Monday, May 11, 2020

Newton Email App Is Back

Newton mail app is shutting down. What's next? * Alvistor
Newton is an email app for iOS, Android and desktop computers that has been around for a long time, gaining a large fan base over the years for its forward thinking features, going through many ups and downs as of recently, namely two shutdowns in two years. Media outlets have called it the better mail alternative to the Gmail app, and it has been downloaded on Google Play over a million times.

The new owners of Newton, Justin Mitchell and Maitrik Kataria have shared their plans for the future of the mail app, consisting of the following six steps:
  1. A contingency plan to keep Newton going forever
  2. Building a stable and steady independent business
  3. Add “service” in the SaaS (software as a service) business
  4. Add features that increase the lifetime value
  5. Better security and privacy around your data
  6. Rewards and discounts for loyal customers
You can download the Newton Android app, and Apple's App Store below at the source link.



Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Android 11 Developer Preview 4 Goes Live...

Developer preview gives an early first look at Android 11

Today we get Android 11 Developer Preview Four... Previously, Google said there would only be three Android 11 Developer Preview releases but Google is making a few changes to the Android 11 release schedule, and that includes this unexpected additional developer preview. The next beta release has been moved to June 3rd, where it will be dropped as part of a new Beta Launch Show online event details for which Google published earlier today. All of the following betas on the original schedule have also been pushed back a month.

Google says that this new timeline is the result of challenges posed to developers as a result of current events. The extra month will give them more time before Android 11's changes reach the "platform stability" milestone, and an extra month for developers to get Android 11 apps ready for testing (developers should note: SDK and APIs for Android 11 are still set to be finalized in June).


Google Rolling Out Wireless Stadia Support

Google announced that wireless Stadia Controller support is rolling out to the web this week. This means that gamers playing on laptops and desktops no longer need to connect via USB.

Starting this week, you can now use the Stadia Controller to play wirelessly on your laptop and desktop. You no longer need to connect your Stadia Controller physically to your computer to play your favorite games. You’ll be able to link your Stadia Controller and Stadia.com through your Wi-Fi network and play without a USB-C cable connection.

As of this morning’s Stadia announcement, wireless Controller support on the web is not yet rolled out with a “coming soon” message still appearing. Once available, turn on your device and visit Stadia to open the Controller menu in the top right corner. A linking code that you need to enter on your Controller will appear.


Source: Stadia

Android 11 Beta Arrives, June 3rd

Android 11 Beta Show
 
Android 11 Developer Preview program showed that we would get several previews before a public beta release some time in May. Google has now revealed that the first Android 11 Beta will arrive in June with a special online presentation.

This is the replacement for Google I/O, which was canceled due to coronavirus. The new event is called “The Beta Launch Show” and will take place on June 3 at 8AM Pacific (11AM Eastern).


Saturday, May 2, 2020

Motorola Rejoins The Flagship Game Meet, The Motorola Edge+

Motorola Edge+

Motorola is back in 2020 with the Motorola Edge+, a phone whose specs and price put it right next to Samsung in a battle for the top. With limited availability watching as Motorola tries to get their new phone in front of your eyeballs should be interesting.

The Motorola Edge+ is a $1,000 phone coming exclusively to Verizon in the US. It features a 6.7″ OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution, Snapdragon 865 processor, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.0 storage, 5000mAh battery with fast wired (18W) and wireless (15W) charging, triple rear camera setup on the back, 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, fingerprint reader, Bluetooth 5.1, and Android 10.

The triple rear camera is made-up of 108MP main (binning to 27MP, f1.8, OIS), 16MP ultra-wide (f2.2, 117-degree FOV), and 8MP telephoto (f2.4, OIS) lenses. It can shoot up to 6K and 4K video at 30fps, as well as slow motion 1080p at 120fps. The front camera is a 25MP shooter.

This phone will be big on connectivity, with access to Verizon’s 5G mmW. When Verizon expand beyond mmW, the phone is sub-6GHz 5G ready and has WiFi 6 support for faster WiFi.

Android 11 Developer Preview 3 Now Available

Android 11

Google has released Android 11 Developer Preview 3 to supported Pixel devices, including the Google Pixel 2/2 XL, Google Pixel 3/3 XL, Google Pixel 3a/3a XL, and Google Pixel 4/4 XL. We still not to the beta stage, so you won’t just be able to easily enroll in this preview like you have been able to in the past. 

This should be the last preview build before the Android 11 beta in May.

Google says this update contains “bug fixes and a set of productivity improvements,” we are assuming this is the final preview before going into beta and opens up a wider audience. Flash if you dare...

How to install Android 11 Developer Preview 3


New Google Pixel Buds Now Available

Pixel Buds

The new Google Pixel Buds (2nd Gen) are now available. Google made the release official and the first reviews are starting to pop up.

At this time, only the Clearly White pair is available, though Google still shows that Almost Black, Quite Mint, and Oh So Orange are coming soon with a waitlist. It’ll appears to be months before others are available.

If you’d like a pair, you can order them for the following places: