Throwing the biggest new feature right at you — the freshly released Android Wear 2.0 makes all compatible smartwatches independent from companion phones. No more worrying about keeping your Android or iPhone in the pocket during the workout. The devices running this new OS stay connected with the Internet over the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the LTE connection. Being independent of the smartphones means that smartwatches now have their own standalone Play Store with hundreds of apps that can be downloaded and installed to the gadget directly. The existing Wear 1.x apps are also accessible and fully functional.

The owners of the WiFi-accessible smartphones enjoy direct WiFi connection for some time already, yet these are great news for the people who happen to use Android-powered smartwatches with iPhones and previously lacked the easy app support. Security is ensured by using a specific API for Wearable Data Layer coupled with username and login authentication using the new watch face keyboard, handwriting recognition or voice input through Assistant.

New App launcher design

The latest Android design overhaul found its way into the updated OS for Android smartwatches. Instead of using side swipes to access apps, you can now simply push the side button, and the apps are displayed in an arc, which seems more fitting for the round screen of smartwatches. The list can be reorganized – just drag and drop to move your favorite apps up the arc. The action drawer now resides near the lower edge of the display and provides the content-specific actions, just as you would expect on a smartphone. Zooming in and out are also available for better user experience.

Customizable Watchfaces and Widgets (Complications)

This update introduces watchface widgets, also called Complications. Developers can use the API to supply the watchface Complications with data output from various third-party applications like Spotify or Google Fit, for example.

Changing to another watchface is also one swipe away now. The users can set up three watchfaces, all packed with different apps suiting for their roles — for business hours, workout and home usage, for example — line them up and simply swipe between them.

Messaging and replying via Android Wear 2.0

Messaging was quite inconvenient with small screens of wrist-held smart devices. The new input methods are aimed at rectifying the situation. Google proposes its self-developed keyboard you can swipe in to type a response and provides the API access for third-party keyboard-enabling apps. Handwriting recognition allows easily responding to the messages and the smart replies (a replica to Gmail feature) are also available to make the answering process as effortless and convenient as possible. Just tap on the message received and choose the way to respond to it.

New fitness possibilities

This Android OS for smartwatches release provides more features for fitness apps like Google fit (these features should be supported by the smartwatch itself, of course). The parameters like the number of repetitions in various exercises, distance jogged, calories burnt, heart beat ratio (if the appropriate sensor is present in the device), etc. — all of this can now be calculated and presented on the watch face.

In addition, listening to your favorite music during workout becomes much easier, as this smartwatch OS supports direct streaming from Spotify or other services alike, via the LTE or Wi-Fi connection. Note that the smartphone is not required, as the music is downloaded and played directly through the gadget itself! Calling and messaging capabilities are also available, so that smartwatch becomes the only device needed for staying in touch while enjoying the workout session!

Notifications overhaul

Notifications used to fill the watch face before, making it fill slightly encumbered. Android Wear 2.0 fixes this issue, as notification cards are now displayed as small icons in the lower part of the screen, with numbers showing the quantity of the cards in stack. This helps you manage the notifications easily — like accepting the call before answering to those three messages or changing the playlist. The screen remains clean and unobscured, providing convenient access to other functions of your wrist-held technological wonder.

Android Pay functionality

Full support of Android Pay for contactless payments with NFC-enabled smartwatches is another useful feature the users will enjoy. Just enter your banking card details into the app once and enjoy seamless shopping experience from now on!

Android Assistant for Smartwatches

One of other particularly interesting features is the voice input via Google Assistant. It is activated with standard “OK Google” or by holding down the standby button – and you can ask for directions, set timers, check the weather, etc. More functions are coming soon, but being able to use your smartwatches hands-free — while driving,biking, jogging or working out — this is already a nice feature to have, isn’t it?

Android Wear 2.0 rollout schedule

As we said above, the new version of Android OS for smartwatches is not coming to all devices at once. While newer smartwatches from LG receive the updated OS at once, the older series will have to wait for their turn, and some of the most outdated models will never be covered. Thus said, the owners of such devices now face the choice of adding a new gadget to their collection or envying their friends and colleagues who already did it.

Which way will you choose?

The post Android Wear 2.0: a brief description of a huge update appeared first on QuanticApps.

