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vendredi 6 décembre 2019

Google Assistant support for 3rd-party Notes and Lists apps is finally rolling out

Way back at Google I/O 2018, the company talked about adding 3rd-party app support for lists and notes in Google Assistant. People were very excited about this as Assistant’s built-in lists and notes features are pretty limited, not to mention people already have established favorite apps. A little over a year ago, it appeared the feature may be rolling out, but that never actually happened. Now, it looks like Google may finally be flipping the switch for real.

Google published a blog post titled “5 ways to beat holiday stress with the Google Assistant” and #1 is “Stay organized with notes and lists.” Starting today, you can create and manage your notes and lists in Google Keep, Any.do, AnyList, or Bring! across Assistant-enabled phones, smart speakers, and smart displays. You can set it up by opening the Assistant settings and finding “Notes and Lists” in the “Services” tab.

Here are a few example commands from Google:

  • “Create a holiday gift list.”
  • “Add Chromebook to my holiday gift list.”
  • “Add cranberries to my grocery list.”
  • “Take a note.”
  • “Show me my notes.”

This feature has been highly requested among Google Assistant users, especially those with smart speakers/displays, and it’s taken a long time to actually roll out. It’s much easier to say “add milk to my list” than a long, convoluted phrase like “ask OurGroceries to add milk to my list.” Hopefully, it doesn’t take forever to appear on devices this time. The original announcement was for 10 notes and lists apps, so Google still has some work to do. Were you waiting for this feature?

Google Assistant - Get things done, hands-free (Free, Google Play) →

Source: Google

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Microsoft wants Android app devs to adopt its Fluent Design style

Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile are dead, but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft’s mobile efforts. The company has transitioned from a hardware company selling smartphones to a company that wants users to use its apps in Android and iOS, the duopoly that dominates the mobile operating system industry. To that end, Microsoft has an entire portfolio of first-party apps ranging from Microsoft Office (newly integrated into a single app), Outlook, OneDrive, OneNote, Translator, Edge, To-Do List, Launcher, and more. All of these apps were designed using MDL 2, the design language that Microsoft used in designing Windows 10, which itself succeeded the Metro/Modern design language of Windows 8 and Windows Phone. In 2017, however, Microsoft announced that a new design system called “Fluent Design” would be its design language going forward, and it would be a revamp of MDL 2. Since then, newer versions of Windows 10 have started incorporating principles of Fluent Design. Now, Microsoft has designed a mobile-born version of Fluent, and it wants app developers to adopt the design language.

Fluent Design

Microsoft has already redesigned Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with mobile Fluent design, and the company says users can expect new versions of Teams, Yammer, and Planner soon. Microsoft’s design team has been exploring scenarios for dual-screen experiences (such as Surface Duo) and it states that it has created mobile UI toolkits for external developers.

Fluid is a technology that breaks broad experiences into dynamic, real-time components ideal for mobile scenarios. Microsoft’s mobile philosophy is to increase the mobile productivity of users, using terminology such as microproductivity and micro-tasks (such as writing a single paragraph of an Office document instead of the entire document). According to Microsoft, there is a lot more that can be done with mobile productivity, and the company observes that users rarely accomplish as much on a phone as they do on a PC, with the exceptions of mobile-first and mobile-only markets such as India and China.

Microsoft has observed mobile behavior where users spend up to four hours a day on the phone, but their sessions average just 20-30 seconds. This led the company to ask itself which is the most valuable action that someone can perform on their phone in less than 30 seconds, and how can Microsoft’s services “enrich” these actions?

Microsoft, to that end, has released several new features that are mobile-first, such as Outlook’s Play My Emails feature, which lets users listen to their inbox like a podcast. The same functionality has made its way to the Word and Office apps in the form of Read Aloud. Microsoft now offers features in Office, OneDrive, and other apps that let the user quickly scan documents and tables with their phone’s camera, and all of this is said to come with context-specific and personalized information.

Fluent Design for Android and iOS

Microsoft now thinks of itself as a company where the operating system doesn’t matter, and it’s building experiences for a post-OS world. To that end, design languages become even more important to differentiate Microsoft’s development from others. Fluent design for Android and iOS is “a mobile-born interpretation of our Fluent principles that ensures experiences will feel both distinctly Microsoft and at home on mobile devices”, Microsoft states.

