Open Source Lightning Design System by Salesforce

Lightning Design System helps you create the world’s best enterprise app experiences. With the Design System you can build custom applications with a look and feel that is consistent with Salesforce core features — without reverse engineering our styles! Simply download our platform-agnostic CSS framework and get started today.

You can utilize the detailed guidelines to confidently design excellent apps that fit right into the Salesforce ecosystem. With the Design System, you get access to all of the Salesforce core visual and interaction design patterns so that you can follow established best practices and build apps that have a consistent look and feel with the Salesforce user experience.

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Lenovo K4 Note Teased for Release in January 2016 with 3GB RAM

If you don't remember, Lenovo teased a “Killer Note” smartphone a few weeks ago and confirmed that the device would be launched in early 2016.

Although the Chinese company did not share any details on the name of the phone, we can safely assume that Lenovo will be launching the sequel to the K3 Note phablet that's been so popular in Asian countries.

Today, Lenovo is back with yet another teaser that confirms one specification of the upcoming “Killer Note” device, as well as the fact that the smartphone will be launched on the market next year.

According to the Chinese company, more than 99% of its fans preferred 3GB RAM in the upcoming smartphone, which is why Lenovo has decided to meet that demand and included that amount of memory inside the K4 Note.

Lenovo continues to refer to the upcoming phone as “Killer Note 2016,” so we can safely assume the smartphone will not be unveiled until next year.

It might be unveiled in January at CES 2016

Since CES 2016 is so close, there's a high chance Lenovo K4 Note will be unveiled in early January during the trade fair, but we don't rule out the possibility of being announced during a dedicated event that will take place in India.

Unfortunately, there are no details on the phone's specs sheet apart from the fact that it will come with 3GB of RAM inside.

However, rumor has it that Lenovo plans to include MediaTek's powerful Helio X10 chipset inside the K4 Note, but the information hasn't been confirmed yet.

We do expect Lenovo to continue to tease its “Killer Note” handset in the coming weeks, so additional information about the smartphone might be revealed soon.

Even though Lenovo K4 Note will be initially launched in India, and probably China too, the high-end smartphone is likely to make it to other countries in the weeks to follow.

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Whatsapp may gain video calling in future update

The Whatsapp team is working on adding compelling new features to the uber-popular messaging service. If one report from German website Macerkopf is accurate, video calling may be coming to Whatsapp in a future update.

Macerkopf got hold of two screenshots showing a video calling interface. The images are reportedly from a beta version of Whatsapp for iOS. Version 2.12.16.2 is said to be undergoing testing internally, and there’s a good chance that an update bringing video calling will be coming in the next weeks to the public beta versions of Whatsapp for Android and iOS.

The screenshots show a simple interface, with buttons for muting/unmuting the conversation and for switching between the rear and front camera. There’s a small preview window that can be moved around, and that’s pretty much it.

Besides video calling, the internal beta also features tab conversations – each convo will reportedly live in a tab, similar to how Chrome manages web pages.

The addition of video calling comes after Whatsapp introduced voice calling back in spring. The Facebook-owned company has been trailing competitors in terms of functionality – apps like Skype, Hangouts, and even Facebook’s own Messenger all include voice calling and other advanced features.

That said, less is more in some cases, and Whatsapp’s relentless growth since it was acquired by Facebook shows that the folks behind it know what people want. Whatsapp boasted 900 million users in September, and it’s probably going to hit the 1 billion milestone very soon. In some countries, like Brazil, it’s used by more than 90% of the population.

As it was the case with the voice calling feature, Whatsapp will probably activate video calling for a small number of users first, to get feedback and avoid server overload. 

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Log in to your Google account on the PC using your phone, no password needed

If you’re anything like me, at any given time you probably have close to a dozen or more accounts online (email, memberships to services, bank accounts, etc), all of which require a password. That means you have at least a few different passwords to memorize, as using the same password for everything isn’t exactly the most secure route to take. While a completely password-free life isn’t quite attainable just yet, Google is testing out a method that can free us from one of these passwords at least.

According to a post from Reddit user rp1226, Google is apparently testing a new feature that allows users to log into a Google account on their PC without having to input a password. As an alternative, you simply enter your email and your phone will get a notification telling you someone is trying to sign in from another device. If you let your phone know that this person is you, it’ll automatically authorize the entry – no need to enter a password.

