Latest News

  Google  and  Samsung  have joined hands to give developer an opportunity to sync users' health and fitness data between  Android  apps and their devices. Called 'Health Connect', the platform and API (application programming interface) is for  Android  app developers to securely access users' health data. With user permission, developers can use a single set of APIs to securely access and share health and fitness data across  Android  devices,  Google  said in a statement. "We're building this new unified platform in collaboration with  Samsung  to simplify connectivity between apps" to foster richer app experiences while also providing centralised privacy controls for users," the tech giant added. Google  is working with developers including MyFitnessPal, Leap Fitness and Withings as part of an early access programme. In addition,  Samsung  Health, Google Fit and Fitbit are adopting Health ...

  Google's 'Pixel Fold' has been in the news for quite some time now. The latest update for the foldable phone is that it will have a smaller outer display and an inner-size display similar to the Galaxy Z Fold4, as per industry insider Ross Young. As per GSM Arena, allegedly called the 'Pixel Notepad,' will have a 5.8-inch outer display, wider and shorter than the Galaxy Z Fold4's 6.19-inch expected screen. Confirmed by a previous leak, the 'Pixel Notepad' is rumoured to have similar-sized folding displays, which means that the Pixel Notepad will have a wider aspect ratio than the Fold. Young says, "Z Fold 4 and  Google  foldable will have similar-sized foldable displays, but the  Google  cover display will be quite a bit smaller at 5.8". This should mean it will have a wider aspect ratio than the Samsung 6.19" Fold 4. Hear more at our conference next week." It is most likely to use a Tensor chip but resort to the older Pixel...

  Google  is bringing its 'Kormo Jobs' Android app to India to help job seekers find and apply for positions across India. The tech giant, which introduced 'Jobs' last year in India as part of  Google  Pay to connect job seekers with opportunities in industries like on-demand businesses, retail and hospitality, said the offering will be rebranded to 'Kormo Jobs'. Google  Regional Manager and Operations Lead (Kormo Jobs) Bickey Russell said Jobs was originally piloted in Bangladesh (in 2018) and subsequently launched in Indonesia, under the brand Kormo Jobs. Last year, Google also made available a similar offering in India under the brand 'Jobs as a Spot' on  Google Pay  app. ALSO READ:  Gmail services disrupted across the globe, company says probing issue Companies like Zomato and Dunzo have found candidates with the required skills, experience and location preferences using the service, with over two million verified jobs posted on...

  South Korean electronics maker  Samsung  has announced to roll out three-generation of  Android  operating system upgrades for its Galaxy devices, including smartphones, foldable screen devices and tablets. Usually, only select original equipment manufacturers on  Android  One platform deliver three-generation of  Android  OS upgrades, while most smartphone brands stick to two-year of OS upgrades and three-year of security upgrades from  Google.  Before the announcement,  Samsung  also promised to service its Galaxy devices with Android updates for a maximum period of two years. However, the select Galaxy devices will now get up to three-generation of Android OS upgrades from  Samsung. Galaxy devices eligible for three-generation of Android OS upgrades: Galaxy S series:  Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, S20 Ultra, S20+ 5G, S20+, S20 5G, S20 in addition to S10 5G, S10+, S10, S10e, S10 Lite and upcoming S series devices ...

Four years ago, disbelief rippled through the audience at Reliance’s annual general meeting when  Mukesh Ambani  said he was launching 4G Volte  smartphones  under Reliance’s own brand name Lyf at an unbeatable price of Rs 2,999 when the average 4G smartphone at that time cost Rs 4000. On Tuesday, during the company’s first pandemic-forced virtual annual general meeting, Ambani outlined another vision to disrupt the mobile device market again. The company, with its new partner Google, will build entry level 4G and 5G  smartphones  at the fraction of the existing cost based on optimisations to the Android operating system and the Playstore. If successful, the move could pose serious challenges to competing mobile companies, especially Vodafone-Idea. A large chunk of its customers are still on 2G and 3G. Bharti too will be affected, not to mention BSNL, which does even have a 4G service live, leave alone a phone. Read Complete Article

In an ambitious bid to take on Google-owned YouTube,  Facebook  is readying itself to launch officially-licensed  music  videos for artists on its platform in the US next month. In an email sent to  Facebook  Page owners linked to artists, the social network informed that they will need to toggle on a new setting to add their  music  videos to their page ahead of an August 1 deadline, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. Facebook  would automatically create a page of their videos titled '(Artist Name) Official Music' if there is no action from the artists. Artists will not need to manually upload their videos or links. Facebook will control this page, accessible via Facebook Watch and "a new  music  video destination" on the platform. By enabling the new setting, "artists are giving Facebook permission to add music videos to their Page," where they can be seen by their fans under a Videos tab. Read Comp...

