Google Chat will default to unthreaded chat rooms to eliminate the confusing mess

Google Chat is about to change the way it organizes conversations. Following criticism that threaded conversations are confusing, Google has confirmed that newly created rooms will soon be unthreaded by default. According to a posting in the Google Workplace blog, the change will kick in on all rooms created after November 16th. Google notes, however, that you won’t be able to switch between threaded and unthreaded in existing rooms, but you can toggle between the two options when you create new ones.

One advantage of unthreaded rooms is the option to toggle chat history on and off, via the Admin console’s “room history” setting. It will be up to each Workspace Admin to decide whether to enable history, rather than being an option for the end-user. Conversely, the new unthreaded rooms are not

Such a fundamental change is, indirectly, a result of the pandemic, which has already seen Google Meet become a free service to all, ahead of the originally planned rollout which was due in 2021. Ultimately, Google Meet and Google Chat will replace Google Hangouts, the increasingly neglected yet stalwart chat app which is being retired at around the same time.

Google Chat has had to adapt and evolve far faster than was ever intended, due in no small part to the world situation, and the threaded conversations, similar in style to Slack, are one example of a feature which has been tried and hasn’t worked out. It’s good to see Google is willing to adapt in this way. Given that its previous exploits with communication apps – GTalk, Google Allo/Duo, and Google+, to name a few have ended up in a hot mess, it’s clear that Google is committed (at least for now) to making Google Meet and Google Chat work out. Until they think of yet another reinvention, of course.

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Google Shopping adds a share menu shortcut to compare prices

Google Shopping was not a particularly high profile element of the search experience, but that seems set to change as Version 56 of the Android app has arrived with a bunch of new features. Many we already knew about, but this update has brought us yet another new feature. Ahead of the Black Friday shenanigans, Google has added a price comparison feature in the app, which is accessed through the sharing context menu. By highlighting and sharing a block of plain text, Google Shopping will make a search amongst the myriad of stores and websites it monitors and takes you to a page comparing prices for that product, using the same format as the web version. It’s a little bit like the Amazon Assistant app, which allows you to check the price of a product on Amazon, in line.

Our Editor-In-Chief, Mishaal Rahman spotted the new feature in the code for the new version of the app, in addition to the raft of new features introduced last month, including price tracking on specific products, price insights to help you decide if a price being offered is above or below average, and details about physical stores, such as their parking availability and if kerbside pickup is available, presumably pulled from the Google Maps ‘Guide’ community, which has been collating this kind of data for several years.

At present, these features are only available to US users – in fact, the Google Shopping app doesn’t appear in some local Play Stores. Google says it refocused on the Google Shopping app and website in response to the current pandemic which has seen a huge rise in online shopping during 2020. With the regular triple threat of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Singles Day just around the corner, Google has given savvy shoppers an army of tools for finding the best bargains.

Google Shopping: Discover, compare prices & buy (Free, Google Play) →

 

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These are the best laptops you can buy right now: XPS 13, MacBook Pro 16, and more

Smartphones have become extremely powerful and are as useful as your everyday laptop or even more. Apart from many tasks that one can achieve from a notebook, the best smartphones have gone way beyond. You can click amazing pictures and videos, binge watch your favorite TV shows, or even pay money without ever reaching for your wallet. But even to this date, most people continue to rely on laptops to get their work done faster and more efficiently. The initial days of the Covid-19 lockdown saw a decline in smartphone sales due to obvious reasons. However, at the same time, there was a huge demand for laptops as organizations scrambled to switch to a work from home setup.

Now there is a wide variety out there for almost every type of user. From gorgeous displays to long-lasting battery life, getting the right notebook is honestly not that difficult. Of course, you just need to look in the right place. It is best to assess all the factors before you go ahead and put your money down. Apart from choosing the right specs, you need to be mindful of the size and form factor. Of course, in the end, it all comes down to your needs and requirements. To make things easy, we have listed some of the best laptops that you should consider if you are planning to buy one in 2020. These are the best and top of the line options in various segments.