Microsoft leverages native platform conventions to tap into built-in accessibility technologies. Moreover, the company promotes the fact that any update it makes to the system populates to all apps that use Fluent mobile. The company recently updated its color palettes to match the latest accessibility standards and introduce dark mode, and these changes were automatically updated in each of its app UI components. These new design artifacts include redesigned experience icons, which will be seen in current and future designs.

Microsoft says that when designing Fluent for mobile, it focused on consistently designing seven signature elements for a great end-to-end experience: the app icon, splash screen, cells, cards, typography, people, and file lists. Branded splash screens are now a feature that leads to the user’s content, framed by a brand-colored header and simple bottom bar that features the new Fluent mobile icons.

Shareable mobile UI toolkits

Microsoft values coherence as an important design tenet that is “particularly vital” in mobile environments, because of shorter attention spans and sharper time constraints. The company is also concentrating on side-by-side productivity scenarios on iPad and the Surface Duo.

A team of 40+ designers created mobile UI toolkits that enable all designers at Microsoft to build experiences using the same shared components, while collectively evolving the design system over time. The big news here is that the company has announced these toolkits are now available for external designers and developers as well. Why? Microsoft wants to ensure its mobile experiences stay aligned and scale with customer and platform needs. The company wants app developers to build their apps using the mobile UI toolkits.

Microsoft states that it’s “getting started” when it comes to mobile productivity. The company has invested in Fluent Design since two years now, and it has arrived in mobile. The question is: Will Android app developers be interested enough in Fluent mobile to take up Microsoft’s offer and use the mobile UI toolkits for designing their apps? If Microsoft’s strategy succeeds, it would almost certainly be a big win: third-party apps will look and feel the same as Microsoft apps, which may entice users to turn towards Microsoft services as an alternative. At the same time, this sets up as obvious competition for Google’s Material Theme, which may lead to fragmentation in app design and confusion for users.

Android app developers now have a choice. Should they design their app using Google’s Material Theme, or Fluent mobile?


Source: Microsoft | Via: The Verge

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Google wants couriers to show tracking information in Google Search

Online shopping has become exponentially more popular over the last decade. Couriers are responsible for delivering the items, and the need to know where the package is and when it is due to be delivered gave rise to package tracking systems. Package tracking is something that users have come to take for granted these days. Couriers offer the feature on their websites, offering detailed information on shipping status, delivery status, and more. The problem for Google was that users frequently used to come to Google Search to find information on package tracking, but they would then leave Google Search to access the courier’s website to use the package tracking feature.

Now, Google wants couriers to show tracking information in Google Search itself. This will represent an advantage for Google, as it will function similarly to Google’s Knowledge Graph, which has proved effective in reducing users’ need to leave Google Search to access a website for the purpose of learning information.

To make tracking information easier to find, Google has created a new package tracking feature that enables shipping companies to show users the status of their packages right on Search. It’s called the “Package Tracking Early Adopter Program,” and Google has right away made it available in all countries. However, shipping companies will have to sign up to participate in this feature, and they can give feedback on how to improve it.

Couriers interested in taking part will need to provide a RESTful JSON or XML API that returns the package tracking information. Google says that it can work with couriers to reuse an existing API or set up a new one. The eligibility requirements can be read here, and Google is inviting couriers to fill out the interest form.


Source: Google

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Honor 9X Availability

The Honor 9X originally launched in China last Summer as the company’s “premium mid-range” phone with a pop-up camera. Recently, the device was made available in more countries, though the specifications can vary by region. This is still a great device for an affordable price around $300 USD, so we’ve put together a little guide about buying the phone.

Honor 9X XDA Forums

honor 9x

As mentioned, the specifications vary slightly by region, but this the Honor 9X is a great value regardless. In China, the device is powered by the Kirin 810, while in Europe it’s equipped with the Kirin 710F. The Honor 9X features great cameras wherever you buy it, with a 48MP main camera and a 2MP depth sensor. What you get with most Honor devices is bang for your buck, and that’s certainly true in the case of the Honor 9X. This is a device with a beautiful full-screen display with no notches at an affordable price.

