10 Massive Improvements In Android 7.0 Nougat

Android 7.0 Nougat is here for the majority of Nexus owners and will roll out throughout the next year for other Android devices. Nougat (also known as Android N) comes with a number of big changes over Marshmallow, the last Android OS. Before you download, here are some of the biggest new features to expect:

1. Better battery life thanks to the new-and-improved Doze Mode.

Android introduced Doze Mode with Marshmallow to save your device’s battery life. When your screen was off and your phone wasn’t moving, your phone would burn less battery. But the trick was that your phone had to be physically stationary for Doze to work–you couldn’t, for example, be walking to work with your phone bouncing along in your pocket. Now, with Nougat, Doze starts up as soon as your screen goes off and will still work even if your phone is moving. As with Marshmallow, Doze comes automatically baked into Nougat so there’s nothing you need to do to enable it.

2. Revamped notifications.

The look, feel and use of notifications are all different in Nougat. Notifications are wider and fill the entire screen, and there’s less space vertically between each notification. Depending on the app, you can tap some notifications and do a direct reply rather than having to completely open up the app. Messenger and Hangouts in particular come with new, more useful quick-reply options.

3. Split-screen use.

Now you can use more than one app in a single screen. Just open one app you want to use on your screen, then press and hold down the square-shaped overview button at the bottom right to choose from other apps to add to screen. With Nougat, now you can, say, have Google Maps and Spotify both open on the same screen without having to flip back and forth between the two. Not all apps support split-screen mode yet, but most do.

4. New use for the overview button.

Speaking of the overview button, it now has a slick new feature. By double-tapping the button you can now quickly navigate back to whatever app you were previously using. Like split-screen mode, this ability to flip back and forth between apps will have huge appeal to power users, and shows that Google realizes more and more users want to multitask on their phones.

5. Better toggles.

Say good-bye to third-party toggle widgets. Now, Android has its own built-in toggles (also known as the quick settings menu) that sit right above notifications. To access, just swipe down from the top of your screen. The new toggles include handy things like WiFi, Bluetooth and Do Not Disturb. Android also gives you some (limited) choice over what toggles you want to appear. You’ll have two toggle menus, a quick one that appears when you swipe down and then a complete menu with all available toggle when you tap the down arrow at the top right.

6. Revamped Settings Menu.

The upper right corner now has a search button to let you dig through your system settings more easily. You’ll also see certain key settings in little notifications at the very top, such as if you have Data Saver turned on, if you’re using cellular data or not and if you’re in Do Not Disturb mode.

protects individual users and profiles on a device by encrypting data at a finer granularity,” according to the Android Developer blog. “Each profile is encrypted using a unique key that can only be unlocked by your PIN or password, so that your data can only be decrypted by you.”

8. Quicker system updates.

Android is making system updates run faster in the background on your device. Install times will be quicker, update file sizes will be smaller and your other apps will optimize for the update more quickly. However, Android continues to battle some serious security issues, even after the Stagefright exploit.

9. Direct Boot.

Google has changed Android’s underlying encryption scheme so that some apps can boot before you even enter your device PIN. “Now your phone’s main features, like the phone app and your alarm clock, are ready right away before you even type your PIN, so people can call you and your alarm clock can wake you up,” Google says on the Android Developer Blog.

10. Data Saver.

Apps that run in the background can burn through your monthly data really quickly. With Data Saver, however, Nougat lets you keep apps from running in the background unless you’re on WiFi, saving your precious data plan.

Summary:

If you’re already happy with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, chances are you’ll like Android 7.0 Nougat even more. Split-screen mode, quick reply to notifications, and revamped settings and toggle menus all make your phone easier and more friendly to use.

Have Android Nougat? What do you think? Reply in the comments section to this story to let us know

Say hi to Allo — Google’s new, smart messaging app

Allo is a messaging app that makes conversations easier, more productive, and more expressive.

The Google assistant
Get answers, find information, and get things done without having to leave your conversation.

Smart Reply
Respond to messages without typing a single word. Smart Reply learns over time and suggests responses in your style. It responds to text and photos to help you keep the conversation going.

