Android

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ZDNet: Android Google Play app with 100 million downloads starts to deliver malware.

Other than for the app’s users, I fail to see how this isn’t a win for the community as a whole.

The problem inherent with using someone else’s software is that it is just that—someone else’s software! You’re trusting them with access to your stuff. Often all of your stuff.  When your getting the software through a third party repository: you’re also trusting the distributor to not do anything nasty.

Rather than bitch and moan: we should celebrate that it was detected and dealt with, and decry those who violated that trust from their users.

People often underestimate the trust that running other people’s stuff on your machine means. One of the great things about modern operating systems like Android and iOS is they tend to silo data from applications behind permission brokering. Traditionally the applications you run on a computer have the same access to it that you do. That made sense when computers were few and rarely networked beyond multiple serial terminals. Increasingly less so when you can just download a .exe file and it can do whatever you could.

Trust matters! Respect your users.

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Android’s iconic dessert names are going away, starting with Android 10

Part of me is a little sad and disappointed at this news. I had kinda hoped they would make it to Zebra Cake or something like that. But really I’m surprised they’ve made it this far.

Of course, this doesn’t mean the build numbers and the version numbers will converts. Just that you’ll be less likely to wonder if the folks behind Android are less likely to develop diabetes….

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Some moron at the big G might call this new layout tablet optimized if they’re not allowed to question orders from their marketing overlords.

Me? I’d say why the !@#$ are you wasting nearly 2″ of my screen real estate to highlight the sections for movies and books? I don’t even want to look at my phone’s layout after seeing this redesign on my tablet, for fear of what else might be found.

I was really on the wall when hamburger design took over the mobile world but quickly came to like it, when it was done well. Interfaces like this however are just wasteful(tm). But it gives you plenty of space to write out Games, Apps, Movies & TV, and Books in something like 120 languages.

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Google’s new Android phone feature may help save your life

It’s kind of sad this has taken so long. Features like these might not be popular on the mind of mostly healthy, mostly young engineers who probably won’t see an ambulance ride for most of their lives if at all–but it’s damned nice use of technology.

We all have location and voice synthesis services in our pocket. Why not make use of it?

That fact that in my country, the cost of an ambulance or a serious hospital stay would probably give you a heart attack, is a different problem 😜😂

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Hands-On: Keyboard and S Pen.

I’ve never really been a big fan of Samsung’s cases, be them the flappy cover or the same with a keyboard stuffed in. But I’ve gotta admit that keyboard/kickstand approach makes an interesting case.

This also gives me some hope, since my Tab S3’s cracked screen ain’t going to get any better and the alternatives are rather few without migrating to an iPad Pro.

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At least my battery usage reflects what my tablet has been up to. How much gets sucked up by my music streaming habits is kind of worrisome though.

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Forbes: Shock Samsung Confession Fuels Galaxy Note Cancellation Fears.

Another part of why I believe more in tablets then over sized phones: you’ve got more room to spare. Not to mention a bigger screen and sizes that trigger tablet UI layouts in applications.

But in the flip side tablets don’t really do phone calls that well enough you’re doing speakerphone or headsets. You do use your expensive phone for answering phone calls, right? 😉

Also the overall usage gap between my phone and tablet is such that you don’t wanna know how many incoming calls I take on my tablet instead of my phone; be it in the next room or in my pocket.

A little Ray of sunshine after the disappointment of the Tab S5e

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Exclusive: This is the Galaxy Tab S6 and it has a dual camera.

A little Ray of sunshine after the disappointment of the Tab S5e.

The return to 16:10 is still as disappointing as it was when the Tab S4 came out, but nothing compared to the saddness of my Tab S3 having a cracked screen and the latest model launching with no pen and mid ranged specs.

I do have to admit though, in terms of hardware it’s becoming harder to justify Samsung’s tablets over Apple’s. Today it’s mostly the fact that behind here since the era of the Steak 7 and EeePad Transformer–I know Android fulfills my software needs with flying colors. While I still expect iOS to make me grumble and groan.

My upgrade path has been looking rocky. Since the crack, the only Android option has been the Tab S4 which is already aged a bit. Over in fruit co land there’s at least the 11″ and 10.5″ iPad Pro models as viable successors.

In reality of course I’d just like my screen’s crack not to expand for another year or two…. Lol.

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Looking through Google Play’s editors choice sections, I’m happy to see ArtFlow listed.

Think I’ve had this on my devices since the days of the Note series tablets. It’s become about the only drawing app on Android that I tend to care about.

Note to self

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Google Photos show up in Blogger’s photos UI under “From your phone” regardless of source. Probably. Or at least when I use my tablet.