Google is pulling the plug on the Hangouts API and third-party app support

For all the amazing work and achievements Google can credit itself in the tech realm as a whole, there is one area which has seemingly and rather inexplicably always eluded the online giant. Social efforts in all shapes and forms, including messengers and the infamous Google+ have always been a weakpoint in the chain and the current situation isn"t really that much better.
Allo and Duo seem to be center-stage in the IM package Google is currently trying to push to end users. Thus, Hangouts" faith is still quite uncertain and while Google is sticking to its promise not to retire it, it is now clear that a major course readjustment is already underway.
As part of that, the platform"s API, or at least the part used by many third-party developers will be going down on April 25. Apparently, Google intends to use Hangouts as a specialized tool for meetings and market it for enterprise use.
At the Google Horizon event in September 2016, we previewed a new experience for Hang..

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Moto Z phones support Google"s VR platform Daydream

If you own a Motorola Moto Z series phone, you might not know that your handset supports Google"s VR platform Daydream. Google"s Daydream website includes a list of phones that will run Daydream branded VR products. That list is a short one that includes the Google Pixel and Google Pixel X..

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Instagram for iPhone gets Wide Color and Live Photos support

Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger announced that three new features are coming to Instagram: wide color capture and display (on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus), posting GIF animations to Instagram Stories, and converting Apple Live Photos into Boomerang (a mini-videos app from Instagram"s makers) clip..

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Another 45 banks and credit unions gain support for Android Pay

Although CES 2017 might be underway, that doesn"t mean that the rest of the news world stops. While most of the tech-related happenings are taking place here in Las Vegas, there"s still other non-CES related news that tends to get swept under the radar during this time of year. One such bi..

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ZTE Axon 7 Android Nougat update coming soon with Google Daydream support

It"s press day here at CES 2017, and while the show floor might not open until tomorrow, lots of announcements have been taking place today. We"ve seen a heap of appliances and TVs get the limelight, but among all of that, there"s been a bit of mobile news that"s broken through t..

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ZTE Blade V8 Pro comes to the U.S. with dual-camera, dual-SIM support and affordable price

ZTE has just announced it"s bringing the Blade series to the United States, and the first smartphone to make its debut in the country is the Blade V8 Pro. The Blade series is mostly known for offering great features at an affordable price and the Blade V8 Pro is no exception.
Without a doubt, t..

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Here"s a close-up look at the Asus ZenFone AR - the first phone with support for Daydream and Tango

As the week moves on, the happenings here at CES 2017 are getting more and more exciting. Mobile-related news has been fairly light so far, but Asus took the stage today to take the wraps off of two new handsets – the ZenFone Zoom 3 and ZenFone AR. Both phones look quite exciting for their own uniqu..

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Telegram now lets you unsend recently sent messages, features GBoard support as well

A new update has been pushed out to popular messaging app Telegram. The update bumps the app to version 3.16, and brings along several new features, including the ability to unsend recently sent messages – you can now retract any Telegram message within 48 hours of being sent.
The update also adds a new Network Usage section. As the name suggests, this new section shows exactly how much data you consumed while in roaming or wi-fi.
Then there are some Android-specific changes. For example, support for GBoard, addition of a fast action menu with frequent chats to the home screen of devices running Android 7.1, and addition of the cowboy, the clown, and the sick face emoji.
There are some other Android-related changes as well, such as, messages from one sender are now grouped together, previous scroll position is remembered (and restored when you switch back to a chat), and a list of recently downloaded files appears on the sharing screen.
Finally, you can now also use t.me instead of..

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New boss Clement offered moral support in Swansea"s win over Crystal Palace - Curtis

The first-team coach had no problem with the Swans manager leaving the Selhurst Park stands to have his say during his side"s Premier League win on Tuesday
New Swansea City head coach Paul Clement came down to the touchline to offer “moral support” in Tuesday"s crucial 2-1 victory at Crys..

