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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Grogu from 'The Mandalorian' becomes a 3D object on Google Search

Source: Google/Lucasfilm

Google continues to expand the augmented reality objects that you can find in Search. This time, it targets The Mandalorian fans. You can search for either Baby Yoda or Grogu (a.k.a. The Child's official name as revealed in the show's second season) on mobile, and it will pull up a Knowledge Panel where you can launch a 3D model of the beloved character.

Similar to other AR objects in Search, you can place Grogu in your space, and you can take pictures of the little creature looking cute in your area. He doesn't do much; he just bobs his head around and looks adorable. But we aren't complaining. This fun feature joins the recently launched The Mandalorian AR Experience for some of the newest 5G-enabled Android phones.

Source: Engadget

Upcoming Snapdragon-powered Android phones can get up to four years of security updates

Google's Project Treble is a modular redesign of Android's low-level system architecture to make it easier for phone manufacturers to update their devices with the mobile operating system's newest version. This program, which launched back in 2017, gets an update with a new partnership between Google and Qualcomm. The two companies will collaborate to improve Project Treble while simplifying the update process for Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered devices.

Google and Qualcomm say that by working together, they can reduce the time and resources manufacturers need to invest when updating their smartphones to the latest Google software, which will extend the lifespan of their products. So, future Snapdragon-equipped smartphones will get up to four major Android platform upgrades and four years of security patches. This upgrade will include the version of Android your phone comes with, so the high-end phones get an extra year of security updates while receiving the same amount of OS upgrades as Pixel phones.

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