Android tablets have long languished behind the most successful product in the segment – the iPad. One of the most prominent reasons why Android tablets don’t stand a chance against iPads is because of the bad app optimization and UI elements. The devices are mostly blown-up versions of Android phones. But not anymore. Google is rethinking the UI and adding new features that will make Android tablets more competitive with their Apple counterpart.
The Android tablet segment is reaching 270 million active users and it’s about time Google introduced new UI elements to its operating system. Android tablets will now allow you to see more at a glance with dual columns in the notification panel – a feature that was present in my Dell Venue 8 tablet back in 2014. But it will be more refined with refreshing elements.
When you open an app, the new Android experience will tag a taskbar at the bottom — much like the Chrome OS — to help make working on the tablet easy with a keyboard. You’ll also be able to run a couple of apps simultaneously and, much like Windows 11, it will save the two windows in the background so you can switch back to the dual-screen setup as and when needed using the recent tabs button.
The company is also making things easier app-wise. You’ll soon be able to do more with Google apps on tablets since it will be updating more than 20 Google apps for tablets and devices with larger screen sizes with more to come. The Android maker is focusing on app optimizations for a better large-screen experience on its OS. For instance, YouTube Music, Google Maps, and Google Messages will have a multi-column view on tablets.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.