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Telegram update adds Gboard support, ability to unsend recently sent messages

Telegram has started the new year in full force. After dropping support for very old Android versions, the developer announced a major update is now available for its Android and iOS applications.
First of all, you can now unsend recently sent messages, so if you update to version 3.16, you will be ..

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Lenovo unveils the 500 Multimedia Controller with Windows 10 gesture support

Whether it’s for your HTPC, your smart TV or even console, a good wireless keyboard can be hard to find. The Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller takes a step into the modern world with a large multi-touch trackpad with Windows 10 gesture support.
Don’t see it? It’s the entire keyboard! That works so much better than the trackpads (ball or optical) of previous Lenovo controllers. The ergonomics have been improved to make the Multimedia Controller comfortable to hold and easy to pick up too (so no fumbling in the dark of your multimedia den).
Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller
The controller is designed for two-thumb typing and is small enough to stash away in your laptop back if you need it for presentations. It weighs 141g and has a range of 20m. Its battery should last a good 8 months, so it’s not another portable thing that requires constant charging either.
The Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller will be available in March for $55.
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Telegram ends support for vintage Android 2.2, 2.3 and 3.0 versions

After WhatsApp cut its ties with older versions of mobile operating systems, it"s fellow messenger app Telegram"s turn to announce it"s leaving behind users on Android 2.2 to 3.0. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the minimum operating system version required to run Telegram"s la..

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CES 2017: UK support to tech firms "an embarrassment"

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Gary Shapiro says he does not understand why UK ministers are not doing more to help start-ups at CES The UK government"s lack of support for start-ups attending the CES tech show is a “source of embarrassment”, according to the event"s organiser.
Gary Shapiro compared the country unfavourably with France, the Netherlands and Israel.
The head of one British firm at the Las Vegas event said the criticism was well-founded.
But the UK"s Department for International Trade said it was providing “targeted support”.
CES is one of the tech calendar"s biggest fixtures and provides companies with a chance to meet and secure orders from retailers, as well as to gain publicity by showing their products to journalists and analysts.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption More than 3,800 companies are exhibiting at CES this year About 177,000 people are expected to take part in this year"s show, which runs until Sunday.
"Sh..

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With 2016 gone, so is WhatsApp support for various operating systems

Once the final seconds of 2016 ran down and 2017 started, messaging app WhatsApp started implementing a previously announced plan to drop support for older smartphone operating systems. For example, those using iOS 6 or lower now can not use WhatsApp. Windows Phone 7 is no longer supported by the Fa..

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Which Chinese Super League team should you support?

Finding a team to follow in China may sound like a tricky prospect, but Goal makes it much easier to find out which club will suit you best with our fun quiz
With more and more big name players moving to China, it is almost guaranteed that the 2017 Chinese Super League season will get greater cover..

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Which Chinese Super League team should I support?

Finding a team to follow in China may sound like a tricky prospect, but Goal makes it much easier to find out which club will suit you best with our fun quiz
With more and more big name players moving to China, it is almost guaranteed that the 2017 Chinese Super League season will get greater cover..

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Expanded World Cup has support from federations, insists Infantino

The FIFA president is convinced expanding the tournament to 48 teams is the way to go and insists that federations across the world have given their support to the idea
A 48-team World Cup has the backing of global football federations, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Wenger sees Che..

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Daniel Sturridge happy to play support role as he works way back to full fitness

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is remaining positive as he tries to fight his way back into the side after injury.
The England international scored 56 seconds after coming off the bench in the 4-1 win over Stoke in only his second appearance since returning from a month out with a calf problem.
On his previous outi..

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Turkey calls for air support to take key IS town

Image Caption: Turkey says the coalition has an obligation to provide air support Turkey has called on the US-led coalition against Islamic State to provide air support to troops battling rebels in the key town al Bab.
The Russian air force carried out airstrikes on Sunday and Turkey said 226 militants had been “neutralised” in its latest operation but troo..

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Microsoft updates Office for Android, adds SVG image support

Microsoft has silently updated its Office suite for Android devices with the ability to edit SVG images right from within these apps. One of the requested features in the past, SVG images support is now making its way into all three Office apps: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
According to the official..

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