Mozilla lays off 250 employees to restructure its business but is reportedly still financially secure

The Mozilla Corporation recently announced that it was laying off approximately 250 employees in an attempt to secure the organization’s financial future. The layoffs were announced by the CEO of Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation Chairwoman, Mitchell Baker, in a public blog post, which also highlighted the company’s plans for the foreseeable future.

In the blog post, Baker wrote, “Today we announced a significant restructuring of Mozilla Corporation. This will strengthen our ability to build and invest in products and services that will give people alternatives to conventional Big Tech. Sadly, the changes also include a significant reduction in our workforce by approximately 250 people.”

Baker further revealed that the layoffs and restructuring were a part of the organization’s need to adapt its finances in a post-COVID-19 world and focus on commercially viable products that would help the organization generate revenue in the long term. This led some to speculate that Mozilla was facing financial troubles and had failed to renew its search deal with Google, which has historically accounted for 75-95% of the organization’s annual budget.

However, sources familiar with the matter have confirmed to ZDNet that Mozilla is financially sound and the layoffs were just a result of over-staffing in areas that the organization was not planning on prioritizing going forward. The sources also revealed that Mozilla and Google are expected to extend their current search deal for another three years at an estimated price tag of $400 million-$450 million per year. Details about the extended search deal will, most likely, be revealed later this year in November, when the organization is scheduled to disclose its 2019 financial figures.

In a statement to ZDNet, a Mozilla spokesperson said, “Mozilla’s search partnership with Google is ongoing, with Google as the default search provider in the Firefox browser in many places around the world. We’ve recently extended the partnership, and the relationship isn’t changing.”

Going forward, the Mozilla Corporation will prioritize commercialization efforts in the short-term, while work on open standards and protocols will take a back seat. However, Mozilla doesn’t plan to phase out its work in the web development community and will, most likely, pick up where it left off after its subscription-based services ensure long-term business survivability.

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Source: The Mozilla Blog, ZDnet (1,2)

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Xiaomi has no plans to launch the Mi 10 Ultra or Redmi K30 Ultra globally

Xiaomi recently launched the Mi 10 Ultra and the Redmi K30 Ultra, two phones that commemorate the company’s 10 years in the smartphone market. While the Mi 10 Ultra includes some of the best consumer-ready technologies that Xiaomi has to offer, the Redmi K30 Ultra represents Xiaomi’s insane value proposition with a low price tag but a heavy punch. Both smartphones are exciting for their own reasons. But as it turns out, Xiaomi currently has no plans to launch the Mi 10 Ultra or the Redmi K30 Ultra globally, limiting them to the Chinese market.

According to reports by GSMArena and AndroidAuthority citing Xiaomi representatives, the Chinese OEM is currently limiting the Mi 10 Ultra and the Redmi K30 Ultra to China only.

Both Mi 10 Ultra and Redmi K30 Ultra won’t be launching outside of Mainland China.

Further, Xiaomi has also ruled out the devices releasing globally under the POCO brand, as one could see in the case of the POCO F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro.

If you have been keeping track of our coverage, especially of the Redmi K30 Ultra “cezanne“/M2006J10C, you’d notice that we could not explicitly confirm that the device would launch outside of China, namely because of the fact that it came with a MediaTek Dimensity SoC that had remained a China-exclusive till then. However, more recently, MediaTek had mentioned that the Dimensity SoCs would begin shipping in devices outside of China in Q3 2020. This, coupled with the existence of the M2006J10G as well as the existence of global beta builds for cezanne up until 14th July, had given us a sliver of hope that the device would indeed make its way outside of China. While we are still hopeful that Xiaomi may have a change of heart in the future, this confirmation from company officials is a conclusive statement that the device will not ship outside of China officially. No such indications had indicated for the Mi 10 Ultra, so its China-exclusivity was not a surprise.

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Source: GSMArena, AndroidAuthority

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Dropbox launches its password manager, secure folder, and computer backups for Plus plans

Dropbox Plus users were treated to a slew of new features today, including the company’s new password manager, PIN-protected folder, and computer backup.

