enough for whatever apps and games users might want to run. Meizu is an exception as with its latest high-end smartphone it is taking things up a notch.
Meizu's new Pro 6 is among the first, if not the first, smartphone to feature a 10-core processor, namely a Helio X25 chip with four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.4 GHz, four Cortex-A53 cores at 2 GHz and two Cortex-A72 cores at 2.5 GHz. On paper it looks much more impressive than a Samsung Galaxy S7 or HTC 10.
Employees opt for Apple when given a technology choice
It's becoming increasingly common for companies to offer their employees a choice of technology devices. And according to a new survey when they do have a choice people are more likely to choose Apple devices.
The study by device management company JAMF Software shows that ease of use is the main reason given by people for selecting Mac (75 percent) and iOS (79 percent) as their work device of choice.
Google Calendar now helps you to reach your goals
It's not long since the Reminders feature arrived in Google Calendar on the web, a few months after it debuted in iOS and Android. Now Google is rolling out another new feature that makes it easier to find time to reach your goals -- whether this is indulging in a hobby a few times a week, or just trying to do some regular exercise.
Goals in Google Calendar is not about ticking items off your bucket list, but automating the process of adding reminders to your calendar without having to manually search high and low for the necessary time. Just indicate what you want to do, and how often, and the rest will be taken care of for you. But it gets better...
BlackBerry will release two mid-range Android phones in 2016
BlackBerry will be moving back into the mid-range smartphone market in order to appeal to enterprise customers who were unable to justify the Priv’s $700 retail price.
John Chen, the company’s CEO, has revealed that BlackBerry is planning to release two mid-range Android smartphones during 2016. One will include a physical keyboard to appease fans of the company’s iconic handsets and the other will sport a full touchscreen to appeal towards consumers who have adopted the modern smartphone form factor.
Meet HTC 10
Despite giving us some of the nicest high-end smartphones, HTC's sales have dropped sharply in the past couple of years. Today, the once-successful company is nothing but a shadow of its former self, posting revenue so low that it makes you wonder how much longer it can keep the lights on. Meanwhile, long time rivals like Apple and Samsung are watching their flagships fly off the shelves.
HTC has clearly made some mistakes, but its latest flagship is proof that things are taking a turn for the better. HTC 10 offers pretty much everything that you could want in a premium smartphone: high-quality build, top level hardware, cutting-edge features, the latest software and a competitive price.
Google shows love to users with disabilities
According to Google, 20 percent of people in the USA will experience a disability at some point in their life. Let's think about this for a moment -- that is one in five people. In other words, people with disabilities are a significant part of the population. While there are many laws on the books protecting the disabled from discrimination, this group of people can still be underrepresented.
Today, the search giant highlights some of the ways it is helping users with disabilities. Google is focusing on multiple platforms, such as Chromebooks, Android, and the web.
New cloud platform streamlines Android app development
Businesses have ever more demand from consumers to deliver services via mobile, so they're looking for ways to produce apps quickly and efficiently.
To address this need, Android solutions provider Genymobile is cloud-based platform that allows enterprises to build, test, show off and service Android applications across the entire application lifecycle while streamlining the development process.
Reddit launches official Android and iOS apps
Reddit has evolved into one of the most popular websites in the world but, despite its success, the self-titled "front page of the Internet" never released an official app. So, over the years, users have turned to third-party clients, one of which -- Alien Blue -- Reddit actually bought two years ago. Now though users are finally getting the real deal.
Reddit has finally launched official apps for Android and iOS. They come with support for inline images and themes, and promise "simpler navigation", and more. Here is what else you can expect.
Android gaining ground mainly at Windows Phone's expense
Windows Phone sales took a dive in 2015, and it looks like the trend continues in 2016 as well. The platform is losing ground in major markets across the globe, according to a new report by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. And Android is taking advantage of it.
In the three months ending February 2016, Windows Phone saw its market share drop considerably in five major European markets (France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain), and US and Australia, with Android adding the percentage points it lost under its belt. Things are looking better in China and Japan, however.
Chuwi Hi12 -- a Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro alternative at a fraction of the cost [Review]
The number of convertible tablets vying to take on Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 is on the increase. Some are more than reasonable competition while others are little more than cheap knock-offs. The absurdly low price of the Chuwi Hi12 might fool you into thinking that this 12-inch Chinese tablet falls into the latter camp, but you'd be wrong.
Costing an unbelievably low $289.99 (neatly below the promised $300 threshold), the Hi12 is not strictly a direct competitor to the Surface range... it lacks the all-important kickstand. So we're off to a great start with price, and the looks are certainly not to be sniffed at either; it's not a million miles away from iPad territory. But while looks and price are important, it's what's on the inside -- and how it works -- that matters, and the Hi12 does not disappoint.
The doctor will lose your data now -- 1 in 5 doctors' mobile devices could be at high risk
More than 27 million Android devices running medical apps are likely to have high risk malware installed according to a new report.
The Mobile Threat Intelligence report from threat defense company Skycure is focused on healthcare and finds that doctors who use mobile devices to assist their day-to-day practice are exposed to network threats, and that these significantly increase over time.
Reminders come to Google Calendar on the web, bringing to-do list support
A calendar offering reminders might seem like a fairly obvious feature, but here we're talking about Reminders (note the initial cap). Towards the end of last year, Google Calendar on iOS and Android gained support for Reminders -- and, as a result, to-do lists -- and now the same feature is coming to Google Calendar on the web.
Unlike standard calendar appointments, Reminders stick around until you tick them off. There's no need to keep changing the due date on something you don't get round to doing, as it will automatically roll over to the next day and appear on your calendar until you take the appropriate action.
Android can't make BlackBerry phones attractive again
Realizing that it stands no chance of attracting consumers with BlackBerry 10 OS devices, BlackBerry last year released a smartphone that runs Android. Called Priv, it offers an interesting mix of business and consumer-oriented features that make it a powerful contender in the high-end segment. Many folks seem to like it, but just how much of a success is it?
Priv has what it takes to be a big seller. It has all the right features that consumers say they want in a BlackBerry smartphone: premium build, physical keyboard, large screen, enterprise-friendly apps and, last but not least, Android. You would think that by giving people what they've asked for the company would be struggling to keep up with demand. And yet, in its last fiscal quarter, BlackBerry only sold a very small number of Priv units.
Windows 10 will soon show you notifications from your Android phone
The Notification Center in Windows 10 is a great idea but, many would argue, one that is both limited and poorly implemented. For anyone with a Windows 10 Mobile phone it is marginally more useful thanks to notification sharing, and this feature is due to expand to Android users as well.
At Build, Microsoft revealed that the Notification Center is in line for a major overhaul that will not only bring Cortana-power notification mirroring to Android users, but will also bring a richer, more image-heavy notification experience. The news isn’t so great for iPhone users as the more tightly controlled nature of iOS means Microsoft has a harder task on its hands.
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