作者彙整: Michael Allison

PWAs are going to get a lot more like desktop apps.

What you need to know

Google is working on making Progressive Web Apps launch on startup.
A code change enabling this scenario was spotted in the Chromium code base this week.
The feature will work on all Chromium-powered browsers and is intended to enable communication scenarios where speed is a benefit.

Google is about to let Progressive Web Apps become a bit more like regular desktop apps in Chrome and other Chromium-powered browsers. As spotted by Chrome Story, Google’s added a new”Desktop PWA run on startup” feature flag to the Chromium codebase. This flag will let Progressive Web Apps load up even before Chrome is started by the user, acting just like their desktop counterparts do. For instance, Spotify and Slack can be configured to automatically load up on startup, and Google wants their PWA counterparts to have that feature too.

Progressive Web Apps are the future of computing. While the web was a slow starter, much … 閱讀全文 →

January 19, 2021, is the day the service goes dark.

What you need to know

Google is killing off App Maker, its low-code development platform.
The service will shut down on the 19th of January 2021.
Google cites low usage as the reason for the service’s demise and points users to alternate services.

Google is killing off App Maker, its low-code, drag and drop app creation tool for businesses. The firm made this announcement in a G Suite post this week, alongside a timeline for the service shut down.

Here’s how App Maker will slowly be shut down:

Today, existing apps continue to work. Though App Maker is no longer under active development, the service will continue to be maintained.
Starting April 15, 2020, you will no longer be able to create new App Maker apps. You will still be able to edit and deploy existing apps.
Starting January 19, 2021, existing App Maker apps will stop working and you will no longer have access to them. App maker data stored in Cloud SQL will remain u… 閱讀全文 →

From $45 for a subpoena to $245 for a search warrant.

What you need to know

Google will now be charging law enforcement agencies for data requests.
Prices range from as low as $45 all the way to $245.
Google reserves the right to charge more if the case demands it.

Google will now charge law enforcement for surveillance data requests it fulfills, as per a new report from the New York Times.

The firm, routinely subject to requests for data and wiretaps, will no longer be working for free. Google will now charge fees ranging from $45 for a subpoena all the way up to $245 for a search warrant. An extra fee could also be tacked on if the situation demands it.

Google and other Silicon Valley firms have typically not charged for the fulfillment of law enforcement requests even though legislation has always allowed for that. It’s likely that it’ll be doing this to help recoup the costs of manpower and resources diverted towards fulfilling law enforcement requests.

A former Google… 閱讀全文 →

Google is responding to a crescendo of criticism.

What you need to know

Google tested a more colorful design for desktop Search, inspired by a similar mobile UI.
The new design was criticized for the use of favicons which dulled the distinction between ads and content.
Google has now stripped favicons from the design in response and plans to iterate on the UI a little more.

Last week, Google started rolling out a new, more colorful Search interface for desktop users. The firm billed it as a way for users to more easily see what sites they were clicking into. However, a second, more concerning side-effect emerged. The distinction between ads and content was blurred.

On the one hand, Google had a bolded AD label, on the other hand, the excess of visual clutter on the page lead to confusion and widespread criticism. It appeared that the firm had taken this design decision to bolster its ads business and lead more users to click on ads where they may otherwise not have.

They’re … 閱讀全文 →

The first non-Android One Moto to receive the update.

What you need to know

Motorola has now started rolling out Android 10 to the Moto G7 Plus.
It’s Motorola’s first non-Android One handset to receive the update.
The firm expects to complete the roll-out by February.

Motorola is finally updating the G7 Plus to Android 10 after bringing the update to its other handsets like the Motorola One Vision, One Power, and One Hyper.
This is also the first Moto handset that’s not running on the Android One platform to receive the update, and consequently, the first of the G-Series.

As with all Moto updates, Brazil is the first region to receive it. Per a Motorola support document spotted by XDA:

The update to Android 10 started on January 20, 2020, being released in stages. We expect all devices to receive the update by February 20, 2020.

When will my phone get Android 10?

Android 10 users on Motorola’s near-stock version of Android can expect to receive niceties like a system-wi… 閱讀全文 →

A 30-minute snooze for when you really want to use your phone for just that bit longer.