Both car integration systems use smartphones for computing and rendering the operations, then sending the picture to the car display, which is basically an external touchscreen monitor. However, while Apple went for a proven choice of a grid of icons, Android Auto created a refreshingly interesting choice of a home screen with a notification dashboard and 5 tabbed sections in the bottom. This is the major design difference, which affects all the other functions.

Apple CarPlay – your “iOS for the car” choice.

Apple CarPlay has the same simplistic design of the grid of icons iOS users are fond of.  However, adding additional apps results in pagination, which means there can be two and more pages with grids of 8 icons. To say even more, third party apps face certain pagination  restrictions, meaning your favorite app might end up on the third page without the chance of being moved to the main page.

The status bar resides to the left, showing the current time, network connectivity level and the on-screen Home button. The icons are the focal points in Apple CarPlay – big, bright, easy to tap. The “three taps” philosophy is in work here, so 8 starting icons grouped in two rows of 4 allow reaching any app or feature with a couple of taps from the main screen.

Phone icon provides access to contacts, favorites, recent calls, keypad and voicemail. Music is the same old Apple Music all iOS fans are well familiar with. Messages holds all messages, can read the out loud and allows replying to or initiating new messages with a voice. Pressing and holding the voice command button (usually mounted on steering wheel) activates Siri with all its benefits.

Maps is the place for planning routes and navigating. Apple Maps are used, so no big changes here either. Podcasts, Audiobooks and all other native or third-party apps mostly duplicate the standard iPhone or iPad experience.

Android Auto – a creepy but useful self-learning system

While Apple CarPlay’s bet is on simplicity and convenience of access to the same old iPhone functions while driving a car, Android Auto has certain important differences with Android smartphones.

For example, the notification dashboard with 5 tabbed sections below (navigation, phone functions, home screen, audio, manufacturer apps) is actually a snapshot of what is  going  on right now. New notification cards appear and can be accessed directly from the dashboard. New call, incoming message or email, beginning of the favorite shows, possible traffic jams, preferred shopping locations and routes to them and a myriad of other notifications can appear on the screen. When there are few notifications of the same type (like 5 new replies to your FB post) – a little red circle with the number appears in the notification window. Thus, a quick glance helps you understand which areas demand more attention.

Google Music has somewhat limited functionality, as Android Auto does not let you browse your content library – you can select the playlist only. However, while being used by default, Google Music is not the only app supported for audio, so using other programs helps find the most convenient solution for enjoying music while driving.

Driving and navigation. It is the key feature of Android Auto. The (somewhat creepy) yet incredibly useful Google Now self-learning route prediction system analyzes your schedule, driving routine, calendar events, recent voicemail and messages – and suggests several destination points based on the data analyzed. While selecting the point itself is nothing new, having it chosen for you according to your daily routine or recent email is a whole other story.

Drawbacks of both solutions

Thus said, while both being helpful, none of the iOS and Android systems proposes something essential. Mostly duplicating the smartphone functions. Low tolerance for third-party apps is also a drawback, yet Android Auto supports much more of them as compared to Apple CarPlay. Accessing another key section of the app is also a bit easier with Android Auto. Voice command system integration (both with Siri and Google) is a great feature for relieving your hands from the phone – but does it relieve your head from driving?

A playlist or route can be chosen before driving off and are rarely adjusted mid-motion. However, answering the messages or listening to them aloud requires drawing some cognitive power and attention from controlling the traffic situation. This poses a potential threat, though it’s lower than typing on the phone while driving.

Conclusions

Thus said, both Google CarPlay and Android Auto are great systems, which are in their infancy now and did not hit the consumers with full power yet. Both systems have great potential and watching them evolve and compete with each other will be an interesting experience. However, from our point of view, route prediction and traffic jam notification system is way more useful than an ability to listen to the podcasts of the sports games on the move.

The post Apple CarPlay vs Android Auto: Pros and Cons of Both Systems appeared first on QuanticApps.

Since it release in September, 2016, iOS 10 was closely examined by various experts and millions of users worldwide. According to the overwhelming majority of reviews, the OS overall performance has improved greatly and UI/UX has gotten even more comfortable and feature-rich. While certain features aim at improving the usage convenience, some are introduced for the sake of the ease of app integration.