Ink
Get creative with the photos you send by doodling on them.

Whisper Shout
No more TYPING IN ALL CAPS to get your point across. Say it louder or quieter by changing the size of your text with a quick swipe.

Stickers
Say what you really mean with exclusive stickers designed by independent artists and studios from around the world.

Incognito mode
Chat privately with end-to-end encryption. Control how long your messages stick around with expiring chats. Use private notifications to hide your chats from shoulder surfers.

HTC designer shows concept video of a button-less HTC Ocean smartphone

HTC product designer Danelle Vermeulen offered an interesting glimpse at how things within the smartphone maker's house usually happen. Within two days, the design team created this concept video presenting the HTC Ocean – a handset with two cameras and a standout feature. On his website, Vermeleuen says the concept is "a great example of a typical project within HTC" – in this case, "an answer to a call to pitch to a conceptual idea for CEO buy-in".

The HTC Ocean's frame is touch-sensitive, letting designers add contextual controls that occupy very little screen space and lead towards a clean, streamlined user interface. The feature is called Sense Touch and it gives us an idea of the kind of technology HTC might be toying with for its next high-end smartphones. For example, swiping the right edge calls Google's voice assistant, while swiping the same spot inside the Music app changes the volume. Likewise, the user is able to control the camera while within the photography app.

The smartphone itself has an understated appearance that combines the features of the HTC 10 with those of the yet to be announced (and also HTC-made) Google Pixel smartphone. There is no branding, and the device is devoid of buttons – which might be part of the Sense Touch concept.

For now, though, the HTC Ocean is merely a sleek concept smartphone rather than something that's guaranteed to manifest in the coming months

This Diwali, fireworks will fly as Amazon India-Flipkart clash

Till now, Amazon India, which was launched in 2013, has been able to notch highest seller e-commerce spot in the last two months. It’s a race that has left its nearest competitor Flipkart behind, and the stage is set for a mega showdown this festive season.

"E-commerce is not a business but a category play. It sits on the business and expands your reach and visibility. You can be completely global and need to have service, price, delivery and range to succeed,” said K Radhakrishnan, co-founder, Grocermax.com.

What has worked for Amazon India?

- Amazon India has the highest vendor base at over one lakh vendors, which promises more variety with faster delivery.

- Generally, e-commerce companies demand higher sales on the festive season of Diwali, but Amazon India's Great Indian Sale contributed in driving up their sales.

- Marketing blitzkrieg is another factor behind higher consumer recall for Amazon India, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has announced $3 billion investment in the Indian arm.

- Also, at a time when the e-commerce space is reeling under a funding crunch, the global parent arm ensures deeper pockets for Amazon India for higher discounts and more variety.

- Amazon India prime has been a hit, promising one-day free delivery guarantee to members.

How is Flipkart fighting back?

While Flipkart has been the favourite poster-boy of the Indian e-commerce space, it has lost steam with several high-profile exits from its core team.

Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, one of the Flipkart investors, has marked down the estimate of the company’s valuation for the third consecutive time in the past six months, implying Flipkart is now valued at $9 billion approximately.

- Flipkart is reportedly pre-poning the rollout of its flagship Big Billion Day sale, starting early next month.

- Its focus will be the fashion segment after the Myntra and Jabong acquisitions.

- Flexible financing option to attract customers with easy loan options and phone payments.

Google to launch Pixel smartphones on October 4

SAN FRANCISCO: Google late Monday sent out invitations to an October 4 event, hinting that the internet titan will show off a new smartphone powered by its Android mobile software. Emailed invitations revealed only the time and place for the gathering in San Francisco, the message topped by blue, red, yellow, and green dots of colour.

Google fired off a Twitter message with hashtag #madebygoogle and a video of what appeared to be a long rectangular search term box morphing into a silhouette of a smartphone.

Industry trackers have been expecting Google in October to show off its own smartphone, showcasing the prowess of its new Nougat version of Android software.