Obviously this feature doesn’t just magically work, it first needs to be set up. For rp1225, he first got an email letting him opt into the program, and then he had to set up the option by authorizing a compatible device. After the one-time setup, he was good to go.

There’s still several unknowns to this new login option. First, it’s unclear if this feature will be rolled out to everyone in short order, or if rp1226 was just lucky enough to be given early access. Second, it’s hard to say what devices are on the compatibility list. This particular user happens to have the Nexus 6p, and it’s certainly possible that this could have been the reason he was chosen as a tester.
Regardless, this is a pretty cool feature. Personally, I don’t mind entering a password and see this as more time-consuming, but for those constantly changing passwords or those that have trouble remembering them, this could certainly come in handy.

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How to set up a family plan on Google Play Music

Following the lead of several other music streaming services, Google too has introduced a family plan for Play Music. The family subscription can be purchased by anyone, as long as your Google account has Play Music All Access enabled.

The offer is pretty lucrative to the end consumer; become a Google Play Music All Access subscriber and pay $14.99/month to get access to unlimited music for yourself and up to 5 additional family members. Access to YouTube Red has been thrown in, which helps make the deal ever more attractive.

Play Music gives subscribers access to 30 million songs, at a 320 kbps bitrate that is on par with other services, and has a 50,000 song locker. There’s no free tier, but all human-curated playlists are accessible for free while being supported by ads.

The other music services that offer family plans include Apple Music, with its $15/month 6-person plan; Spotify; which adds $5/month for every extra person; and Rhapsody, which has a $15/month tier for a 5-person family. Out of all these streaming music services, Spotify and Rhapsody are available only in the US.

How the Google Play Music family plan works

The manager of the family plan is the only person with access to admin settings, with which the person can subscribe/cancel subscriptions, change the payment method, add/remove family members from the plan, etc. With the family music plan, up to 6 people in a subscriber’s family group can get access to unlimited streaming music.

At present, the family music plan is accessible only to a handful of countries – Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States – and all your family members must also belong to the same country as the manager’s account. Note that family members continue to use their own, separate Google accounts and have their own music libraries, playlists, and offline content.

How to set up Google Play Music family plan

Alright, let’s get to setting up your Google Play Music account and upgrading to the family plan. The only pre-requisite is that your account should have Play Music All Access enabled. Open the application on your Android or iOS device, or visit Play Music on the web. Listed below are simple steps that you need to follow to subscribe to Play Music and activate the family plan.

How to subscribe using the Play Music Android or iOS app:

• Open the Play Music Android or iOS app.
• Tap on the hamburger menu icon on the top left.
• Tap on Settings.
• Select “Start Trial” or “Subscribe to Google Play Unlimited”.
• The “Family” button will show if you’re eligible for the Google Play Music family plan.

If you’ve previously used the free trial option, the app will only show you a “Subscribe” option.

How to subscribe using Play Music on the Web:

• Visit the Google Play Music account settings page.
• Under the “Account” section, you’ll see an option to “Start Trial” or “Subscribe”, depending on whether you’ve used the free trial option before or not.

Note that only subscribers in eligible countries get access to YouTube Red, which has a vast repository of music videos, without paying an additional cost. If you are already a subscriber of Google Play Music, here are the simple steps you need to follow to upgrade to the family plan, after which you can invite up to 5 additional family members.

How to upgrade to Play Music family plan and invite family members:

• Open the Play Music app.
• Tap on the hamburger menu icon on the top left.
• Tap on Settings.
• Select “Upgrade to family plan” and set up your family.
• Select the payment method for your family’s purchases, which can be either an existing card or a new one.
• Invite members of your family by tapping on the “Invite” button and following a few steps to confirm your action.

After you complete these steps, the family members that you added will get an email saying they are invited. Note that you’ll be adding a payment method with all the family members added by you to the account, so make sure that you only add people you trust, and who are over 13 years of age. These members can use the payment method to apps, games, movies, books, TV shows and magazine issues. Also, by default all in-app purchases made by family members will have to be approved by the family account manager.

This feature can be turned off, although it isn’t advisable for obvious reasons.

That’s all there is to setting up a Play Music family account. The process is pretty straightforward and most users should be able to complete it without any major hiccups. Just follow the steps shown on your screen, or follow the simple steps listed in this guide and you should have your Google Play Music Family plan set up in no time.