Navigate this guide:

• Best overall laptop: Dell XPS 13
• Best everyday gaming laptop: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
• Best laptop for Mac users: Apple MacBook Pro 16
• Best 17-inch Laptop: Dell XPS 17
• Best budget gaming laptop: ASUS TUF A15
• Best business laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
• Best gaming laptop: Razer Blade Pro 17
• Best 2-in-1 laptop: HP Spectre x360 13
• Best Chromebook: Acer Spin 713

Best Overall Laptop: Dell XPS 13

The XPS 13 has quintessentially been one of the most influential Windows laptops in the past few years. Known for offering a solid balance of style and performance, the current generation model offers up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB SSD. The sleek metal design complements the borderless display, which is also one of its highlight features. Speaking of which, Dell has been offering some of the best-looking displays on its XPS lineup. This one features a 16:10 ratio screen, and you can opt for a 1080p or 2400p resolution. The port selection is limited to a couple of USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, while the claimed 12-hour battery life sounds great for all-day workloads. Be on the lookout for the newly launched XPS 13 9310 model that comes with the same design and styling, but features the new 11th-Gen Intel Core processor options with the new Iris Xe Graphics. The new model should be available soon and offer a slight edge in terms of performance compared to the outgoing model.

Dell XPS 13

The Dell XPS 13 is a highly recommended premium notebook that offers a solid balance of style and performance. It is also one of the best ultrabooks out there.

$1,272 at Amazon

Best Everyday Gaming Laptop: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

Probably one of the most eye-catching notebooks of 2020, the Zephyrus G14 from ASUS is quite a versatile machine. It offers a fairly sleek 14-inch design and is also loaded with powerful CPU and GPU options to fulfill your gaming needs. The solid build, battery life, and that unique dot-matrix display on the lid add up to what can be called the best everyday gaming laptop. Notably, ASUS is offering the machine with AMD’s powerful Ryzen 4000 processor options as well as a 120Hz display. The only gripe we have is that it does not come with a built-in webcam for your Zoom meetings.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The ROG Zephyrus G14 is one of the most praised laptops of 2020. It offers one of the most unique designs and comes with powerful CPU options from AMD.

$1,169.99 at Amazon

Best Laptop for Mac users: Apple MacBook Pro 16

The biggest and most powerful MacBook in years, the MacBook Pro 16 is an easy recommendation for power users. The notebook has been applauded for finally bringing back the scissor-style keyboard switches. It also comes with some of the best speaker systems on any laptop on the market. Of course, being a MacBook Pro, you can expect this machine to glide through your audio, video, or photo editing tasks without working up a sweat. Apple has also gone all-out when it comes to the hardware offering up to an 8-core Intel Core i9 processor, up to 16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM, further expandable, and up to a whopping 8TB of SSD storage.

Apple MacBook Pro 16

The MacBook Pro 16 is the most powerful notebook from Apple. It is great for power users, especially if you are a creative professional.

$2,149 at Amazon

Best 17-inch Laptop: Dell XPS 17

Dell reintroduced a 17-inch XPS laptop earlier this year, almost 10-year after we saw the last model. Offering all of the best features that we have seen on the recent XPS lineup, the XPS 17 simply enlarges the package. It also offers up to an Intel Core i9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU making it an apt device for creative professionals and casual gamers. Additionally, you can expect the premium XPS styling, including the super-slim bezels, which reduces the laptop’s overall footprint down to a 15-inch notebook. This notebook is also a serious competitor if you are looking for a Windows alternative to the MacBook Pro 16.

Dell XPS 17

Bringing the best of the XPS lineup, the XPS 17 is the best 17-inch laptop that offers a footprint of 15-inch machine. It comes with an excellent display and a premium design that you cannot ignore.

$2,499.99 at BestBuy

Best Budget Gaming Laptop: ASUS TUF A15

AMD’s Ryzen 4000 series has given solid competition to Intel this year. Apart from mainstream laptops, the chipset also crept into the gaming segment. One such option, especially if you are looking for something on a budget, is the ASUS TUF A15 gaming notebook. Targeting entry-level gamers, the TUF A15 is a fairly affordable option if you are looking for something powerful for your everyday work and gaming needs. The notebook isn’t the most premium-looking machine out there, but you get MIL-STD 810 certification and some RGB lighting for the keyboard. You also get the option for a 144Hz panel, although it isn’t the most color-accurate screen, which is expected from an entry-level gaming laptop.

ASUS TUF A15

ASUS is offering a great entry-level gaming laptop loaded with AMD's power-packed Ryzen 4000 series processor and option of Nvidia GPUs.

