Google’s updated iOS 15 apps support Focus Mode and iPad widgets

With iOS 15 now available to download, developers both big and small have started updating their apps to take advantage of the operating system’s marquee features. One of those is Google, which detailed today the iOS 15-related enhancements you can expect from its apps.

The biggest change involves how Gmail, Meet, Tasks, Maps, Home and many of Google’s other applications will handle notifications. Should you have iOS 15’s new Focus Mode enabled, Google says prompts that don’t require your immediate attention will go to the Notifications Center where you can deal with them later. More timely reminders, such as those Google Maps sends you when you’re trying to navigate somewhere, won’t be silenced, and you’ll see them as they’re sent to you. Google says its goal was to make notifications “as relevant and timely as possible.” You’ll see these roll out to the company’s apps in the “coming weeks.”

Meanwhile, if you own an iPad you can look forward to new Google Photos and YouTube Music widgets that take advantage of the extra screen space Apple’s tablets offer. The company says it will roll these out in the coming weeks as well. Lastly, Google Drive and YouTube Music feature new Spotlight integrations. You can use the tool to search for specific files and to play a song directly in Google’s music streaming service. Those enhancements are available today — though you’ll probably wish more apps worked with Spotlight in this way.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Is Coming to Take Over Your Phone and Computer

While the Pokémon Company’s physical card game is regularly updated with new sets, it’s been years since there was a significant refresh of the digital companion platform, where collectors could scan their pulls and battle other players without worrying about damaging their treasured pieces of shiny cardboard. Soon,…

Read more…

Microsoft's New Surfaces Leaked Ahead of Hardware Event

Everything we’ve been expecting Microsoft to show off at its Surface event on Wednesday looks even more likely to appear. A handful of leaks out today indicate that the Windows-based Surface Pro X and Surface Pro 8 are on the horizon, as is Microsoft’s Android flagship, the Surface Duo 2.

Read more…

‘Last Week Tonight’ Tries To Reignite Weird Sexual Feud With Adam Driver At Emmys

The writing team for the HBO series made a callback to a dark ongoing joke about the star while accepting an award.

When Can Kids Get The COVID-19 Vaccine — And What Should Parents Know Now?

Here’s what the vaccine rollout in kids ages 5-11 will look like — and what you can do to get ready right now.

Democrats Move To Call GOP Bluff On Debt Limit

It’s a risky gambit ― and one that could easily backfire.

COVID-19 Has Killed About As Many Americans As The 1918-19 Spanish Flu Pandemic

The pandemic still has the United States and other parts of the world firmly in its jaws.

Telling People To Get Vaccinated Is Leftist Plot Against Trump Voters, Breitbart Claims

Writer John Nolte says Democrats are using “reverse psychology” to trick opponents into dying of COVID-19.

Pokemon GO Fashion Week: Shiny Furfrou?

Pokemon GO has a Fashion Week, again, this time playing out with the most fashionable monster in the game: Furfrou! This week’s events are largely focused on aesthetics. That means avatar items galore, special costume Pokemon, and a new mechanic that allows certain Pokemon to change the way they look. All about Furfrou At launch, Furfrou will appear in the … Continue reading

COVID-19 sets grim US pandemic record with more deaths than 1918 flu

Despite having access to multiple readily available vaccines, the number of people contracting and dying from COVID-19 in the US has been climbing, putting the healthcare system under incredible strain. More than a year after the pandemic was officially declared, the number of US deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 has exceeded the estimated death toll of the 1918 flu. More than … Continue reading