Microsoft  and  Google  have joined hands to help web developers get their Progressive Web  Apps  (PWAs) into the Play Store. Progressive web  apps  use emerging web browser APIs and features, along with traditional progressive enhancement strategy, to bring a native app-like user experience to cross-platform web applications. Microsoft's PWABuilder and Google's Bubblewrap are now working together to help web developers. PWABuilder.com is Microsoft's open source developer tool that helps build high-quality PWAs and publish them in app stores. Bubblewrap is Google's command line utility and library to generate and sign  Google  Play Store packages from Progressive Web  Apps. PWABuilder is now using Bubblerwrap under the hood,  Microsoft  says, and is giving back some integration features to PWAs on Android. After months of collaboration, the two tech giants have announced two great new features...

Google  has redesigned Photos, which brings stories-like 'memories' to give more prominence to older photos and videos. It also brings search front-and-centre with a new three-tab structure: Photos, Search and Library. The main tab contains all the photos and videos but users will see larger thumbnails, auto-playing videos, and less white space between photos. "At the very top, you'll also notice a larger Memories carousel. It's become one of our most beloved features, with more than 120 million people viewing Memories every month," informed  Google. Google  said it is putting search front and centre to give you quick access to the people, places, and things most important to you. "The library tab contains the most important destinations in your photo library, like Albums, Favorites, Trash, Archive and more. If you're in the US, EU or Canada, you'll also see our Print Store, where you can purchase printed products featur...

Google  on Wednesday announced that the technology giant has raised the group video participants limit to 32 from 12. At 32 participants,  Google  Duo is now on par with Apple's FaceTime, but still less than Skype's 50 people limit and Zoom which allows as many as 100 users (500 if used with the 'Large Meeting' add on). "Today, one of our most requested features for Duo, group calling on the web with up to 32 people, is starting to roll out on the latest version of Chrome," tweeted Sanaz Ahari, Google's senior director of product and design. ALSO READ:  Google Meet video conference service coming soon to Gmail for Android, iOS The search engine giant is also rolling out a new video codec technology to improve video call quality and reliability, even on very low-bandwidth connections. Read Complete Article

Google  on Friday launched a feature on  Google  Search, Assistant, and Maps to help users find information related to Covid-19 testing centers near them in India. The technology giant is working with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the government's crowdsourcing platform MyGov to provide users with information on authorised testing labs. The new feature is available in English and eight other languages in India -- Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Gujarati. Finding reliable information regarding testing centres has been a big issue pointed out by people who want to get tested for Covid-19. ALSO READ:  Coronavirus LIVE: Certainly not in community transmission, says Govt While making a coronavirus-related search (eg. “ coronavirus  testing”) on Search and  Google  Assistant, users will now see a ‘Testing’ tab on the search results page providing a list of nearby testing labs along ...

After several delays,  Google  on Wednesday released the first Beta version of its upcoming  Android  11 mobile  operating system  for developers to test before official rollout that is scheduled for later this year. The Beta version of  Android  11 is based on feedback that the technology giant received since February on the  Android  11 developer previews. According to Google, the Beta Android 11 is built on three key themes: People, Controls, and Privacy. To make Android 11 people-centric,  Google  has added different layers of customisations in the OS to help people converse on the phone while prioritising messages from across the apps from contacts that matter. Besides, the Android 11 brings conversation notifications that appear in a dedicated section at the top of the shade, with a people-forward design and conversation specific actions, such as opening the conversation as a bubble, creating a conversation shor...

