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Android 11 developer preview offers more control over robocalls
Android 11 might make life considerably easier if you're tired of fighting robocalls. Google has released a second Developer Preview for Pixel phones with frameworks that let call-screening apps not only verify calls, but tell you whether it's in your contacts and provide a reason for rejecting a call. Your carrier might know whether you feel a call is spam or something more innocuous.
GitHub's mobile app helps you manage code on the move
Believe it or not, GitHub hasn't had an official mobile app -- a pain when you just want to offer some feedback on a project. That won't be a problem from now on. After months of testing, the Microsoft-owned company has released native GitHub apps for Android and iOS. Both let you manage tasks and pull requests (contributions to open projects) on the move, and you can both dish out and respond to comments.
Game Developers Conference will stream panels and awards for free
Just because the in-person Game Developers Conference is cancelled for 2020 doesn't mean you'll be out of luck if you want to keep abreast of game industry news. GDC organizers are planning to stream free, recorded versions of the talks that presenters had intended to deliver between March 16th and March 20th, from 12PM to 8PM Eastern each day. You'll also see the GDC Awards and the Independent Games Festival ceremonies on GDC's Twitch channel starting March 18th at 8PM Eastern, while the Day of the Devs showcase from Double Fine and iam8bit will air at 7PM. A full schedule should be available March 13th.
Amazon is the latest to pull out of GDC over coronavirus fears
The annual Game Developers Conference just lost another big-name tech company due to coronavirus worries. Amazon Web Services has pulled out of the 2020 show in response to "continued concerns over COVID-19." In its place, Amazon is planning a "global online event" in May that will show what its AWS Game Tech team was originally going to debut in person along with some extras. You'll hear more about it in the weeks ahead, Amazon said.
Android 11 Developer Preview focuses on 5G and better privacy
After a brief tease, the first Android 11 Developer Preview is available for Pixel devices -- and it's clear Google is thinking about the future with this release. The test software is built with a few new technologies in mind, most notably 5G. New frameworks let app creators determine whether or not someone's on an unlimited data plan or has 5G-level bandwidth, making it possible to tailor experiences for people with unfettered connections. There's also improved support for hole-punch and waterfall screens, neural networks and low-latency video (think Stadia).
Sony lets anyone create remote controls for its cameras
Sony's mirrorless cameras are usually well-regarded, but their support for remote control? Not so much. You've usually had to rely on Sony's own software, making the cameras non-starters for portrait and sports photographers who may need (or just prefer) third-party options to capture images from afar. The company is loosening up, at least. It just released a toolkit, the Camera Remote SDK, that allows any developer to create remote controls for Sony's Alpha camera line. The kit is limited to handling still shots, but should let software and hardware display live previews, change settings and of course take pictures.
Apple will give the option to buy iOS and Mac apps as a bundle
The latest beta of Apple's Xcode development tool adds a small but nifty feature that will make it easier in some situations to buy apps you want to use across iOS and macOS. Developers who decide to take advantage of the feature will be able to bundle together different versions of an app into a single "Universal Purchase." If you buy one version, you'll then get access to the other automatically. As part of the same change, developers will also have the option to sell unified in-app purchases.
Microsoft gets the ball rolling on Surface Duo apps
Microsoft has moved one step closer to making its dual-screen Surface devices a practical reality. The tech giant has released a preview toolkit to help developers make apps for its Android-powered Surface Duo, including Java frameworks and emulation that can handle the two-screen device. This is rough code, to put it mildly, but it should help studios get started on the apps you'll use when the Surface Duo arrives late in the year.
Aibo update lets you program your robot puppy's actions
Not happy with what Sony's reborn Aibo can do? You now have the power to make it do more. Sony has rolled out a 2.50 update for the robot dog that enables, among other things, a web-based interface for programming actions. Beginners can use a visual programming kit that uses blocks to create actions, while seasoned programmers can participate in a Developer Program. You can't modify the personalty of your Aibo, to be clear -- this is mainly for tricks and other activities Sony didn't envision itself.
Chrome web apps will soon tout desktop-like speed
If web apps are going to truly replace native apps, they'll need the near-instantaneous responsiveness of desktop apps. That appears to be on the horizon, thankfully. Google is unveiling Chrome tools that will help web apps run as quickly as their native counterparts, not to mention make them more usable offline. A newly introduce Web Bundles framework will let developers distribute fast-loading web apps through "any format," including USB drives -- you wouldn't even need to be online to start using an app. Background syncing and context indexing, meanwhile, will let apps "proactively" cache data to make sure it's quickly available whether or not you're connected.
