Yesterday, Google released a developer preview of the next version of Android, which is called “Android 11” instead of “Android R” for simplicity (and because Google hates desserts now, that’s canon). It’s earlier than Google has ever released a version of Android, and as I noted in my story on the release I think that’s because there are a lot of changes that Android developers will have to contend with.
If you are not a developer, here is a good list of the most interesting new Android 11 features so far from Chaim Gartenberg, who also made a video overview. As he notes, this is very much a “developer preview” and not a “beta,” which means that it’s harder to install, wipes your device of its data, and is primarily designed for devs to test new features.
One thing we can glean is that Google is continuing its trend of taking inspiration from the iPhone’s privacy and security defaults. It introduced more limited location and storage permissions in Android 10, but in 11 they’re going to get even more stringent.
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I love it when a new operating system drops, because there’s a scramble to dig into the code and find hints of new features that haven’t been announced. Both Android Police and 9to5Google are a blast to read on these days, because they’re classically blogging stories on new features just as quickly as they can find them.
Below is a list of features that caught my eye, but unless you’re an Android user they might not catch yours. It’s a list of things that have been small hassles on the platform for ages. Every OS has them. And while tech companies will tout major new technologies as they release them, the things that usually have the biggest effect on my quality of digital life are the changes that make these computers just a little less frustrating.
These little details matter, because they’re the split-second hassles that stack up in a day and make you feel unsettled or annoyed without knowing precisely why. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t take this list as proof that all these features are coming. As Chaim Gartenberg notes in his video overview, we’ve seen features in early Android betas before only to have them disappear in the official release.
Anyway, this is what I’m looking forward to:
In the year 958, Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson succeeded his father as King of Denmark, and also for a brief period King of Norway, who was said to have united the tribes of Denmark. As you can guess, King Harald is the namesake for the Bluetooth technology we know today. Twenty-eight years later, in 986, King Harald was succeeded by his son Sweyn Forkbeard. … More importantly, though, the literal translation of Gabeldorsche is “forkbeards.” … Yep, all of that rigmarole just to say that Google is using the name “Gabeldorsche” to indirectly signify that it is the successor to Android’s Bluetooth stack.
That’s all the fun stuff, but I want to cycle back to developers for a moment. For years now, the well-justified knock against Android’s attempts to work on new form factors is that the apps haven’t kept up. Android apps on tablets were a mess, adding them as an option on ChromeOS felt haphazard, and most recently the Galaxy Fold had a slapdash approach to windowing multiple apps.
Just in the past year, Android 10 encouraged developers to move away from the lefthand app drawer because it doesn’t work well with the back gesture. That has resulted in very few apps — including Google’s own apps — changing.
This isn’t a result of lazy developers, it’s a result of bad incentives. The new devices that would benefit from the new changes — be they tablets or Pixel phones — always represent a sliver of the market. Most Android manufacturers are more cautious in their updates, so the cost/benefit calculation for any given Android developer to keep up with Google’s latest is obvious.
With Android 11 (or, to get technical, with the new API level), it looks like Google is going to be embarking on another one of those quests, but this time it’s getting developers to update their apps for new permission structures like scoped storage and location permissions. There’s a somewhat complicated developer-facing opt-in system, but by and large the big change is that Google is making these changes requirements instead of suggestions. It’s using the whip instead of the carrot.
It’s past time it did so, I think, because the traditional incentives haven’t worked. On iOS, developers have to keep up or get left behind. On Android, most users are a year or two (or three!) behind the latest version, so there’s less urgency to keep modern. It’s a rational decision for an app maker, and I think Google could stand to make more rational decisions about requiring more and suggesting less to help push more Android apps to get better.
Last September I wrote that Google can’t fix the Android update problem, arguing that the basic way the ecosystem works makes it impossible. I stand by that, but in the months since the situation has gotten better, with Samsung offering early update betas and distributing new OS versions to its devices more quickly.
The technical changes Google made to Android to make those faster updates possible started years before Samsung’s modest improvements.
