Google I/O 2021

This week we had the Google I/O conference and here are the biggest announcements.

Android 12

The newest version of the Android got a redesign and now with Material You allows to customize the color scheme of the phone. If you don't feel like an artist, Android has you covered and will automatically adjust colors based on your wallpaper. Beside design, Google also added features to control and monitor privacy.

Workspace

Google's Workspace will get more tools making online collaboration easier. One of them is ability to start a meeting right from Google Doc, Sheet and Slide.

Lamda

Lamda is a new Language processing AI. Its main goal is to help understand natural language and conversations. I have to admin, the demo, although prerecorded, was super impressive.

Starline

Another futuristic project is Starline. This technology recreates, in a real time, a 3D model of a person across from you. The main goal is  to recreate the feeling of having a face-to-face conversation.

Animated photos from still shots

Google Photos will be able to create an animated photo based on two still photos. The result will be the same as we have with live photos on iOS, but with Google solution we will be able to make animated version after the fact using the AI.

Password Manager

Password manager built into Android and Chrome will allow to change password on a website right from the manager.

Skin conditions

Google announce a new tool to monitor and check conditions that only require a phone with a camera. The tool should be available later this year.

November Apple Event

Apple announced their November event, which will focus on ARM based Macs. According to latest rumors, we should see a new MacBook Air as well as 13 and 16 inch MacBook Pros. Although ARM powered MacBook Air is no brainer, the release of the Pro models would be a bold move from Apple. It would mean that first generation of new processors is  (at least) as powerful as current generation of Intel ones.

Dope links

• XCFrameworks — New Format for Packaging Frameworks in iOS
• The lang attribute: browsers telling lies, telling sweet little lies
• Mediator Pattern in ASP.NET Core Applications
• Understanding Jetpack Compose - Part 1 & Part 2
• grep.app - Search across a half million git repos
• Soccer match ruined when AI-controlled camera mistakes ref’s bald head for ball

Image credits: Łukasz Łada

Safari will reject HTTPS certificates with over 13 months validity

Apple has announced that from September 1, Safari will reject any website that uses HTTPS certificate with more than 398 days of validity. Certificates issued before September 1 will not be affected until the date of their next certificate renewal.

ARM Macs in 2021?

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, first ARM Mac could be ready for sale in first half of 2021. Apple is working on ARM Mac for couple of years now, as part of switching from Intel processors to custom silicon chip. New CPU will not only allow Apple to become independent from Intel, which has been an issue in the past. But also will introduce more efficient silicon, which might result in better performance or/and battery life.

More Xbox Series X details

Phil Spencer shared couple of new details about upcoming console:

• Xbox is powered by chips based on  latest AMD’s  Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures enabling 12TFLOPS of computing power,
• Support for Variable Rate Shading (VRS) - instead of rendering all effects at the same frame rate, VRS will allow developers to apply different refresh rate to each of the effects,
• Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing will allow to achieve even more realistic computer graphics,
• Quick resume will allow to resume multiple games from a suspended state almost instantly, thanks to fast SSD storage,
• Dynamic Latency Input (DLI) will help to reduce lag between console and wireless controllers,
• Support for 120FPS,
• Support for HDMI 2.1.

Coronavirus affects tech conferences

Facebook announced that their annual developer conference - F8 - has been canceled due to coronavirus outbreak. F8 was scheduled to take place on May 5th and May 6th this year. Although, the conference will not take place, Facebook is planning to organize local and online events.

Also, Game Developer Conference (GDC), that was planned for this March,  has been postponed to this summer.

Dope Links

• Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha Impressions
• My experience replacing CocoaPods with SwiftPM
• TextField in SwiftUI
• How to Make Text in a UIVisualEffectView Readable on Any Background
• Xcode Build Settings
• Vue.js: The Documentary
• My VS Code Setup
• Android Studio 4.0 Beta 1 available
• Evolutionary algorithms for optimization (including Java code and CI)
• The 25 most recommended programming books of all-time
• SMMRY - Summarize articles, text, websites, essays and documents
• Every productivity thought I've ever had, as concisely as possible
• How accurate are Ringed Planet emojis

Apple Event at the end of March?