$849 at Amazon

Best Business Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The ThinkPad series is a no brainer if you are looking for a solid business notebook. The X1 Carbon primarily witnessed under-the-hood upgrades this year, but that doesn’t make it any less of a recommendation. The 10th-Gen Intel vPro CPUs deliver only a slight performance boost compared to the previous generation. But if your business notebook is 3-4 years old, then the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a wise choice. The laptop offers an ultraslim design that is highly durable and the best keyboard in its class, and good display options. We would also recommend looking at the HP Elite Dragonfly if you are willing to stretch your budget.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The ThinkPad is a popular name when it comes to business laptops. The 8th-gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon is pretty much the same as the last year's model, but brings new innards for improved performance.

$1,879.99 at Amazon

Best Gaming Laptop: Razer Blade Pro 17

Razer might still be an underdog, but the Razer Blade Pro 17 is undoubtedly the best gaming laptop out there. It has a fairly slim persona yet offers a healthy set of ports, including a full-size HDMI and Ethernet. There’s certainly some high-end hardware as well, including the options of a 300Hz display or a 4K 120Hz screen, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q, and an eight-core Intel Core i7-10875H processor with 16GB RAM. If you want to go all-out, you can look at the Alienware m15 R3 or even the Gigabyte Aero 17. Still, in our opinion, Razer is offering a wider option for gamers and creative professionals in a package that would appeal to a wider audience.

Razer Blade 17 Pro

The Razer Blade 17 Pro is the ultimate gaming machine that combines a stealthy look and beastly performance. Razer is offering this notebook with up to a 300Hz display or a 4K 120Hz option which is quite something.

$1,849.19 at Amazon

Best 2-in-1 Laptop: HP Spectre x360 13

If you are looking for the best 2-in-1 laptop that also looks impressive, then the HP Spectre x360 is a wise choice. Apart from offering strong performance, it features a vivid 13.3-inch 4K OLED touch display and an excellent keyboard. Compared to the previous-gen model, HP has trimmed down the areas around the display and keyboard, making it smaller in terms of the overall footprint. The notebook also offers fingerprint and face recognition for added security, while the improved trackpad offers a fluid experience.

HP Spectre x360 13

One of the most premium 2-in-1 laptops, the HP Spectre x360 is for the ones who don't want to compromise on style and performance. It comes with a great 4K touchscreen display option along with Intel's latest 10th-gen CPUs.

$1,259 at Amazon

Best Chromebook: Acer Chromebook Spin 713

Chromebooks are usually the best option for school and college students since they are usually cheap. Not the Acer Spin 713 though. It is one of the most powerful, pricey, and best Chromebooks out there. Since it is expensive, it also comes with powerful 10th-gen Intel CPU options going all the way from Core i3 to a Core i7. It also comes with a 13.5-inch 2256×1504 touchscreen, a 128GB NVMe SSD, and 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM, making it the fastest one out there. The Acer Spin 713 is also Project Athena certified, which means that it has a seal of approval from Intel when it comes to performance and battery life.

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is one of the most powerful Chromebooks you'll be able to pick up today. With beefy specs that rival that of budget gaming laptops, performance will never be an issue.

$629 at BestBuy

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Considering the holiday season is just around the corner, we are assuming that you might be tempted to get your hands on one of these notebooks. Having said that, we suggets you to hold on for a few more days. As in the case of XPS 13, Intel’s new 11th-Gen mobile processors are slowly making their way to newer models. We are expecting more device manufacturers to start shipping newer variants in the coming weeks with the new processor options.

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Xiaomi teases a large telephoto lens for smartphones that can physically zoom

Smartphone cameras have come a long way, but there is still some way to go before they can match the latest mirrorless cameras. One of the key limitations that smartphone cameras have has been that they traditionally have fixed focal lengths. To get around this limitation, device makers have turned towards multi-camera solutions to provide a wider field-of-view with ultra-wide-angle cameras as well as a narrower field-of-view with cameras having fixed telephoto lenses. This limitation still means the secondary and tertiary cameras have poorer optics in terms of the aperture and resulting ability to capture light, as well as smaller sensors in general. Traditional mirrorless and DSLR cameras, on the other hand, have a single camera sensor and interchangeable lenses, which feature variable focal lengths. For example, you can have a 18-55mm kit lens that is usually paired with budget DSLR or mirrorless cameras, which means you can take ultra-wide-angle, wide-angle as well as normal photos with the same sensor. While some camera-specialized smartphones in the past such as the Galaxy K Zoom did have physical optical zoom technology (which is used in point-and-shoot cameras ) with retractable lenses, it never became popular on mainstream phones. This may change in the future as Xiaomi has now introduced its latest self-developed Retractable Wide-Aperture Lens Technology after taking inspiration from traditional camera designs.