That OS update problem continues to be annoying, but Google’s various projects have mitigated that pain a bit. Now it’s time to tackle app quality. Google has a harder problem than Apple — apps for Android have to work across dozens of manufacturers making thousands of different kinds of devices.
But the stone-cold truth is that on the whole, iPhone apps look, feel, and perform better than most Android apps. Whatever gee-whiz features come in Android 11, the thing to pay attention to will be the incentives for developers to invest more in their Android apps.
There’s a good deal happening on the OnePlus 7T. Normally $599, it’s $499 right now. In terms of specs, it falls behind Samsung’s new Galaxy S20, though admittedly not by much. It has the Snapdragon 855 Plus CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of fast UFS 3.0 storage. The OnePlus 7T also has a 90Hz refresh rate display, giving your apps and games a smoother look when they animate.
The 4K versions of the original trilogy will be the same ones seen on Disney Plus, not the first cuts fans might be hoping for. That means more “Maclunkey” for buyers.
┏ Nerf is bringing back three original Super Soakers this spring. I was a Super Soaker 30 kid. This post from Sean Hollister is a fun read if only because it’s a brief glimpse into the Very Serious World of squirtgun fanatics. Be careful clicking through, you might end up getting sucked down a rabbithole.
In a lovely coincidence, The Verge’s copy desk made a number of updates to our site’s style guide yesterday. Among them was the guidance that we may now “lowercase proper nouns as verbs,” which means that, after nine years on the internet, writers at The Verge can finally tell you to go google something or to photoshop an image. … “I think that the users of a language — the people — should be guiding standards, not brands or companies,” Kara Verlaney, The Verge’s senior copy editor, told me. Continuing to capitalize photoshop “just stopped making sense” when these words are already used so colloquially, she said. “I didn’t decide to [change it]. It was already happening.”
Mobile office app competition is back, maybe
Speaking of nostalgia! Once upon a time there was a big fight for who could make the best office suite for a phone — back in the QuickOffice vs DocsToGo days. All that fizzled out a bit as phones started being more than just business tools for business folks. But Microsoft’s renewed efforts on Android make me think we could see some real competition again.
Back in the day the competition was between independent app makers all using standardized document formats, now it’s just Google vs Microsoft. Not what I would like, but it’s better than the stasis in mobile office apps we’ve been dealing with for the past couple years.
┏ Microsoft’s new Office app arrives on iOS and Android with mobile-friendly features. Everything Tom Warren describes here sounds genuinely interesting, so please don’t take the following as a dismissal of the work or quality put into the new, unified Office App. I can’t help but wonder if the impetus for going to a single app instead of three separate ones was simply driven by a desire to get on home screens and a single app has a better shot at doing that than three apps, which would be more likely to get buried in a folder called “Work.”
Microsoft is still planning to keep the individual Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps available for people who only use the standalone versions, but this combined app is clearly where most of the new mobile-focused features will appear in the future.
┏ To expose sexism at Uber, Susan Fowler blew up her life. You might think that the Uber story is ancient history, but it very much isn’t. Elizabeth Lopatto interviews Susan Fowler and also gives us some needed reminders of what we may have seen headlines for but didn’t synthesize into a coherent narrative. It’s here and in Fowler’s book, and it’s sobering.
We are sitting at an amusingly named diner-type location in the Bay Area. I will not be more specific, as Fowler has been stalked by private detectives and others in the aftermath of her extremely viral blog post about sexual harassment at Uber. In fact, she would only meet me if I promised not to reveal where. … “I do live my life a lot differently now,” she says. “I’m always looking over my shoulder.”
┏ Folding glass: how, why, and the truth of Samsung’s Z Flip. Sean Hollister with a very deep look at how folding glass actually works. I learned a lot reading this, including how catastrophic a nick or scratch can be to glass that’s so thin it can bend. “Ye cannae change the laws of physics!”
Samsung didn’t lie about the primary innovation here: the Galaxy Z Flip is truly a folding glass phone. It’s just that glass is actually made by German manufacturer Schott, it’s got a soft, scratchable plastic layer up top, and — hopefully — future folding glass phones won’t require that extra protection.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
