Android 8.1 Rolling Out To Nexus And Pixel Devices

Google has started pushing Android 8.1 to Nexus and Pixel devices, and expects to complete the rollout over the next week. If you have one of Google's latest handsets, 8.1 unlocks the Pixel Visual Core chip so that third-party apps can take advantage of the Pixel 2's AI-powered photography. In theory, any app that uses the standard Android camera platform can take richer photos and spare you from having to switch apps. You don't need one of the newer phones to see the other benefits. Android 8.1 includes a neural network toolkit that lets apps run TensorFlow Lite and other AI frameworks on-device, instead of leaning on a distant server. Apps can make better use of autofill forms, and there's an obligatory round of bug fixes.

Android 8.0 Is Android Oreo

Google has unveiled the next version of its mobile operating system and its competitor to Apple’s iOS 11, introducing Android 8.0 “Oreo”. Some of the highlight features include a redesigned notifications system with both a visual and functional overhaul, new “adaptive icons”, improved sound quality and battery life, and multi-display support. A new Picture-in-picture multi-window mode brings enhanced multi-tasking capabilities. Google will pushing updates to its Google Pixel/Nexus devices soon followed by other devices from its manufacturing partners.

New Emojis Are On The Way

New emojis are on the way as the Unicode Consortium has released its next batch of emoji and text characters. The finalized set of 56 emoji includes a slew of outlandish people and beasts, including zombies, vampires, fairies and dinosaurs. Don't expect to use any of these new characters right away. Your device operating system will need an update to recognize them, and there's a good chance you'll be waiting a while. You'll likely have to wait until Android O to see them on a Google-powered phone, while the iPhone and iPad users will likely have to sit tight until iOS 11. Which new emojis are you excited to use ?