Google Fixes the Essential Google Maps Feature, Ironically, by Removing Part of It.
With Google Assistant integration, the driving mode was supposed to allow users to interact with their phones while driving while reducing distractions as possible.
However, the Mountain View-based search giant needed more time than it initially anticipated to make it happen, so in the meantime, it rolled out Android Auto for phones. As a mobile-optimized version of Android Auto, this new release was quite a hit, with users worldwide falling in love with how it looked and worked.
The demise of Android Auto for phones wasn’t necessarily received very well by its user base, mainly because the driving mode was considered a half-baked implementation. Originally offered as part of Google Maps and then moved to Google Assistant (but still closely tied to Google Maps), the driving mode was confusing and cluttered in many ways.
Now Google is finally fixing it.
The company announced earlier this year that the dashboard feature is going away, with the driving mode again becoming a first-class citizen of Google Maps.
The transition started earlier this month, with the dashboard being ditched to direct integration in Google Maps.
This update shows that Google Maps is at the forefront of the entire experience once you launch the driving mode. You no longer see the navigation app in a separate card, as it uses the whole screen, while a dedicated bar at the bottom allows you to toggle between essential apps, such as music apps, phone calls, and messages.
Without a doubt, the driving mode is making a lot more sense now, but it still lags behind Android Auto for phones in one crucial regard. Because of the Google Maps integration, it is limited to, well, Google Maps, so what if users want to run Waze or a different navigation app?
The iPhone 15 Pro could get solid-state volume and power buttons.
The iPhone 15 is still far off, but we’ve heard numerous rumours about it. New to the pile is an analyst prediction that the Pro models will get solid-state, haptic buttons that don’t physically move and sit flush with the body of the phones.
That’s as per Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley, based partly on comments made by Cirrus Logic CEO John Forsyth (via MacRumors. Cirrus Logic already supplies some of the haptic technology in the current iPhones.
The company has mentioned new components coming to market in the second half of next year, which coincidentally is when Apple will be bringing out new iPhones, and… well, you can see why people are joining the dots.
LinkedIn is finally adding this really obvious feature.
LinkedIn has finally caught up with the rest of the social media world by introducing a new feature allowing users to schedule posts to send later.
As confirmed by social media experts, the job-focused site has launched the tool now, with some users already able to use it across Android and web platforms.
The tool should be handy for individuals and businesses using LinkedIn as a public-facing social media hub. It allows them to prepare posts in advance and set them to go live when desired, say around an event or product launch.
LinkedIn scheduling
Like other sites that have introduced the same feature, the new addition will appear as a clock icon next to a LinkedIn post. When selected, users can type out their post in full and select the date and time they would like it to go live.
The feature is still rolling out to many users, but given its usefulness, we don’t doubt everyone on LinkedIn will receive it soon.
The launch is the latest addition from LinkedIn as it looks to make its platform more intuitive and helpful for users everywhere.
Apple TV Plus is more like Netflix, making it a much better value.
The streaming service added movies not made by Apple but only in the US.
Apple TV Plus has quietly rolled out an expansion of its library of films in the US, with the streaming service adding a number of licensed movies not owned by the company for the first time.
In what appears to be an experimental move, the service currently offers a number of older movies to watch for free to subscribers, including big hits such as Anchorman and the entire Hunger Games series.
The films in question appear as suggested bonus content when browsing Spirited, Mythic Quest, and Causeway – Apple TV Plus’s three most recent major releases exclusive to the platform.
For example, when users land on the page for the new Christmas comedy musical Spirited, they’re also presented with options for watching a handful of other films that star either Will Ferrell or Ryan Reynolds, including Semi-Pro, Old School and Van Wilder.
Browsing the action flick Echo 3 also provides options to watch a selection of international thrillers, including Argo, Syriana and Man on Fire.
A total of 20 films have landed on the service, with the Jennifer Lawrence hit Silver Linings Playbook, Kevin Smith’s Clerks and the Coen Brothers’ classic The Hudsucker Proxy also among the movies available to watch free for Apple TV Plus subscribers until November 30.
The movies are currently only being offered to subscribers using Apple TV Plus in the US. The company is currently tight-lipped on whether more classic films will be added and if other regions will receive a similar library expansion.
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