Google  has customised the Bedtime mode to help improve your sleep with the help of technology. Besides, the technology giant also added new functions to help you get better and more restful sleep. These functions include a new Bedtime tab in clock app and Bedtime reminder on YouTube app for  Android.  The new bedtime experience is rolling out to Pixel devices and will be available in the Clock app on other  Android  devices later this summer. Formerly known as Wind Down in the Digital Wellbeing settings, the new Bedtime mode keeps your phone screen in dark mode and silences notifications while you sleep. While Bedtime mode is on, it uses Do Not Disturb to silence calls, texts and other notifications. Google  has also made it easier to customise how and when to turn on Bedtime mode. Based on your bedtime schedule, you can choose to have it turn on automatically or after your phone is plugged in to charge. Moreover, there is now an option to ad...

Google  has once again postponed the launch of  Android  11 operating system’s first beta version. The delay could possibly be due to the on-going internal conflict in the US or due to the coronavirus crisis. However,  Google  did not specify the reason for the delay. “We are excited to tell you more about  Android  11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We'll be back with more on  Android  11, soon.” said  Google  in a blogpost. The first beta of the Android 11 was earlier postponed to go official on June 3 through an online event. However, the launch now stands cancelled and Google will come out with a new launch date in future. Read Complete Article

Sony  India on Tuesday announced the all-new BRAVIA X8000H and X7500H TV series with 4K Ultra HD LED display. The 85X8000H will be available at Rs 5,99,990, 65X8000H at Rs 1,39,990 and 55X7500H is priced at Rs 79,990, the company said in a statement. Sony's new 4K HDR TVs are available in various sizes. The next generation  Smart TVs  support true-to-life viewing experience with 'TRILUMINOS' display that reproduces the subtle nuances of colour, light and gradation from video lens to living room. The new Bravia TVs features x-balanced speaker whichnaims to deliver immersive sound experience accompanied with Ultra-vivid Picture. The new lineup comes with Android 9 Pie with voice search powered by Google Assistant. Read Complete Article

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei’s sub-brand  Honor  recently launched in India the  Honor  9X Pro. Priced at Rs 17,999, the phone goes for special early access sale at 12 noon on Flipkart. The sale is exclusive to people who showed interest and registered for the product on Flipkart from May 12 - May 19. The  Honor  9X Pro will available in midnight black and phantom purple colours. Honor is offering several benefits during early access sale, including no interest equated monthly instalment scheme for up to six months, Rs 3,000 instant discount and free one-time screen replacement plan on accidental damage valid for first three months. Besides, the company is also offering seven-day return, subject to terms and conditions. In terms of specifications, the Honor 9X Pro features a 6.59-inch screen of fullHD+ resolution. Powering the smartphone is Huawei’s Kirin 810 system-on-chip, mated with 6GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. Imaging is covered...

It is known that the  Google Play Music is in its final phase before it retires from the music streaming services space later this year. There are several reasons for the service to permanently phase out but majorly it is because of the availability of  YouTube  Music, which seems to be a better proposition to take on other music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Ideally,  Google  Play Music should have been integrated with the  YouTube  Music right from the beginning. However,  Google  decided to do otherwise and there was no way to bring the Google Play Music library onto  YouTube  Music. Not until now. Now, before finally phasing out the Google Play Music, the company has enabled import option on YouTube Music that allows its users on Google Play Music to transfer entire Google Play Music library over to YouTube Music. Read Complete Article

Google  has delayed the launch of Android 11 operating system’s first beta version due to the coronavirus crisis. The Android 11 Beta 1 will now go official on June 3 through an online event. Meanwhile, the technology giant has released a fourth developer preview of the upcoming  operating system  for the developers. "When we started planning Android 11, we didn't expect the kinds of changes that would find their way to all of us, across nearly every region in the world. These have challenged us to stay flexible and find new ways to work together, especially with our developer community." the Android Developers team wrote in a blog post. ALSO READ:  Google once evaluated options to acquire video meeting app Zoom: Report The delay in Android 11 Beta 1 version has also impacted the rollout schedule of the  operating system. Read Complete Article

Apple and  Google  on Wednesday released the first version of exposure notification (earlier called contact tracing) Application Programming Interface (API) to select developers associated with public health authorities (PHAs) around the world. This is a developer-focused release and is consistent with both the companies deliver beta copies of their software at the same time. Aimed at helping developers begin testing in anticipation of the API's release in mid-May, another goal of the release is to encourage feedback that will help improve the various features, the tech giants said in a statement. "Collaboration and transparency have been two key principles of the project for both companies. Additional details will be announced on Friday," they added. Read Complete Article