For example, Find My Airpods is the feature that will undoubtedly become one of your favorites, as these slim earbuds seem to be able to hide in the open! Simply download Find My iPhone app, sign in with iCloud account, tap on the Airpods, select Actions and Play sound. That’s it, the Airpods will begin to chirp and you  will be able to find them easily.

Quantic Apps composed a list of 15 most noteworthy iOS 10 features to be aware of. The list is presented in no particular order and will be useful for those, who just decided to leave Android behind and enter the world of iOS10 — and even more useful for those who are now making the long-awaited upgrade from previous devices and want to know what’s new, what has improved and what is left intact.

New Facial Recognition algorithm

The users now have much more convenience while browsing Photos in search of great selfies and other shots with their friends as Facial Recognition feature now works much better. The new People tab in Albums also allows grouping those photos as the user sees fit. Possible security concerns are well addressed – this features works only for the photos stored on the device itself.

New Widgets functionality for many Apps

You will not need to unlock the iPhone any more in order to check the latest messages in FB, news, weather and much, much more. New Widgets feature in iOS10 allows doing it by adding animated, expandable and highly customizable widgets that can display text, play audio and even video. SImply swipe to the right from the lock screen – and there you go! Adding new Widgets is also simple – use 3D Touch on the app icon and tap Add Widget!

Emojis just got so much better!

iOS 10 emojis boast much richer functionality, as compared to their predecessors. The emojis are 3 times larger when sent without text, and can be used as substitutes for text inside iMessage or Message app — iOS simply highlights the words that can be replaced with emojis as you type. After you finish typing the text, simply tap the Emoji button and replace all suitable words with shiny emojis!

In-text URLs are now visualized

This is a great feature, enhancing any link you send in iMessage or Message app with an image (automatically fetched from the site) and a short description. This works for iTunes, Youtube, Vimeo, etc. (yes, you can now watch a video or listen to the music without even leaving the chat with a friend!). This feature supports URLs to track on Spotify, but these are not played in-line, of course.

6 types of third party apps are integrated with Siri, more are to come

iOS10 was a milestone in many meanings, including the long-awaited opening of Siri SDK (Sirikit)for developers. This allows using voice commands for requesting a Lyft, messaging in LinkedIn or WhatsApp or even browsing for photos on Pinterest. The initial 6 types of apps will undoubtedly be followed by others, which will allow using Siri with favorite third-party apps of each customer.

Apple Music receives a new personalized playlist

The new Discovery Mix playlist will enrich the Apple Music usage experience greatly, offering new tracks in the user’s preferred categories. Two other playlists, My Favorites Mix and My New Music Mix are on rotation already. The structure the tracks either according to the most repeated ones, or deliver new songs from favorite artists, os it’s only logical that My Discovery Mix will bolster this functionality.

Apple Music now comes with lyrics!

Finally! No need to browse for lyrics for a great new song any more! Whenever you are listening to a track on Apple Music you can just pull up — and the lyrics module will be downloaded. Unfortunately, not all publishers signed a contract with Apple, so some lyrics might be unavailable, but the majority of great tracks are now available for karaoke whenever and wherever you want it!

Transcription (and spam protection) for Voicemail

Voicemail can be great, but listening to it is not always comfortable.One of iOS 10 new features is the long-requested transcription for Voicemail, turning it to an easy-to-read text. In addition, Voicemail SDK (Callkit) is in place, which aims at stopping the Voicemail spam.

Any VoIP to your service

Not all contacts are stored in the phone. We speak with people in Slack, Skype, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other VoIP services. Previously, you had to store these contacts separately or add them to a contact list by hand. One of the  new iOS 10 features is the ability to treat all such calls like native Phone calls. They are stored in the journal, you can add them to the list of contacts and the app of choice will be used for calling such contacts in the future! No more hassle, just select the contact and call it — iPhone will launch Skype or Slack automatically!

3D Touch is really useful now

This feature introduced with iPhone 6 and 6s was not very popular as it obviously came ahead of the demand. With iOS 10, however, 3D Touch becomes an important and useful feature. You can now deep-press the app icon and create a widget for it, accept a Calendar invite or clear all Notifications without even unlocking your iPhone! Many more functions are sure to come and 3D Touch will take its rightful place amongst the most widely used iOS 10 features.