The company announced on Weibo (via Android Authority) that its Retractable Wide-Aperture Lens Technology features a retractable optical structure, which is designed to compactly lodge within the phone and which can extend out when needed. The design is said to allow the retractable telescopic camera to have a larger aperture to increase the light amount by 300%, although Xiaomi didn’t specifically provide an f-number. It also supposedly showcases better performance in portraits as well as night photography compared to the currently available camera structures.

Xiaomi adds that the technology also incorporates a new image stabilization technology that offers a larger anti-shake angle, which makes the images more stable and increases the sharpness by 20% as well. The company states it will continue to integrate these professional imaging technologies into smartphone photography, thus bringing professional photography to smartphone users as well as adding to its list of imaging technology breakthroughs (which includes being the first to use a 108MP camera sensor in a phone).

The lens extends out from the body of the phone like point-and-shoot cameras, which allows it to physically move in and out. Xiaomi hasn’t specified a zoom range for the technology yet, and while the obvious benefit of such a technology is to offer the ability to do real optical zoom without relying on a secondary camera, Xiaomi doesn’t specifically state that this will offer the ability to physically zoom in on subjects.

Featuring this technology in a future Xiaomi phone may allow the company to have just one camera instead of the dual and triple camera solutions that are so popular today, as the need for a secondary telephoto camera with poorer optics and a smaller sensor is negated. On the other hand, this will have an adverse impact on the phone’s thickness as the lens has to physically extend out, which is why, up until now, device makers haven’t been keen on offering retractable zoom technology in their phones.

Xiaomi doesn’t say when its new Retractable Wide-Aperture Lens Technology will be available on a commercial phone. It’s probably too late to expect it to feature on the company’s upcoming Mi 11 flagship, but if the company does manage to mass produce this with great execution, it could result in big image quality improvements, particularly in zoom as well as in low light photography.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 from 2015 officially receives October 2020 security patches

Samsung today maintains a healthy security update schedule for its devices. The company regularly pushes monthly security updates to popular devices launched in the last two years, while the remaining devices receive security updates quarterly. However, Samsung’s policy on software updates wasn’t this good just a few years ago. Before making the switch to One UI, Samsung had a poor reputation for software support. This is why it’s quite surprising to see the company rolling out a security update for the Galaxy Tab S2 in 2020.

For the unaware, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 was launched all the way back in 2015. The tablet featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 652 SoC, a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED display, and it ran Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box. While the tablet was only updated to Android 7.0 Nougat, Samsung seems to have continued pushing security updates to the device over the last four years.

The latest security update for the Galaxy Tab S2, according to Verizon (via Android Police), brings the Android security patches for October 2020 to the device. While the update doesn’t include much else, it’s great to see Samsung keeping a five-year-old device updated with the latest security patches. In contrast, Google’s Nexus 9, which was launched a few months after the Tab S2, hasn’t received an update since October 2017.

Interestingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 isn’t mentioned on Samsung’s official Android Security Updates list. However, the Galaxy Tab S3 from 2017 is included under the “Current Models for Other Regular Security Updates” section.

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Google Photos 5.18 confirms premium editing features for Google One members

Google has been working on adding premium editing features to Google Photos for the last couple of months. Back in March this year, we first spotted evidence of this feature in an APK teardown of Google Photos v4.45. At the time, we learned that the features would only be offered to Google One members. In the following update, we unearthed more strings, which suggested that the Photos app would “upsell” the new premium editing tools to users. However, the strings shed no light on the editing features. Now, we’ve finally managed to find some concrete evidence about the upcoming features in the latest Google Photos release.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

Google Photos v5.18 recently started rolling out to users via the Play Store. On the surface, the update only includes bug fixes to “improve saving and storing of edited photos and videos on SD cards.” But a teardown of the APK has revealed strings that highlight new information about the premium editing features.

