Month: March 2016

Andrew Cunningham

Here's Android N's multi-window mode on a Nexus 9 running the first Android N preview. Note how the normally square recent apps navigation button turns into two rectangles in multi-window mode.

12 more images in gallery

Google has dropped an early version of the Android N preview months before Google I/O, which is when we first saw the Android M preview build last year. Developer images for most recent Nexus devices went up on Google's site today, and we've already got them running on some phones and tablets and we're digging in.

The most significant new feature, at least if you're still holding out hope for Android tablets, is a multi-window multitasking mode not unlike the ones in iOS 9, Samsung's version of Android, or Windows 8 and 10. It's come a long way since we saw the janky, hidden, mostly broken version of it included in early Marshmallow previews. It's about as buggy and crash-prone as you'd expect from an early build of an upcoming OS, but underneath those bugs is a multitasking UI that's actually pretty elegant, and it offers some nice improvements over the Split View mode introduced in iOS 9.

Understanding the basics

Android is iOS-like in that it seems to designate a "primary" and "secondary" app—we'll use these terms to specify which app we're talking about during this explainer. The primary app, chosen when you turn on multitasking mode, is on the left or the top half of the screen and is more-or-less pinned to that section of the screen. The secondary app, selected from the Recent Apps list or home screen once you've fired up multitasking mode, is on the right side of the screen and is easily switchable.

(credit: Erik B)

On Wednesday afternoon, Volkswagen Group said that the head of the US branch of the company, Michael Horn, will be stepping down to "pursue other opportunities immediately,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Horn led Volkswagen’s US operations since January 2014, and his departure comes as VW Group is under extreme scrutiny for building its cars with "defeat devices,” or software on the car’s engine management system that disables the car’s emissions control system when its driving under normal conditions, but which enables the emissions control system when the car has to pass laboratory testing.

Volkswagen said Horn’s resignation decision was reached in "mutual agreement.” Hinrich J. Woebcken, a Volkswagen Group chairman and the head of VW’s North America operations, will lead the US division in the interim.

McAfee on McAfee, from this Youtube video. (credit: John McAfee)

Security software entrepreneur turned gonzo cyber-prophet John McAfee is sticking to his contention that he could crack San Bernardino mass shooter Sayed Farook's iPhone 5c—though there are a few caveats. In an interview with Ars today, McAfee laughed off a report from the Daily Dot that claimed McAfee lied about the ability to crack the phone, instead explaining that he was dumbing things down in his interview with Russia Today for "people uneducated in technology."

In a candid conversation with Ars, McAfee expressed frustration and exhaustion over trying to educate the masses about the dangers of allowing governments to undermine encryption—and the beating he's been taking for his crusade.

"Ars Technica has probably trashed me more than any other publication," he said. "I don't fault you for it, because I'm not speaking to you guys—you guys don't need to be educated. I'm talking to the masses of America and trying to get them to understand the massive cliff we're all teetering on." With a laugh, he added, "If I look like an idiot, that's because I'm talking to idiots, so cut me some slack."