Google may stamp its latest smartphones with a "Pixel" brand instead of the "Nexus" name it has used in the past for Android smartphones it has made in collaborations with partners.

A Google smartphone would be fielded as a standard to which other's making Android devices should aspire, and would come just weeks after Apple's began selling new iPhone 7 models.

An enticing Google smartphone could also prove a contender for the attention of buyers during the prime year-end holiday shopping season.

Scenes in Apple stores around the world on Friday were reminiscent of days before online ordering became a norm and people camped out for days to be first to get hands on the California company's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

Enthusiasm was peppered with disappointment due to shortages of the large-screen iPhone 7 Plus and a jet-black iPhone 7, but it was unclear if the shortages were the result of strong demand or limited supply.

The devices chart a new path for the tech giant by eliminating headphone jacks, a move seen as setting a trend for a wireless future

The iPhones also boast Apple's freshly-released iOS 10 mobile operating system.

While the company has touted total iPhone sales of one billion, the number sold in the quarter ending June 25 fell 15% from a year earlier, highlighting concerns over growth for the key profit driver.

Growth has become challenging with many mobile phone markets saturated, with Apple rivals producing a wide variety of devices powered by Android software that Google makes available for free.

Apple faces stiff competition from traditional rival Samsung, although the South Korean giant is currently on the back foot after being forced into a massive recall because of exploding batteries of its flagship Galaxy Note 7.

Xiaomi Mi 5s expected to launch on September 27

Xiaomi is expected to launch its Mi 5s smartphone on September 27 in China. The company has started sending out media invites for an event on the same date. The invite has a big ‘S’ taking center stage, suggesting the device could indeed be Mi 5s. Xiaomi Mi 5S is the successor of company’s flagship Mi 5 and is rumoured to run the latest Snapdragon Qualcomm 821 processor. Report suggest the smartphone will come with 6GB RAM. According to a report on AndroidPure, the Xiaomi Mi 5s will have a 2K display with 3D Touch support and with 256 GB storage.

Earlier reports hint at a 16MP rear camera and a 4MP front camera. The smartphone is said to have a 5.5-inch. It will pack Adreno 530 GPU for graphics performance. It will run Android 6.0 Marshmallow with company’s MIUI 8. Xiaomi Mi 5s will support two nano SIM cards. The smartphone will have a big 3,490 mAh battery with Type-C USB charging just like the original Mi 5.

Xiaomi Mi 5 was company’s 2016 flaghip smartphone. The Mi 5 was launched in India soon after the China launch, although Xiaomi only introduced the 3GB RAM+32GB storage version of the phone here at a price of Rs 24,999. The phone recently got a price cut to Rs 22,999. Specifications of Xiaomi Mi 5 include: 5.1-inch full HD display, 16MP rear camera, Snapdragon 820 processor, and more. However, in our review we found the phone suffered from heating issues, the camera was definitely not worthy of flagship standards and the overall software was a major letdown.

Patanjali CEO Acharya Balkrishna Among India's Richest: Chinese Magazine

Patanjali CEO Acharya Balkrishna is one of India's richest businessmen, according to the Chinese magazine Hurun. 

The list released by the business magazine consists of 399 Indian industrialists in which Mr Balkrishna is ranked 25th with an estimated wealth of Rs 25,000 crore.  

Mr Balkrishna has managed to secure his position among India's rich and famous within five years of establishing the FMCG firm Patanjali Ayurved.  

"This is an unlisted company and if it has been placed in world's richest company, then it is a big thing. This has been possible because of the immense love and support that we received from the people of the country. Very soon Patanjali will be at the number 1 position," said Mr Balkrishna. 

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani tops the list and Sun Pharmaceuticals owner Dilip Shanghvi comes in at second. 

According to the report, Patanjali is one of the fastest growing FMCG brands in India with an estimated turnover of over Rs 5,000 crore in the financial year 2015-16. This figure is expected to double by 2017. 

Mr Balkrishna holds a 96 per cent stake in Patanjali Ayurved, while yoga guru Baba Ramdev is the face of the Haridwar-based consumer products firm.