In a blog post, the company announced that Dropbox Passwords, Dropbox Vault, and computer backup are no longer in beta and are now available for users on Dropbox Plus (and Professional) plans.

Dropbox Passwords uses zero-knowledge encryption so saved passwords and logins are protected and only accessible to users. When you install the browser extension or mobile app and visit a website or app with a login field, Dropbox Passwords can autofill your information, making sign-in seamless. Passwords sync across an unlimited number of devices that run Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android, and if you run Google Chrome, Firefox, or Edge on desktop, you can also import your existing passwords. The iOS and Android apps support biometric authentication (Face ID or Touch ID on iOS or fingerprint scanner on Android), and the app also automatically locks itself after a period of inactivity or when the device is locked.

Dropbox Vault provides users with a place to secure and organize sensitive documents. Using a PIN for secure access, Dropbox Vault users can store sensitive documents such as a Social Security card, bank statements, and more. Files saved in the Vault won’t appear anywhere outside of it, so they’ll remain secure even if someone gains access to your device or account (and they don’t know your PIN). Users can share these files with trusted friends and family in case of an emergency by setting them as trusted contacts. Vault can be accessed from the desktop and mobile apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android or from the web at dropbox.com. The Vault is listed alongside your existing files and folders but cannot be synced to your PC’s storage.

Finally, Dropbox’s new computer backup feature will allow users to automatically back up files from folders like Desktop, Documents, and Downloads on their PCs. Users won’t need to manually drag and drop files from Finder/File Explorer into their Dropbox account. As you’d expect, these files and folders are continuously synced, so you can access them from any device, like that new computer you just got.

You can try out these new features if you’re a Dropbox Plus or Professional member. Plus plans cost $12/month or $120/year for 2TB of storage or $20/month or $200/year for 3TB of storage.

Dropbox: Cloud Storage to Backup, Sync, File Share (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Dropbox Passwords - Secure Password Manager (Free, Google Play) →

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Google explains why they’re experimenting with hiding the full URL in Chrome

We’ve known that Google has been experimenting with hiding the full address in the URL bar in Chrome for several months now. After all, Google has been developing these changes in the open in the open-source Chromium project, as spotted earlier this year by AndroidPolice. In a blog post published today, Google provided more details on its plans to experiment with how Chrome on desktop displays URLs. The goal, according to Google, is to understand how showing (or hiding) URLs helps users avoid phishing and social engineering attacks.

You can quickly identify and determine the authenticity of a website by examining the URL. However, many users aren’t familiar with all the parameters in a full URL, and attackers can take advantage of that to trick users. Google points to a study that found that more than 60% of users were fooled by a URL if a misleading brand name appears in the path.

As part of an experiment in Google Chrome 86 for non-enterprise-enrolled devices, Google will hide part of the URL for some users—leaving only the domain name by default. Once you hover over it, the URL will expand fully. Users can also right-click on the address bar and enable the option to “Always show full URLs” if they prefer to always see a URL’s full path for every website they visit.

Google doesn’t say how long this experiment will go on for, but if you’re not randomly assigned to the experimental group and for some reason want to be a part of it, you can install Chrome Canary or Dev, open chrome://flags, and enable the following flags:

#omnibox-ui-reveal-steady-state-url-path-query-and-ref-on-hover
#omnibox-ui-sometimes-elide-to-registrable-domain
#omnibox-ui-hide-steady-state-url-path-query-and-ref-on-interaction

The third flag will optionally show the full URL on a page load until you interact with the page.

Hopefully, Google will finish this experiment soon and decide how best to proceed with showing the URL in the address bar. If they do choose to hide the full URL by default, we hope they keep the option to always show full URLs.

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Google Meet will add hand-raising and background blurring for video calls later this year

Over the last few months, Google Meet has added new features to make it a more viable alternative to popular group video calling platforms like Zoom. To meet the needs of educators, students, and professionals, Google is adding even more features in the coming months, including background blurring.

Google detailed the new features during yesterday’s Google for Education event. In a blog post, the search giant said that beginning in October, users will be able to blur or replace backgrounds. Blurring a background is a nice option to have if you don’t want someone to see your messy home or if you simply want more privacy.

