Pokemon Go sees large scale adoption, Facebook toys with encrypted conversations, catch the latest in tech this week
Pokemon Go active users may surpass Twitter
Pokemon Go, the augmented reality location-based game by Ingress developer Niantic Inc. has taken the world by storm, and data published by SimilarWeb indicates that it may soon surpass twitter in daily active users. The game has officially launched only in the U.S.A, Australia and New Zealand, and has already seen a massive following, with users reporting injuries, finding dead bodies and even being robbed while out on their adventures. Despite limited launch, users around the world have sideloaded the game using APK files available online, with the demand causing Niantic's servers to experience frequent crashes. A word of warning for those planning to use the apk, if the file requests to connect Wi-Fi, read bookmarks or run at startup, it is probably an instance of malware and should be avoided.
Google launches Android certification programme in India
In a bid to tap into India's massive developer community, Google has launched an Android Skilling and Certification programme with the aim of training two million developers. The programme will be available through universities and trainign institutes of the National Skill Development Corporation of India and the company has also formed tieups with partners such as UdaCity and UpGrad, where trainers will receive instruction directly from Google to operate as authorised centres. The company has also launched its internationally recognised Associate Android Developer Certification exam on its developer training website for Rs.6,500.
Facebook testing encrypted 'secret messages'
Facebook is testing a new feature, currently available only to select users, called 'secret messages'. the feature allows Facebook Messenger users to have end-to-end encrypted conversations, like those offered by WhatsApp, which is also owned by the company. The secret messages also give users the ability to dictate how long the messages remain available, with options for them to be hidden or deleted after a pre-determined period. Unlike Whatsapp however, the feature will not be enabled by default when it is made available.
Android Wear watched from Google incoming?
After reports that Mountain View-based tech giant Google might be working on its on smartphone, reports have surfaced that the company is also building two Android Wear-based smartwatches. The devices are currently codenamed Angelfish and Swordfish, which is in keeping with Google's marine life-related pre-release codes. The larger Angelfish is reported to get the full feature suite including GPS, LTE and a heart rate sensor while the smaller device might only get heart rate tracking, but adds swappable watch bands. Final branding and availability details are still to be announced.
Galaxy Note 7 less than a month away
After numerous spec leaks and renders, the first live images of the Galaxy Note 7 have started surfacing ahead of its August 2 launch event. Samsung has skipped the Note 6 name to make its nomenclature consistent across its design line, and since the Galaxy S series is now in version 7, the new Note is likely to carry the number 7 as well. The device is said to come equipped with the latest in hardware and adds the edge screen that has seen success in the S lineup. Security is also likely to see an upgrade with the addition of an iris scanner.