<string name="photos_photoeditor_fragments_editor3_g1_callout_g1_member">As a Google One member, you get access to extra editing features</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_fragments_editor3_g1_callout_non_member">Get extra editing features with a Google One membership</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_fragments_editor3_upsell_banner">Unlock this feature and more with a Google One membership</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_fragments_editor3_upsell_title_with_storage">Unlock more editing features and {storage_amount} of storage with a Google One membership</string>

Firstly, the strings include new prompts that will alert the user of the premium editing features and urge them to get a Google One membership. These new prompts will read as follows: “As a Google One member, you get access to extra editing features,” “Get extra editing features with a Google One membership,” “Unlock this feature and more with a Google One membership,” and “Unlock more editing features and {storage amount} of storage with a Google One membership.” But while these new prompts explicitly mention the premium editing features, they reveal no information about exactly which features will be locked behind the Google One subscription.

Preprocessing suggestions

Next up, we found new strings that talk about preprocessing suggestions coming to Google Photos:

<string name="photos_photoeditor_preprocessing2_dogfood_suggestion_dynamic">Dynamic</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_preprocessing2_dogfood_suggestion_hdr">HDR</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_preprocessing2_dogfood_suggestion_vivid">Vivid</string>

These strings suggest that the photo editor in the app will offer three preprocessing suggestions — Dynamic, HDR, and Vivid. But at the moment, it’s unclear if these suggestions will be shown to the user.

Skypalette suggestion

And finally, the following strings suggest that Google Photos might soon get new filters to help users edit the sky:

<string name="photos_photoeditor_skypalette_suggestion_afterglow">Afterglow</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_skypalette_suggestion_airy">Airy</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_skypalette_suggestion_ember">Ember</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_skypalette_suggestion_luminous">Luminous</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_skypalette_suggestion_radiant">Radiant</string>

<string name="photos_photoeditor_skypalette_suggestion_stormy">Stormy</string>

The Skypallete suggestions include six filters — Afterglow, Airy, Ember, Luminous, Radiant, and Stormy. These filters will, most likely, work like Sky replacement filters found in the MIUI Gallery app, allowing users to swap the sky in their images with the included presets.

As of now, we can’t confirm if the new Preprocessing and Skypallete suggestions will be locked behind the Google One subscription. But since they’ve been added alongside the new premium editing filter prompts, that may be the case.

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

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WhatsApp Pay starts rolling out to more users in India

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has given WhatsApp the green light to expand its UPI-based payments service to more users in the country. WhatsApp Pay initially received regulatory approval to run a pilot program with up to 10 million users earlier in February this year. At the time, sources familiar with the matter had revealed that if WhatsApp was able to fulfill all compliance requirements, it would be given permission for a full rollout. It seems like WhatsApp has finally managed to meet all requirements, as the NPCI has now permitted the Facebook-owned messenger to go live on the UPI framework in a staged fashion.

In the first phase of rollout, WhatsApp Pay can expand its service to just 20 million of its 400 million users in India. In case you’re one of the lucky few who get access in the first phase, you’ll be able to set up a payment method on the messenger by tapping on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and then selecting the new Payments option. After you verify your phone number and bank account, you should see the payment method listed on the payments page.

Once your payment method is set up, you’ll be able to send and receive money via WhatsApp Pay by selecting the new Payment option in the attachments menu. Currently, WhatsApp Pay supports transactions with over 160 banks in the country. To facilitate the service, WhatsApp has partnered with five leading banks in the country — ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, The State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank. The service is available in 10 regional language versions of WhatsApp, and it just requires users to have a valid debit card with a bank that supports UPI payments.

WhatsApp Pay poses a major threat to other UPI-based payments services in the country, like Google Pay and PayTM, due to its large user base. However, the NPCI has introduced a new regulation to ensure that WhatsApp cannot abuse its position in the Indian market to get an edge over the competition. As per a recent report from Bloomberg Quint on the matter, the new regulation will place a market share cap of 30% on the volume of UPI transactions starting from January 2021.

The 30% cap will be calculated based on the total volume of transactions processed in UPI during the preceding three months on a rolling basis. The market cap will go into effect starting next year, and any third-party app which exceeds the cap as of January 1, 2021, will have to meet it within two years in a phased manner. Sources familiar with the matter have revealed that Google Pay and Flipkart’s PhonePe currently control about 80% of the country’s UPI transactions market.

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