Public beta version of Android 7.1 to come to some Nexus devices

Nexus 6P, 5X and Pixel C users are in for a treat. The first public beta version Android Nougat or Android 7.1 is coming this month. Nexus users won’t be the only ones to get the first and latest Android updates (especially built-in features to the new Pixel devices such as Google Assistant, Pixel Camera, Pixel Launcher, and 24/7 customer support) but they do get new features such as Night Light and Daydream VR support. Night Light is Android’s answer to Night Shift in iOS. Another one of the new features include the ability for developers to add “app shortcuts” to their Android apps. Google won’t say yet when the widespread release of Android 7.1 will be but those in the beta program don’t have to wait that much longer. You can sign up for the program here.

Source: The Verge

How to watch Google's special event today

We're a few hours away from a monumental Google event which is expecte to see the search giant reveal a slew of hardware devices ranging from new smartphones, updated Chromebooks, VR headsets, a 4K Chromecast as well as a bevy of other features and services. You can watch the live stream above or here. As well as follow our reports from the Canadian satellite event on our Twitter feed as well as on this page. 

Pixel C team promises multitasking and optimized tablet apps are coming

When the Pixel C reviews came in earlier this week there was an almost unanimous reaction that the tablet's hardware was great but the lack of multitasking or tablet-speciifc apps dampened reviewer's excitement for the device's future.

The Pixel C team hosted a Reddit AMA where they promised a series of updates will bring many requested features including multitasking and the ability to apps optimized for the landscape tablet form factor. Seems the Pixel C was originally a ChromeOS device but quickly shelved and repurposed to run Android. The brief time-to-market made it impossible to integrate the desired or necessary software tweaks to make the Pixel C more compelling.

“We’re working hard on a range of enhancements for Android in this form-factor – there are many things, like multi-window, that we’ve been spending a lot of time on – hopefully we can share more about this soon," Pixel C Team on Reddit AMA.

Review: Google Pixel C

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The 10.2-inch Pixel C is a device of many firsts. It is the first Google designed and built Android device, it is a bona fide Android-powered 2-in-1 tablet that professes to work as a notebook thanks to an accessory keyboard, and it is also the first device to carry the Pixel brand that isn’t a ChromeBook. 

Pixel C is available in Canada and globally via the Google Play Store starting at $649 for the 32GB version, $799 for the 64GB version and the Pixel C Keyboard will set users back $199. These prices make the Pixel C one of the most expensive Android tablets ever sold, but you only need to spend some time with this device to realize its high end fit and finish.

Click to read more ...