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HTC One X9 officially announced in China

The HTC One X9 has been officially announced in China. Powered by an octa-core MediaTek processor, the One X9 is a premium smartphone that doesn’t command a premium price tag. Equipped with a 5.5-inch display, the One X9 features a good-looking design that’s been combined with a metal unibody. HTC claims that it takes more than 300 hours and 50 advanced steps to assemble one of these beauties.

On the inside of the One X9 ticks MediaTek’s high-end Helio X10 processor, which is comprised of 8x Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.2GHz. The 64-bit chipset is paired with a PowerVR G6200 GPU clocked at 700MHz, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. The One X9 has anUltraPixel front camera, great for low-light conditions and selfie lovers. Turn the device around and you’re greeted by a 13MP camera that’s armed with OIS and capable of 4K video recording. There’s also support for RAW image capture, which serious mobile photographers are sure to appreciate.

The One X9 comes with a large 3000mAh battery, which HTC claims can last about 15 hours of voice calls over 3G, 10 hours of high-definition video playback, and 40 hours of uninterrupted music playback. Support for fast charging is present, which is said to be 30% faster than charging with a regular 5V, 1A charger.

Just like most other high-end HTC handsets, the One X9 has powerful BoomSound speakers on the front side, which when coupled with Dolby Audio makes for an immersive audio experience. Also, the speaker holes are such that they are effectively water- and dust-proof. The handset is capable of powering professional hi-fi headphones, thanks to the in-built amp that can drive power output of up to 0.98V.

The One X9 is HTC’s smallest 5.5-inch device ever, as specified on their website, having a width of only 75.9mm. The display, which boasts 170-degree wide viewing angles and high contrast for good daylight visibility, is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass. HTC opted for a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) panel instead of Quad HD or 4K. The resultant improvement in battery life is sure to be appreciated by end users.

HTC’s website doesn’t mention the Android version running on the One X9, but seeing that the One A9 released with Marshmallow out-of-the-box, we would be surprised if it weren’t the same case with their new smartphone. Perhaps one of the best part about the One X9 is its price, which is 2399 yuan in China, or roughly $370. Keep in mind the phone is currently a Chinese exclusive, but let’s hope that HTC introduces the One X9 to other markets across the globe at the same aggressive price point.

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Santa Claus is coming to town: Google Tracker live

You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you why — okay, you know the rest by now. Today’s the big day, it’s Christmas Eve and Santa is already in route. For those looking to track Santa with their kids – or if you just really, really love Christmas – Google’s tracker is now live and ready to go!

This year the tracker has received a few tweaks and upgrades to the interface, showing you a customized map that tells you where Santa is, where he has been, and how far away he is from you. There’s also info on how many gifts he’s delivered, and more. Once again, there’s also support for Chromecast, so you can watch Santa deliver presents on the big screen.

Aside from tracking Santa, Google’s Tracker also includes the new game “Code Boogie” which teaches the basics of programming through activities such as making an elf dance. There are also a few other activities including a Present Drop game, a tool that lets you translate holiday greetings and phrases into different languages, and plenty of other activities to keep the kiddos happy.

As a Google fan, the Santa Tracker is certainly a no-brainer, added by the fact there’s so many extras shoved in. For those that prefer the official “NORAD endorsed” option, however, Microsoft and Norad have once again teamed up to offer their own Santa Tracker as well. This “official” option isn’t quite as loaded with extras, but you can check it out here if you’d prefer.

HEAD OVER TO GOOGLE'S TRACKER

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LG V10 proves its popularity in the US with 450,000 units sold in 45 days

The LG V10 is one of the best Android smartphones you can buy right now, and apparently many folks in the U.S. agree. According to The Korea Herald, LG says it has sold upwards of 450,000 V10 units in the United States roughly 45 days after the initial launch of the phone. This translates to about 10,000 units sold per day, which is surely an impressive feat.

The company said the handset has proven most popular with the younger generation, with about 37% of its buyers falling between the ages of 25 and 34. This is perhaps partially due to the ease of creating high quality video content on the V10, and the fact that it’s the first smartphone to employ a manual video recording mode.

As a refresher, the LG V10 features a 5.7-inch IPS Quantum Display with 2560 x 1440 resolution and a secondary 2.1-inch display that can be used for app shortcuts, notifications and much more. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 4GB of RAM, and comes with 64 gigabytes of on-board storage with microSD card expansion up to 2 terabytes. It has one of the best cameras on the market, and as previously noted, has a Manual Video Mode for more granular control when taking video.

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