A hand-raising feature is also coming sometime later this year. The feature is designed to make it easier for teachers to identify students who need help or may have a question without them having to interrupt the group video call by speaking up. And a new polling feature for G Suite Enterprise for Education customers (shown below) will provide a way for teachers to engage students with questions without breaking the flow of the lesson.

Two more features are coming to Google Meet in September, including:

• A larger tiled view with a 7×7 grid so you can see up to 49 participants at once
• A collaborative whiteboard with Jamboard in Meet so you can encourage students to share ideas and try creative approaches to lessons

In October, Google Meet will also introduce attendance tracking and breakout rooms, so educators can split classes into small groups.

Later this year, Google said it plans to launch temporary recordings, allowing Education customers to record a meeting and share that recording for 30 days. They also detailed new controls for moderators that will roll out later this year, including the ability to block participants from joining meetings after they’ve been removed already or after they’ve been rejected twice, ending the meeting for all participants when class is finished, accepting or rejecting join requests in bulk, disabling in-meeting chat and setting restrictions on who can present, and requiring the teacher to join the meeting first.

With video conferencing applications becoming increasingly popular in the age of social distancing, it’s nice to see Google making some much-needed quality of life changes to Meet.

Google Meet - Secure Video Meetings (Free, Google Play) →

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Google announces ChromeOS.dev, a website for Chrome OS dev resources, announcements, and more

If you’re a developer interested in building for Chrome OS, you might want to bookmark Google’s new ChromeOS.dev website, an online resource for technical information, product announcements, code samples, and more.

Google said it created ChromeOS.dev in response to the massive increase in interest of Chromebooks. According to Google, between March and June 2020, Chromebook unit sales grew 127% year-over-year. It’s clear these devices are becoming increasingly popular due to more people working and learning from home.

By offering a hub of tips and best practices, Google is providing developers with a place they can refine their skills. There are resources for adapting your Android app(s), games, or web apps for Chrome OS. There’s a page on how to publish an app on Google Play that targets Chromebooks. Want to develop on a Chromebook? There’s a resource for learning about Crostini, which enables Linux app support on Chrome OS. There are also pages for setting up Android Studio, other IDEs that run on Linux, and how to efficiently use keyboard shortcuts, touchpad gestures, and virtual desks to improve your productivity. Lastly, near the bottom of the page, you’ll find the latest Chrome OS developer news and links to other pages you should keep an eye on, such as Google’s various social media channels and other websites.

To celebrate the launch of ChromeOS.dev, Google is deploying some updates that Chrome OS developers will find interesting, including changes to the Linux terminal. You can now customize the look and feel of the terminal, open tabs, and use keyboard shortcuts. Google also reiterates that select Chromebooks can use a full version of the Android Emulator and deploy apps directly to Chrome OS — no fiddling around with other devices or running developer mode.

With Chromebooks becoming increasingly popular, it’s great to see Google provide a central place for Chrome OS developers to get information. It’s also a very accessible way for new developers to learn the ins-and-outs of Chrome OS development.

You can poke around the ChromeOS.dev website now. The website is fully open-source, too, so it’s a great example of how to build a Progressive Web App.

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OxygenOS 11 on the OnePlus 8 Pro – Hands-on with OnePlus’s Android 11 update

OnePlus released its latest Android 11 developer preview for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro the other day. With this release, OnePlus introduced the new design language and features in its OxygenOS 11 software (also known as HydrogenOS 11 in China). I installed the latest developer preview on my OnePlus 8 Pro so I can show you the latest UI changes and features that are coming in OnePlus’s Android 11 update.

The most noticeable change is in the new design language of the UI from Settings to most OxygenOS apps. Gone is the beloved “stock” Android look and feel; in its place is a UI that many say is reminiscent of Samsung’s One UI software. But before we get to the UI, I wanted to talk about the one feature that we’ve been waiting for OnePlus to implement for years.