According to German site iPhone-ticker.de, Apple is going to hold a Media Event on March 31st. At this event Apple is supposed to unveil iPhone SE2 (iPhone 9), new iPad Pro and AirTag.

Windows 10 icons redesigned

Microsoft has started rolling out new colorful app icons in Windows 10. New Icons are part of the Fluent Design that Microsoft has been working for years now.  So far Mail and Calendar apps has been updated; rest of the core apps will be refreshed over upcoming months.

Android 11 Preview

Google has released first developer preview of the Android 11. At the moment preview is available only for selected Pixel phones.

Android 11 offers new capabilities for developers, like enhancements for foldables and 5G, call-screening APIs, new media and camera capabilities, machine learning, and more.

Dope Links

• Results of the iOS Developer Community Survey
• Tobias Due Munk - Prototyping Custom UI in SwiftUI
• Optional SwiftUI views
• Managing toolchains in Xcode
• Advanced localization techniques in Vue.js
• Vue.js: The Documentary -  Trailer
• The React Cheatsheet for 2020 📄‬ (+ real-world examples)
• GuiJS
• Add dark mode to your website with just a few lines of code
• DistroTest.net - The first online operating system tester

Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha

Xiaomi is not afraid experimenting. Xiaomi Mi Mix series is a perfect example. This time Chinese manufacturer presented new phone from this line - Mi Mix Alpha. This phone is almost entirely made of screen. Display wraps entirely around the device to the point where it meets the camera on the back. Here is the full specification:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+,
• 12GB of RAM,
• 512GB of storage
• 108-megapixel camera,
• support for 5G
• 4050 mAh battery

This phone will be available for about $2800.

This phone is really cool concept. Everyone is so focused on foldable phones, that Xiaomi surprised us with something simpler yet still interesting, and maybe even functional.

OnePlus 7T

OnePlus has presented the budget phone for people who are tired of flagship and expensive devices. Here is the specification

• 6,55-innch Fluid AMOLED display (2400×1080px)
• 90Hz screen's refresh rate,
• Fingerprint reader built into the screen
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+,
• 8 GB of RAM
• 128 or 256GB of storage
• 48-megapixel tripple camera
• 3800 mAh battery
• OxygenOS based on Android 10

OnePlus 7T will be available from $599.

Google Play Pass

One week after premiere of Apple Arcade, Google announced their own game service. Google Play Pass will cost $4.99 per month and will give access to 350 games and apps. All games/apps will be free and without any in-app purchases. For now service is available only in US, but Google says that it is planning to extend service to other countries.  

This is interesting move from Google. If the games/apps in the bundle are good then it is win-win scenario for Android users. The only question I have is, how developers are getting paid? So far, Google didn't share any details on that topic.

iOS 13.1 & iPadOS 13.1

This week Apple released iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1. The later is the first official release of the dedicated operating system for tablets. iOS 13.1 has been released in less than a week after the premiere of the new iOS, and is the fastest released major update so far.

iPhone 12 design

According to newest rumors,  next year iPhone will get major redesign. New frame will be  similar to one from iPhone 4. Also, new iPhone will not have notch. All Face Id sensors will be hidden in the upper bezel.

Disney news

There was plenty of news related with Disney. Here is tl;dr:

• Marvel's Kevin Feige to develop Star Wars movie
• Spider-Man returns back to MCU
• Deborah Chow will direct Obi-Wan Kenobi series

Interesting links

• Announcing .NET Core 3.0
• Web Design in 4 minutes
• Stop Infinite Scrolling on Your Website - Now!
• How to learn D3.js
• NES Emulator Part #4: PPU - Background Rendering
• How Sid Meier Almost Made Civilization a Real-Time Strategy Game
• How one NASA image tells dozens of stories
• Top 15 Biggest Companies by Market Capitalization 1993 - 2019

Image credits: Xiaomi