Jpegli boosts high-quality image compression by 35%

Google has introduced Jpegli, a JPEG coding library that maintains high backward compatibility while offering enhanced capabilities and a 35 percent compression ratio improvement at high quality compression settings.

According to Google, the new JPEG coding library is designed to be faster, more efficient, and more visually pleasing than traditional JPEG. It employs several new techniques to deliver:

Compatibility: Jpegli provides a fully interoperable encoder and decoder...

5 April 2024 | UX/Design

Backend Software Engineers are Designers Too

In technology, we typically associate 'design' with front-end developers and visual aesthetics - a beautiful website or a visually appealing user interface. But, backend developers are designers too. They are masters of System Design, meticulously crafting the architecture, dependencies, and data structures that influence user experiences. This post will explore the hidden artistry in their work.

The internet is overflowing with memes of “dev vs designer”, and it’s...

26 March 2024 | Developer

New OutSystems data fabric unifies data across the enterprise  

OutSystems, a specialist in high-performance application development, has unveiled what it describes as one of the most significant updates to OutSystems Developer Cloud since its initial release.

With the launch of OutSystems Data Fabric, organisations can lay the groundwork to build dynamic applications, harness data across the enterprise, and increase developer productivity. 

In an era where outdated data can cost businesses more than $15 million annually (per IDC...

25 March 2024 | Analytics

Google: Meta’s approach to Android 14 is a ‘blueprint’ for success 

Google has shed light on how Meta approaches tackling challenges and streamlining processes to enhance Android app development.

Following the rollout of Android 11, Meta embarked on a transformative journey, establishing the "Android OS Readiness Program." This move was prompted by identified hurdles concerning existing features such as Chat Heads and emerging requirements like scoped storage integration.

A major bottleneck in addressing these issues stemmed from...

5 March 2024 | Android

Evinced’s accessibility testing solutions triple in adoption 

Evinced, a provider of web and mobile accessibility solutions, saw its customer base triple in 2023 on the back of new prevention-focused tools like Unit Tester and Design Assistant. These innovations allow developers and designers to automatically catch accessibility issues long before release, marking a shift for the industry toward prevention versus post-hoc fixes.

The company’s impressive expansion has cemented its status as a top accessibility vendor, counting 6 of the 10...

7 February 2024 | Development Tools

Vaadin speeds up prototyping and styling for Java applications

Vaadin, a provider of Java web application platforms, today announced the launch of two new low-code solutions for users of the Vaadin Flow framework: Visual View Builder and Visual Theme Editor. These low-code tools bridge the gap between application design and development by making it easy for developers and non-developers to visually prototype and style their applications while generating well-structured code as a basis for further development using the open-source Vaadin Flow...

20 June 2023 | Development Tools

Apple releases Xcode 14.3 with all the latest SDKs

Apple has released Xcode 14.3 to developers, which includes the latest SDKs for iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3.

Xcode enables developers to create apps for Apple platforms such as iOS, macOS, and watchOS. This update allows developers to create apps that are fully compatible with the latest operating systems from Apple.

Apple recently warned that developers will be required to use Xcode 14.1 or later to build and submit their apps...

31 March 2023 | App Stores

‘Ask Apple’ is an interactive Q&A series for developers

Apple is introducing an interactive Q&A series for developers that will provide opportunities to connect directly with the company’s experts.

‘Ask Apple’ is an extension to Cupertino’s existing ‘Tech Talks’ and ‘Meet with App Store Experts’ initiatives. Apple says the new series will “provide developers with even more opportunities to connect directly with Apple experts for insight, support, and feedback.”

“We’ve been listening to feedback...

12 October 2022 | App Stores

The importance of being accessibility-first for effective UX design

Web design has seen a huge evolution in recent years, with accessibility and inclusion front of mind in the offline world impacting a more human side of software development. This means rethinking the approach to design, ensuring that the steps within processes address accessibility issues. Yet some tech companies are stuck in a previous era, before inbuilt product accessibility and their websites remain inaccessible to all users, particularly those with disabilities.

According to...

26 September 2022 | UX/Design

Xcode 14 beta practically confirms iPhone 14 Pro will get an AOD

The latest beta of Xcode 14 all but confirms that an always-on display (AOD) will arrive with the iPhone 14 Pro lineup.

AODs have featured on numerous Android devices since around 2016. Over in the Apple garden, the only device to feature an AOD is the Apple Watch (Series 5+)

Rather than have to fully wake up your display to obsessively check for information, AODs enable data to be seen at-a-glance.

AODs require very low refresh rates to preserve battery. The...

2 August 2022 | Development Tools