Google open sources Cardboard as it retreats from phone-based VR
Google's decision to back away from phone-based VR may have an upside for creators. The internet giant is releasing a Cardboard open source project that will let developers create VR experiences and add Cardboard support to their apps. It covers basics like head tracking, lens distortion rendering and input, but also includes a QR code library to ensure that you're not dependent on Google's Cardboard app to pair viewers. Between this and existing open source tools for making viewers, companies and homebrew teams alike could create all the hardware and software they need without asking Google for help.
Apple is already beta testing iOS 13.1
Apple isn't waiting for the release of iOS 13 to start testing its first big update. The tech giant has posted an iOS 13.1 developer beta (plus a corresponding iPadOS 13.1 beta) -- apparently the first time an iOS point release has been in a dev beta before its base version is available. You won't trip over yourself to install this unless you're an early adopter, but the early additions suggest this is partly about restoring features that weren't quite ready for 13.0.
Microsoft is closing its long-running MSDN developer magazine
Microsoft will stop publishing its developer-focused MSDN Magazine this November, after a 19-year run. The magazine, which started out as two separate titles -- Microsoft Systems Journal and Microsoft Internet Developer -- was first printed in 2000, with an issue devoted entirely to the Windows operating environment.
Coherence lets any developer create persistent online games
The future of many games is supposedly online, but there's a problem: it can take a massive amount of effort to create and run the infrastructure for a persistent online world. Coherence thinks it can come to the rescue, however. The veteran-backed startup (more on that in a moment) has unveiled an open cloud platform that will let development teams of "any size" create persistent online worlds, regardless of the scale. This would let them focus more on the actual game than on the networking behind the scenes, the company said.
Alexa's in-skill purchasing comes to the UK, Germany and Japan
In-game purchases are now par for the course on mobile, so it wasn't going to be long before the same principle was applied to voice assistants. Last year, Amazon opened up in-skill purchasing to all developers in the US after limited availability for select games publishers -- now the capability is rolling out internationally.
Watch Facebook's F8 keynote at 1PM ET
Facebook's annual F8 developer conference keynote is upon us at 1PM Eastern, and that means a lot of news whether or not you're a coder. This year, the company is not only outlining the future of social networking and technologies like VR -- it's likely addressing privacy questions in response to a string of scandals. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to watch such a definitive event. The company is livestreaming F8 through multiple channels, including its main F8 page and its Facebook page for developers. And if you're an Oculus device owner, you can even watch in VR through Venues. These events are seldom short, but they're worthwhile if you want to know where Facebook is headed for years to come.
Apple's WWDC keynote is set for June 3rd
Apple has set the dates for this year's Worldwide Developers Conference. It takes place June 3rd to 7th at San Jose's McEnery Convention Center, the same venue as the last couple of years. At WWDC, Apple typically gives developers (and everyone else) an early look at upcoming versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. We might also learn a little more about Apple's services (it's likely to announce streaming video and news subscription plans this month) or even get a glimpse at new hardware.
The Android Q beta is here with a focus on privacy
It's that time of year when Google offers an early peek at the next version of Android, and sure enough, the first Android Q preview beta is here. Like previous Android betas, the emphasis here is more on functional updates rather than razzle-dazzle. Most notably, privacy is a major focus. You can limit location gathering to when an app is running (much like on iOS) and restrict apps' access to media, while Google will restrict apps' power to either jump to the foreground or collect sensitive info like IMEI and serial numbers.
Google teases a big gaming announcement for March 19th
Google isn't normally the sort to break news at big video game events, but it's making an exception to that rule this year. The company plans to unveil a mysterious gaming project at a Game Developers Conference presentation on March 19th at 1PM Eastern, with the invitation showing just a light at the end of a hallway followed by the cryptic tagline "gather around." Google didn't provide further clues in a response to Engadget, but rumors have swirled for months of plans to launch a subscription game streaming service, likely using Project Stream.
New Google Docs toolkit can automate tasks
Are you tired of having to wade through Google Docs files, or make countless changes to templates every time you want to use them? Google might soon bring relief. It's officially launching a Google Docs programming interface that lets developers automate many common tasks, whether it's inserting text, changing the formatting or managing lists. If you're producing invoices, for example, an app could automatically fill out product info and numbers.