Since the original announcement, the Honor 9X has arrived in many more countries. In fact, Honor’s website now lists 28 countries, some of which will be getting the device “soon.” The full list of countries can be found below. Those with links have live store pages

Asia Pacific

  • Philipines
  • Vietnam
  • Singapore

Europe

Middle East & Africa

We thank Honor for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Babbel Can Get You Speaking a New Language with Just 15 Minutes of Daily Practice

If you want to understand any culture, you really need to speak the language. Learning new words takes time, but there are ways to speed up the process. Babbel uses fun picture quizzes and native speaker audio recordings to help you start speaking faster. Lessons take just 15 minutes each day, and you should be able to hold simple conversations within weeks. You can get lifetime access to Babbel’s entire language catalogue (14 languages total) now for $159 at the XDA Developers Depot.

Developed by over 100 language experts, Babbel has been designed to make language learning fun and fast. Instead of wading through dull and borderline useless phrases, you start by learning everyday vocabulary. 

Once you have the basics down, Babbel helps you practice with simulated conversations. You hear a real native speaker, and then you get to reply in your own words. The app uses speech recognition to grade your pronunciation.

Babbel has courses for 14 different languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian. There are 10,000 hours of content in total, and you can learn on both desktop and mobile devices. 

Worth $399, lifetime access is now only $159.

Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) – $159

See Deal

Prices subject to change

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YouTube Music rolls out gapless playback for albums on Android and web

YouTube Music was launched in May 2018, taking over the reins from Google Play Music as Google’s primary music player app. While YouTube Music was launched with the key advantage of being able to tap into the plethora of official music videos and unofficial remixes present on YouTube, it did lack several key features that affect its usability as a music player. Features like SD card support, new album sort options, and quality selection were promised in August 2018; Android Auto support was added in February 2019, the ability to play locally stored media finally came in May 2019, and the Android widget finally came in October 2019. And now, finally, YouTube Music is rolling out gapless playback support for albums on Android and web.

YouTube Music announced the feature in a press release:

We’re excited to announce gapless playback in YouTube Music. Now, when listening to an album on YouTube Music, each track will lead seamlessly into the next without a pause in between for a high quality, continuous listening experience. Listening to your favorite albums has never been better! This update is currently for our premium members only on Android or web, with iOS coming soon.

YouTube Music users on Android and web can finally transition between songs without a pause interrupting their listening experience. The catch here is that the feature is limited to premium members only, which is a shame. Keep in mind that the app still requires a premium membership for the basic feature of background playback as a simple music player, which is a shame for an app that comes pre-installed on Android 9+ devices. For paid customers, the app does have some neat features though, such as the ability to automatically download up to 500 songs (including a “Liked” playlist), which has served me very well for long flights — the Premium membership does have its own benefits.


YouTube Music - Stream Songs & Music Videos (Free, Google Play) →

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Android 10 stable update rolls out for the Nokia 9 PureView

Earlier this year in September, HMD Global released the Android 10 update roadmap for its Nokia smartphones. As part of the roadmap, the Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 8.1 and Nokia 7.1 were expected to receive the Android 10 update in Q4 2019. In keeping with the update schedule, Nokia rolled out the update for the Nokia 8.1 early in October. Now, the company is finally rolling out the update for the Nokia 9 PureView.

As per a recent report from PiunikaWeb, the OTA update is now rolling out to Nokia 9 PureView users around the world. The update (v5.31D) upgrades the device’s software to Android 10 and introduces all the new features introduced in the software release. These include the system-wide dark mode, gesture navigation, additional controls for privacy and location, along with the Android security patches for November 2019. Nokia’s official Twitter account has also confirmed the release.

If you’re a Nokia 9 PureView user, you should check for the update on your device right away. In case you haven’t received the OTA notification yet and wish to install the update manually, you can download the Android 10 OTA package from the link below and sideload the build. Do note that you’ll need to install the previous update with the Android security patch for November 2019 if you wish to install the incremental OTA.

Android 10 Global Stable (v5.31D) for the Nokia 9 PureView (Incremental)

Android 10 Global Stable (v5.31D) for the Nokia 9 Pureview (Full)


Via: PiunikaWeb

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