OnePlus, Google are working together to 'improve' Wear OS

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau recently confirmed in an interview that the company is working with Google to improve the Wear OS platform. Lau also said that OnePlus is working on a smartwatch, although he didn't say whether the wearable will run on Wear OS or not. Google is said to be on board to work on the Wear OS software as well as how the operating system interacts with Android phones and Android TV. Lau didn't address the fitness features that Wear OS needs to improve on. But with Google's pending acquisition of Fitbit, we expect to see developments in the health and fitness space.

It won't be the first time Google is working with an OEM to develop its software. Google has done so in the past with NVIDIA. The companies collaborated to make substantial changes to the Android TV Oreo update before updating NVIDIA's Shield TV series.

Source: 9to5Google

Apple claims the AirPods Max's Smart Case won't make much of a difference on battery life

The AirPods Max's Smart Case has garnered a lot of attention, not just for its looks but also for how it seems to be a necessary accessory to switch off these Apple headphones entirely. A new Apple support document, though, refutes this assumption. The AirPods Max has three power modes: in use, low power, and ultra-low power. Whether you put the AirPods Max in the case or not, the headphones enter low power mode almost instantaneously. If you put it in the case, it's immediate; it takes around five minutes if you don't. 

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Google to shutter Android Things

If you aren't familiar with Android Things, we don't blame you. This stripped-down version of Android meant for smart home devices didn't really gain popularity. So, it's not surprising that Google will shutter this operating system. The Android Things Console, which lets developers push updates to their devices, will no longer accept new non-commercial projects starting January 5, 2021. And then a year later, "the console will be turned down completely and all project data will be permanently deleted." This time will give developers time to wind down any Android Things-related projects that they have.

Android Things started as the project Brillo in 2015, and it was supposed to provide the "underlying operating system for the internet of things." A year later, it was relaunched as Android Things, and it was meant to run on devices like security cameras, routers, and smart speakers. Since it relied on Android, the OS was supposed to be familiar to developers, making it easier to use. But it didn't really pick up. Google announced in February 2019 that it was "refocusing" Android Things to specialize in smart speakers and smart displays.

Source: The Verge

BBC Studios' BBC Select streaming service to launch in Canada in 2021

BBC Studios will be launching its new streaming service in Canada and the US in early 2021. BBC Select is described as a TV service for "independent thinkers." It'll arrive on Amazon Prime Video and the Apple TV app, specializing in factual programming, highlighting culture, politics, and ideas. According to BBC Studios, the service will celebrate diverse voices through a candid, unbiased, and occasionally playful lens.

Some of the initial shows you can expect are Louis Theroux's BBC documentaries Selling Sex and Surviving America's Most Hated Family, and Channel 4's Grayson Perry: Big American Road Trip. There will also be exclusives like classicist Mary Beard's Shock of the Nude, Reggie Yates in China, Putin – A Russian Spy Story, and Adam Curtis' All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace.

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