First look: BlackBerry KEYone

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The first true BlackBerry handset from TCL Corporation is the BlackBerry Mobile KEYOne and it isn't just true to its heritage, it is a remarkably well conceived and executed communicator's smartphone. Built atop Android 7 but bolstered by BlackBerry's secure software systems and appls, the KEYone's build quality is beyond reproach and remind us of truly great handsets from the past.

The KEYone is more than a nostalgia play. Sure the QWERTY keyboard is back and with all the tricks (capacitive touchpad, shortcuts, a stunning 'space' key which is also a fingerprint sensor and a camera button). The body is a mix of satin finished alumunum, dimpled rubber and glass. This is one device that's tall but which isn't slippery.

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New Surface Pros are on the horizon as per Keyboard Cover leak

Microsoft is on a roll at least in terms of new hardware releases. Just weeks after it surprised the world with its Surface Laptop running Windows 10 S, the company is expected to launch updated Surface Books at an event they're holding in China.

Surface honcho Panos Panay shared a photo of new Surface Type Covers on Twitter, hinting at what is to come. Early reports say that the new Surface Book 5 line will remain mostly unchanged from the Surface Pro models but may feature updated specs and capacities but still no USB Type-C ports, which is unfortunate. We'll be waiting for the latest from Microsoft as it comes down the pipe.

Google to penalize poorly-made apps

While Apple keeps a tight rein on the apps that show up on the App Store, Google has always had a more lax approach. But it seems the tech company wants to finally punish apps that demonstrate poor stability and power efficiency. Announced at the recently concluded Google I/O, Google is introducing Android Vitals for its developers. This initiative aims to analyze various metrics and scores of an app in relation to speed, security, and stability.

Google will be looking at things like “App not responding (ANR) rates,” “Crash rate,” “Slow rendering,” Frozen frames,” “Stuck wake locks,” and “Excessive wake-ups.” Using these metrics Google will see which apps are ranked at the bottom 25 percent. The penalty for these apps is they might no longer be visible on the Play Store. If this helps improve the quality of apps that show up on the Play Store, then we’re all for it.

Source: Android Authority

Apple Music reportedly stopped offering free three-month trial in three countries

If you want to try out Apple Music for the first time, you still get a free three-month trial here. Unfortunately, for those in Australia, Spain, and Switzerland, that’s been taken away. Instead of the first three months being free, Apple is charging $0.99 in Australia, 0.99 € in Spain, and Fr. 0.99 in Switzerland. The tech company hasn’t commented yet on this changes but 9to5Mac speculates the move is most likely fueled by competition. Music streaming service Spotify charges the same small fee for three months in the same countries. It’s unclear if Apple Music plans to introduce this scheme to other countries. But if ever they will, we should hear about it at WWDC next week.