Apple Quietly Upgrades the File System of Millions of iOS Devices
With the release of iOS 10.3 to the general public, millions of devices will be upgraded to Apple’s new file system, APFS, in what is a bold, yet not risk-free move, according to several commentators.
Android O: Notification Channels, Background Limits, PIP and More
Google has made available the Android O Preview to developers, admonishing them to test their applications on the new OS to be ready when this version of Android becomes publicly available. New in Android O: More Background limits, Notification channels, Picture-in-picture, Autofill, Adaptive icons, and API changes, among others.
Hosting Alexa Skills on AWS is Almost Free Now
Amazon has announced a program to subsidize the hosting of Alexa skills that use AWS Lambda and incur use charges beyond what is provided by the AWS free tier. Only developers having at least one skill live are eligible to apply.
Android Studio 2.3 Brings Build Cache, Improved Constraint Layout, and More
Google has released version 2.3 of Android Studio, its official IDE for Android development, which adds a number of new features across the whole development phases.
Swift Memory Ownership Manifesto
According to Chris Lattner, Swift creator and Swift team lead before moving to Tesla, defining a Rust/Cyclone-inspired memory ownership model is one of the main goals for Swift development. Now that Swift 4 has entered its phase 2, the Swift team has published a manifesto detailing how Swift memory ownership could work.
Swift 4 Enters Final Stage, Defers ABI Stability
Apple has detailed the release process for Swift 4, which should become available in the Fall of 2017. The main focus of this release is to provide significant enhancements to the core language and standard library, while delivering source compatibility. ABI compatibility, which was originally in the roadmap, will be deferred, explains Apples' new Swift team lead Ted Kremenek.
Stormpath Launches Client API to Simplify Mobile and Frontend Authentication
Stormpath, a provider of authentication, authorization, social login, and other user management related API services, recently launched a new Client API with the aim of simplifying mobile and front-end authentication and registration.
Open Source WSO2 IoT Server Advances Integration and Analytic Capabilities
WSO2 has announced a new, fully-open-source WSO2 Internet of Things Server edition that "lowers the barriers to delivering enterprise-grad IoT and mobile solutions." While WSO2 has been involved in the IoT marketplace for some time, the announcement that their IoT Server is now 100% open source is significant. The enhanced WSO2 platform also includes...
Microsoft AirSim, a Simulator for Drones and Robots
Microsoft has developed and open sourced AirSim, a tool that can be used to simulate the flight of drones around the world. The simulator is built on the Unreal Engine and Microsoft will soon add support for robots and other types of vehicles.
Android Things Brings TensorFlow-Based Machine Learning and Computer Vision to IoT Devices
Recently released Developer Preview 2 (DP2) for Android Things makes it easier to use TensorFlow for machine learning and computer vision on IoT devices. Additionally, it extends USB audio for several IoT platforms, adds Intel Joule support, and enables direct use of native drivers through a new Native PIO API.
Snapchat’s Reliance on Google Cloud Raises Concerns Following IPO Filing
Snap Inc., the company responsible for Snapchat, has prompted questions around its reliance on Google Cloud, following its $3 billion IPO filing. Reporting 158 million average daily active users, and annual revenue of $404.4 million, the company entered into an agreement with Google to purchase at least $400 million of cloud services in each year of the five year agreement.
The Road to Swift 4 ABI Stability
Recently published on the swift-evolution mailing list, the Swift ABI Stability Manifesto aims to be a compilation of all concerns that need to be addressed before Swift’s ABI can be declared stable. Yet, it is not entirely clear whether ABI stability will make it into Swift 4.
Realm Mobile Platform Adds Horizontal Scalability, Support for Legacy Data Sources, and Replication
The Realm team has announced version 1.0 of its Realm Mobile Platform, aimed to make it possible to create mobile apps for iOS and Android with features such as automatic realtime data synchronization, realtime collaboration, live messaging, and more.
First Android Instant Apps Are Available
Google has made available a number of applications as Instant Apps in order to gather user feedback. The SDK is to be made available to all later this year.
Bluepill is LinkedIn’s Open-Source Tool for iOS UI Testing at Scale
LinkedIn’s Bluepill allows developers to run iOS UI tests using multiple simulators on a single machine, writes LinkedIn software engineer Keqiu Hu, and aims to provide tool stability and test scalability.