Always on Display

One of the biggest new features included in OxygenOS 11 is the Always On Display. This has been included in many other Android devices for years, and as a community, we’ve been asking OnePlus to include it for years. They finally delivered, and its first iteration seems to be implemented pretty well. OnePlus partnered with the Parsons School of Design and Art in New York City to deliver a timeline-inspired AOD option shown to the right. This design has a digital clock that moves as the day progresses while also showing how often you’ve unlocked the device and how much battery you have left. It’s a mix of Digital Wellbeing and a standard Always on Display feature.

Right now, the AOD is a little dark and hard to see in daylight on my OnePlus 8 Pro running OxygenOS 11, but that’s nothing that can’t be tweaked in future updates.

Notifications

In Android 11, notifications got a big change with the addition of an entirely new section called “Conversations.” OEMs aren’t required to implement this, but OnePlus chose to do so in OxygenOS 11. That means that certain notifications (mostly those from messaging apps) will be placed in the Conversations section, which is placed above the other two sections: Notifications and Other notifications. Other notifications are where silent or low-priority notifications go, such as the Google App sending you a weather update or the ‘you took a screenshot’ notification. Regular notifications are comprised of all other notifications you’re familiar with, such as ones like Twitter DMs or new emails. Some Conversations can also be popped out as a floating chat head “Bubble” if the app supports it. Currently, Telegram v7.0.0 beta, Google Messages, and Facebook Messenger support Bubbles.

The Quick Settings panel in OxygenOS 11 isn’t that different from the one in OxygenOS 10. The one in Android 11 does add the date and notification ringer setting to the top of the panel. Unfortunately, OnePlus has not yet implemented the new media player in the Quick Settings panel feature that Google added in Android 11. I understand not everyone likes it, but it would be nice to have it as an option.

OnePlus did finally add a dedicated dark mode toggle in Quick Settings, though. Before, you would have to go to Settings > Customization and change the preset theme to “nuanced dark” just to activate the system-wide dark theme.

Weather App

The next big change comes from the weather app. It underwent a huge visual overhaul to match the new OxygenOS 11 design. I really love the new look, and I feel it makes the weather information easier to understand.

Other Stock Apps

A few other apps like Settings, Calculator, Contacts, Messages, Clock, and Recorder all underwent redesigns to align with the new design aesthetic in OxygenOS 11. These apps don’t have any major changes in functionality, but the designs are better suited for one-handed ease-of-use. Unfortunately, the one-handed mode feature (now called “Quick Access”) isn’t here yet.

Game Space and File Manager haven’t gotten a UI makeover like most other system apps. The OnePlus Camera app did get a minor UI and functionality change, though. OnePlus changed around a few of the icons to match the overall aesthetic of OxygenOS 11, and they also added a new share menu for quickly sharing photos to different social media and messaging apps.

Zen Mode also got a major redesign in Android 11. Along with the redesign, OnePlus added a multi-person Zen mode. It lets you create a room where you and others can all join in at the same time and make sure none of you are using your phones. This might be great for something like dinner with friends and family when everyone wants to actually socialize without turning to their phones.

The Gallery app also got a revamped UI and a new Stories option. A story will be created in the background with collections of your photos to show off an event. My OnePlus 8 Pro hasn’t created a story for me quite yet, but I assume it works similar to Google Photo’s highlights.

Power Menu Changes

OnePlus also decided to support the new Device Controls feature for smart home automation shortcuts in the power menu. This means you can control all your smart home appliances through apps like Google Home. App developers can even add their own tiles to this panel that aren’t related to smart homes.

Conclusion

All around, I think the new OxygenOS 11 release is poised to be a great update. It takes a lot of the best parts of Samsung’s One UI and Huawei’s EMUI adds OnePlus’s flare to it. It’s a new approach, which is not necessarily a bad thing as OnePlus matures as a smartphone brand. There will be a lot of debates on if these UI changes are aesthetically pleasing, and that’s totally up to personal preference.

OnePlus will be releasing an open beta of OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11 for the OnePlus 8 series soon and should release the official version of Android 11 with OxygenOS 11 around the same time that Google releases Android 11 next month. If you want to install the beta on your OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro, you can download the installation files from this article. It’s fairly stable on my 8 Pro, and in my short time using it, I haven’t noticed any bugs. Your mileage may vary, though.

OnePlus 8 Forums ||| OnePlus 8 Pro Forums

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