What you need to know

Google’s Wind Down feature encourages digital wellbeing by reducing distractions at bedtime.
The firm is now adding a new feature to let you pause wind down for half an hour.
It’s rolling out automatically in the Play Store to Beta users.

When it comes to getting you off your phone, Digital Wellbeing’s Wind Down is pretty effective. Aside from muting all your notifications, it also strips all the colors from your beautiful screen with greyscale, gently nudging you off to bed. However, like an alarm clock that foes off too soon, it’s quite tempting to simply turn off Wind Down to do one task or the other while promising to get back to it in ‘one more minute’, and then never turn it on again.

Today (spotted by the folks over at Android Police), Google has started rolling out a new feature to Beta users of the Digital Wellbeing app that lets you temporarily turn Wind Down… 閱讀全文 →

Acceptable Ads are unacceptable.

What you need to know

Senator Ron Wyden has asked the FTC to investigate the ad blocking industry for anti-competitive practices.
The Senator calls out AdBlock Plus’ acceptable ads policy as unacceptable.
He urges for more transparent disclosure in cases where advertisers pay to be whitelisted.

United States Senator Ron Wyden has called on the FTC to investigate what he critiques as anti-competitive practices by the ad blocking industry.

In a letter surfaced by The Verge, Senator Wyden laid out his case, saying:

Hundreds of millions of consumers around the world have downloaded and installed software tools that purport to block online ads. In turn, the largest ad companies — including Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Verizon Media — have quietly paid millions of dollars to some of the largest ad blocking software companies in order to be able to continue to track and target consumers with ads.
(…) Accordingly, I urge the FTC to open … 閱讀全文 →

You’ll be able to shoo the trolls back to their bridges and keep them there.

What you need to know

Twitter will let you limit who can interact with your tweets with a new feature test in a bid to promote healthy discussion on the platform.
You’ll be able to prevent people who you don’t follow from retweeting or replying to your tweet directly.
The changes will roll out later this year.

Twitter is making changes to its platform to make tweeting less anxiety fraught for users. As per Mashable, the firm wants to improve what it dubs as conversational health on the platform. Essentially, Twitter is adding a new set of options that will let you choose who can reply to your tweet before sending it.

Twitter calls this feature “conversation dynamics.” With this, you’ll be able to take control of how your tweet is disseminated across the platform, limiting it to one of four classes of users.

Global – The current setting, everyone who sees the tweet can reply.
Group – People who you… 閱讀全文 →

It’s a 12-month trial with an end of year review.

What you need to know

Google is changing its Project Zero disclosure policy for 2020.
Google will no longer disclose vulnerabilities and bugs before the end of the 90-day period, allowing firms time for more thorough patching.
This is a 12-month policy trial with a re-evaluation period at the end of the year.

Google’s Project Zero is undergoing a minor overhaul in 2020 — Google will trial a new change around its controversial vulnerability disclosure policy. The change already went into effect on New Year’s Day.

In brief: going forward, Google will now offer a 90-day grace period for disclosures, regardless of when the bug was fixed. Previously, Google’s policy was “90 days or when the bug is fixed,” drawing ire from some companies at the seeming randomness of its disclosures. Now, Google aims to be a bit more consistent and to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Google’s Tim Willis explained the team’s thinking, saying… 閱讀全文 →

Jabra’s new headphones come with glitzy colors and fast charging.

What you need to know

Jabra’s 45h Elite on-ear headphones bring long-lasting battery life and ultra-fast charging to the mid-range.
The headphones also feature Jabra’s new MySound optimization, providing a personal listening experience for individual users.
It’ll launch at $99 with February availability.

Jabra has announced the launch of its new Elite 45h wireless on-ear headphones, launching later this year. These headphones are designed to be easy on the eyes, sweet to the ears, and light on the wallet.

To accomplish the first, the headphones will ship with three broadly available colors (Titanium Black, Navy, and Gold Beige) and two retailer exclusive ones (Black for Best Buy, and Copper Black for Amazon buyers.)

For the second, the firm says that it will be putting its MySound optimization service in these headphones to build a personalized user experience. MySound uses the Jabra Sound+ app to test the use… 閱讀全文 →