Android Architecture Components 1.0: Lifecycle, LiveData, ViewModel and Room
Google has made available Android Architecture Components 1.0, a collection of libraries to design “robust, testable, and maintainable apps.” The current components are Lifecycle, LiveData, ViewModel and Room with others on the way.
Kotlin Use for Android Apps is Growing, Getting More Google Support
In the six months since Google announced official support for Kotlin as a first-class language for Android development, Kotlin usage has more than doubled, writes Google product manager James Lau, and more than 17% of Android Studio 3.0 projects now use Kotlin.
Android Studio 3.0 and Oreo 8.1
Google has released the stable version of Android Studio 3.0 and a Developer Preview of Android Oreo 8.1.
Google Releases Android Instant Apps SDK 1.1
A few months after its introduction at Google I/O 2017, the Android Instant Apps SDK reaches version 1.1, bringing configuration APKs for binary size optimization and a new API to keep user context when transitioning to an installed app from an instant app.
Microsoft Seems to Have Stopped Developing Windows 10 Mobile
Although no official statement has been issued by the company, some later affirmations by top Microsoft executives tell us that Windows 10 Mobile development is stopped.
Apple Open-Sourced the iOS Kernel for ARM CPUs
Apple has quietly made available arm and arm64-specific files on its GitHub XNU-darwin repository. While this may not be interesting to all developers, it still enables interesting possibilities for security researchers and others.
Google Announces Firestore, a Document Database
Google has announced Cloud Firestore, a document database for mobile, web and server applications.
Apple Details Face ID Security
Apple has described how Face ID works and how it guarantees security in a new white paper.
Swift 4 is Officially Available: What's New
Swift’s latest major release contains many changes and updates to the language and the standard library, most notably new String features, extended collections, archival and serialization, and more.
Apple’s iPhone X Has Custom Neural Engine Processor Built In
Speaking in the Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple Park yesterday Philip Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, described some of the technology behind the facial recognition system in the newly announced iPhone X including a dedicated neural engine built into the A11 chip.
Amazon Alexa Skill CLI and Management API to Streamline Development
Amazon has announced a new API and command-line tool to make it possible to create, update, test, and submit Alexa skills.
ARCore is Google’s Second Take on Augmented Reality
After launching Project Tango a few years ago, Google has announced a new augmented reality (AR) initiative, ARCore, which aims to bring AR to millions of Android devices.
Android 8.0 Oreo Is Here. Developers Are Recommended to Test Their Apps
Google has released the final version of Android 8.0 Oreo. The source code was published to AOSP and system images were made available for supported Nexus and Pixel devices. Android 8.0 comes with several changes that can affect how existing applications function.
Swift 5 Sets its Goals, Defines New Evolution Process
Expected to be released in late 2018, Swift 5 will bring ABI stability and further work on API resilience and memory ownership. A new evolution process will help ensure Swift 5 development keeps its focus on its planned goals.
Adopting Agile and DevOps at Wyndham Vacation Rentals UK
Embedding agile and DevOps had a positive impact on the role of QA at Wyndham; focusing effort in the earlier lifecycle stages has led to smoother releases with fewer bugs and post-production issues. Business colleagues and customers are more involved throughout the delivery cycle, making testing a shared responsibility .