Remove Native Apps if you wish so

In the new iOS version all Native Apps can be removed from the Home screen. They are not deleted, however, to prevent the system from crashing, the user can simply hide the launcher icons from sight. Should the need arise, any Native App can be easily “reinstalled” from the App Store.

QuickType is your new best friend

Another iOS 10 feature that is drastically improved is QuickType. It can now read the text requests you receive and help answer them with ease. For example, questions like “Where are you” will surface a suggestion to pin your current location on a map. Inquiries about a friend’s phone number or address will surface the needed info from the contact list, etc. Finding a needed information in your Calendar or contact list just became a lot easier.

Multilingual keyboard from QuickType

Another welcomed functionality is the QuickType’s ability to automatically write the text in multiple languages, even if you did not switch to the correct keyboard before typing the text. Simply add the keyboard in Settings — General — Keyboard and QuickType will analyse the text as you type and stay put for switching the keyboard if need be.

Apple Pay makes its way into your buying routine

Whenever you want to shop online you can use Apple Pay feature directly from your iPhone now. Setup it once and use it on any sites supporting the feature, instead of inputting the credit card details over and over again.

Home app for your smart home

A brand new app called Home was released with iOS 10. It allows connecting all HomeKit-enabled devices into groups and controlling them with buttons or Siri voice commands. For example, a simple “Goodnight!” can turn all the TVs off, close the shades, lock the doors and switch the thermostat on. No more walking around half-asleep checking if everything is done. Home app will keep your home safe!

There are many more great new iOS 10 features, yet we suggest you explore them on your own, as there is nothing compared to the joy of discovery. Be sure that Quantic Apps will use all the opportunities iOS 10 offers to mobile developers, so expect new great apps from us!

The post New iOS 10 features to be excited about appeared first on QuanticApps.

Mobile world congress 2017 is over. It took place at Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Spain from February, 27 to March, 2 and these 4 days were incredible! Around 108,000 people were able to witness the true power of mobile, which is behind literally every new breakthrough and innovation emerging in our fast-paced and interconnected world!

More than 2,300 companies and startups from 208 countries all over the world took part in a massive exposition located at magnificent state-of-the-art Fira Gran Via expo centre and Fira Montjuïc. A whopping 3,500 of reporters represented the mass media worldwide and provided a thorough coverage of the event. The pavilions were spread across 9 huge halls and 11 outdoor locations, occupying around 100 square kilometers in total.

The expo showcased a plethora of breakthroughs and incredible projects that will change the way we communicate and live: 5G Internet coverage for IoT, connected cars, smart houses, 3D printing, robotics, drones, Artificial Intelligence, wearable tech for augmented reality and virtual reality, along with data security solutions, and backend technologies of mobile development. The GSMA Innovation city visitors were also given a possibility to take part in the most immersive and cutting-edge demonstrations of many of these technologies at work, as well as getting acquainted with the latest mobile-enabled apps and services from the companies around the globe.

The latest addition to the exposition was the NextTechHall 8.0 showcasing several of the aforementioned technologies.

YoMo 2017 was a pan-Spain Youth Mobile festival, bringing more than 11,000 children aged 11-16 in order to describe them the possibilities opening for those choosing to obtain professions needed in mobile development industry. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (Design) and Maths form the STEAM – the most important branches of education needed for bringing fresh minds and innovative ideas into the industry.

MWC holds dear the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Mobile apps and technologies are built not only for profit or entertainment, they should be aimed at fighting poverty, injustice, discrimination of any kind, slowing the global climate change, etc. A variety of conference sessions and networking events were devoted to discussing these topics and depicting these goals with the help of augmented reality-based app.

Women are an all-important part of mobile-related industry, so Women4Tech educational initiative was aimed at encouraging more women to try themselves out in various jobs, including the ones requiring leadership and managerial skills, which many women excel at. One of the core missions of this programme is supporting the SDG 5 – the goal for gender equality.

322 speakers had their talks during an intense conference programme. They represented mobile operators and organizations, consumer brands and NGOs even from the industries that are not considered too closely mobile-related. Automotive and health, banking and entertainment industries begin to be connected through innovative mobile technologies that change the world around us. One of the most anticipated keynote speakers was the CEO and founder of Netflix – Reed Hastings. He shared his vision of how the world of content is now in the process of change and disruption.

