Facebook unveils redesigned web and mobile
And then every now and then, the software services you use regularly get redesigned in favor of better visuals, accessibility, and a few other factors. For Facebook, which now has more than 200 million users in the social network, design is very important. Bad design can get in the way of content consumption and provide a bad UX and such a large user base that Facebook certainly doesn't want that to happen. This week the social network has undergone a rather radical redesign in its web and mobile presence. The first noticeable change you'll notice is that Latest Mailing Database there aren't a lot of "blue" elements from the previous service. This provides an overall uncluttered look and attempts to bring all Facebook products under an "almost" unified design language. Another notable and notable change happens to be the comment threads, they now look more familiar compared to their old version which is a simple list. It's done to make it easier to follow up on conversations in the comments. Last but not least, the profile picture on Facebook is finally round. Overall, a redesign to make things appear to have more of a cleaner service. Other minor changes to the profile page and link preview. The redesign is active on the web and should be mobile in the coming weeks, watch out for updates.
Andy Rubin's Essential Phone Now Available to Order
A while ago, Andy Rubin, the father of Android, announced his new venture, Essence, to give a glimpse of a handful of devices in the world the company is working on for Phase 1. Among them, 3 devices are shown, and the most hyped is the mobile phone must-have.
Well, this week's phone is finally available to order. Now, customers can go to the must-have website to place their mobile phone order. The phone will come with 128GB of storage as standard, and support for external accessories including the wicked 360-degree camera, which was showcased alongside the phone at launch. If you're interested in picking yourself a liter up, get your pocket ready to reset a $749
'Lite' version of Google's search app said to work in developing markets
Search is at the heart of Google. This is what the company launched as a search engine. It instantly surfaces information within seconds and is a truly empowering feature. I'm sure there isn't a single person in the community of readers who is unaffected by the resourcefulness of googling. In developing markets like India, Brazil etc. connectivity is known to be a constraint, it's something that it comes in the way people get a lot of information.
Some companies like Facebook already work these markets with stripped-down versions of their products that consume less data, and currently Google is getting more and more aboard on this train. In an attempt to cater to the next billion users, Google is reportedly testing a stripped-down version of the search app called "Search Lite", which is currently being tested in some regions in Indonesia and India. The app is catered to users arriving online for the first time and features a new design that simplifies everything. At first rollout users will be asked to choose a language and the search function will be pretty standard. Some of the new options included in the app are Top Sites and the standard option to include news and images in offline pages. The app will roll out to more developing markets in the coming weeks.
Self-healing screen technology from Motorola patent documents
A cracked screen is any smartphone user's worst nightmare. This nightmare has spawned an entire industry around it, and today you can protect your screen for a buck or two with a tempered glass screen protector. However, imagine a situation where you don't need any additional bulk to add it to your screensaver. What if you put down your phone, crack it and crack self-healing? Sounds amazing right? Well, actually it may become a reality soon. Motorola has patented a self-healing screen that will repair cracks after the ShatterShield screen in the device's line of force. According to the patent, the screen will be used with an inner thermal element integrated in a special shape memory polymer. When a scratch or crack is detected, the thermal element will apply heat to the polymer so that it returns to its original shape. However, this will only reverse the damage per speculative to a certain extent. Phones using this technology will be able to detect damage. Once detected the user will be asked to mark the damaged re-healing process which will occupy the entire screen area. All of this should be taken with a grain of salt it's just a patent that may or may not become a reality.
Google acquires AIMatter
In the race to become an AI leader, Google has acquired another AI-based startup. This time it's the makers of AIMatter's Fabby app. Startup specializes in computer vision. This is the branch of AI that lets computers see and understand images the same way humans do.
Launch existing products and SDKs for working with images, especially on mobile devices. Terms of the acquisition have not been announced, but what is known is that Fabby will continue to run independently and AIMatter employees will join Google.
Google Allogeneic comes to the web
Google isn't big in the messaging game. The company launched Allo, the AI-powered messaging app a year ago, and the company has achieved more than 100,000 users a year in its existence. A feature that WhatsApp users like is the availability of a web application to serve. The consensus is that the phone is still tethered to the web app, but it still allows users to easily access chat from their desks.
What Google brings is the same feature, more Allo to attract users. The web application is available at allo.google.com/web and currently only works for Android and iOS versions. The pairing process with the web app is similar to WhatsApp. You have to launch the mobile app and find the ALLO for web option to scan the QR code of the web app. The web application implements the mobile version of the same design. For 100,000 users, this might be a distinguishing feature. Also, for those who can't get on it might just lure them in.
Apple adds new feature to iOS 11 from getting into your phone to stop police
Recently, U.S. Border Security has begun investigating people entering U.S. social media profiles. This is a huge gap in one's privacy and Apple is taking a stand against it. New in iOS, Eleven will quickly disable Touch ID to avoid the police ability to force you to unlock your device.