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As smartphones and tablets become more powerful, it's common for them to be used as a primary device in place of laptop and desktop computers. Even though many tasks that were once the exclusive domain of traditional computers are intuitive to accomplish on your smartphone, some tasks, like unzipping a compressed file, aren't as simple to manage on an Android device, even if you have one of the best Android tablets.
WhatsApp can now share your images in better resolutions, but it's a minimal difference
New upload settings are rolling out in the latest beta
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WhatsApp might be facing stiffer competition than ever from the likes of Telegram and Signal, but it remains one of the most popular ways to communicate with your friends and family. A recent beta version hinted at some upcoming improvements to video compression, but in the meantime, images are already getting that same treatment.
You might not have to send your high-res WhatsApp videos as documents for much longer
The latest beta version for Android hints at new quality options
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These days, messaging apps are as important as ever. Being able to quickly and reliably contact anyone in your life is essential — it's why Google continues to boost its RCS capabilities. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging clients worldwide, but it has its fair share of limitations. Video files have always been compressed unless sent as a document, but a future update to the app might finally add quality options.
Opera Max debuted on Android way back in December of 2013. Today it gets a major update - major enough, at least, that Opera thinks it's worth putting into a completely new app listing. Here's the original Opera Max, and here's the new "global" version (from the file name). The biggest visual change is a spiffy new interface with a bunch of Material Design elements. And that's nice, but what's really interesting is the ability to select specific settings for Wi-Fi or mobile (3G and LTE) connections.
Developers who need to display web content as part of an app have the option of using Android's built-in WebView class. WebView renders a webpage without JavaScript and ignores errors. It's fine for reading content and saves devs from implementing a full-fledged browser. There's an experimental setting in Android L's developer options that could make WebViews much cooler – data compression.
Update: While the app is no longer behind the Play Store beta wall, Opera is apparently waiting before they throw the switch. The Opera blog post said access to the general public was first come, first serve, but there's a waiting list in the app right now. Opera is allowing everyone access, but it's happening slowly, probably to manage server load.
Khronos Announces OpenGL ES 3.0 Spec - Get Ready For Faster, Better-Looking, More Desktop-Like Games
Speaking at SIGGRAPH 2012, a yearly computer graphics convention featuring some of the most prominent names in the business, Khronos unveiled updates for
Speaking at SIGGRAPH 2012, a yearly computer graphics convention featuring some of the most prominent names in the business, Khronos unveiled updates for several key OpenGL properties including the specs for Open GL ES 3.0. OpenGL ES is the primary graphics API for mobile device platforms, including Android and iOS. As you would expect, the updates are rather technical, but here's an overview of what we can expect in the future.