There was quite a bunch of Partner Programmes where 29 mobile industry evangelists and visionaries disclosed the effects of the mobile technology advancements, and what new possibilities now form the mobile industry landscape. The topics discussed covered a huge range of topics, from the 4th Industrial Revolution and automated factories to Consumer IoT (smart houses, etc.), new forms of content delivery in the era of social media, e Government and public policies, etc.

4YFN is the best place for mobile startups and mobile development companies to contact the investors or potential partners in order to shape the future together. Located at Fira Montjuïc, 4YFN attracted thousands of visitors and provided immense networking possibilities for everyone involved. Such exposure is essential in order to help new ideas reach the tech community worldwide and gain the support it needs to succeed.

Mobile World Congress 2017 was a majestic experience. QuanticApps looks forward to taking part in the next events. We’ll be happy to meet you there!

The post MWC’17 Barcelona innovations for mobile appeared first on QuanticApps.

New web development trends emerge all the time, yet only some of them become disruptions that change the landscape of the industry. In order to gain and keep a competitive edge for their apps, web developers have to ride the tide. Thus said, keeping an eye on the whole wave of new technologies and knowing which ones are worth using are two totally different things. Below is the list of what Quantic Apps considers to be the top 6 hot web development trends of 2017.

Web apps for the Internet of Things

Yes, the talks about it have been around for some time. However, 2017 might well become the breakthrough when the new era of smart gadgets and tech begins. Why so? Just take a look at Marc Zuckerberg’s Jarvis system of house control, which already exists and helps him control many systems of his house through apps instead of hands. The market for such apps is already large as of 2017 and it will definitely increase even further. However, certain security questions arise, and these should definitely be addressed before web apps for the Internet of Things are market-ready. This means 2017 will be a year of challenges and huge possibilities for web developers who will try creating apps for the IoT.

Artificial Intelligence use in web design and more…

AI is another widely discussed topic, yet 2017 can become the year when feasible AI-based systems hit the market. Google search engine is already using AI technology, allowing Google optimize the search results even more efficiently. Wikipedia AI helps with articles validation and removing the broken or malicious links. We expect more and more applications of AI to reveal themselves in 2017, as developers concentrate their time and effort in building new AI-driven apps and tools.

A great example of used in web app is Molly — the algorithm powering The Grid.io, a simple website builder. Anyone without even the basic design skills can answer Molly’s written questions about the website design and elements — and the AI creates the page! Feel free to try it out and experiment as much as you want, you will only help Molly become better.

Virtual Reality implementation in web development

In 2017 virtual reality can become much more real as Google and Mozilla combine their efforts on developing VR APIs for the web. Having such tools at their arsenal will help web developers build apps for literally any purpose, from virtual tourism and education to using virtual tours for showcasing real estate. Adding such functionality can make many products more competitive .

Angular 2 universe changes

Angular 2 was released in 2016, and developers worldwide now have to learn the Google’s main frontend development JS framework anew. Angular 2 relies on Javascript ES6 functionality, uses TypeScript for writing apps and uses component-driven architecture intensively. In their release post the Angular 2 publishers promised major updates each 6 months, meaning lots of news for all web developers working with this framework.

Typescript is the new Javascript

Typescript is the most possible way of Javascript evolution. Typescript is an open-source Javascript superset that was developed by Microsoft and is built upon ECMAScript 6. It makes Javascript code checking and refactoring incredibly simple. Using the classic JS syntax and deploying powerful tools for various frameworks integration, Typescript is a great choice for building highly scalable apps in an easy fashion.

The latest trends in web design

Knowing the latest frontend development trends means keeping an eye on web design as well. Here are certain points of interest in web design for 2017:

1. User interfaces that track movements are quite a real possibility. When combined with libs like tracking.js, this can lead to creation of movement-reacting interfaces really soon.
2. As more and more users browse the web from mobile devices, large and bold fonts are becoming more popular.
3. Most of the users nowadays expect to see some kind of explainer videos or explanatory pictures on any app or website they browse.

This is the list of top 6 hot web development trends for 2017 as seen by Quantic Apps. Did we miss something? Would you like to add or replace certain points? Tell us in the comments below!

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