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Midway through 2020, Google started finally rolling out Nearby Share to Android phones – the tech giant's answer to Apple's AirDrop. Now, further details have surfaced about what's next for the local wireless file sharing feature.

Currently, it's only possible to use this feature with one person at a time, and they must be a contact in order for the file sharing to work. However, as discovered by 9to5Google,  Google will soon be adding the option to share to 'everyone'.

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At present, when turning on Nearby Sharing, users see the option to share with 'all contacts', 'some contacts', or to remain 'hidden' – the upcoming update will add the ability to share with 'everyone', in much the same way that Apple's AirDrop feature works.

To prevent various shenanigans when opening up your phone to public sharing, Google will also be implementing a 'temporary mode' that only enables this 'everyone' setting for five minutes before reverting to the default.

What's more, multiple people can be selected as recipients for the file sharing feature rather than having to do so one at a time. Despite this, the files will still be transferred sequentially, but without the added step of going through the same process for each included user.

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Android catching up

While it's generally the case that the Android platform is responsible for debuting many new features before Apple adopts and refines them, this is a situation where the open ecosystem of Google's mobile operating system has hindered it.

While iOS is locked to Apple smartphones and tablets, Android operates on a huge variety of devices made by many different manufacturers, all with their own security protocols and other differences.

It's clear to see how this could be problematic when trying to introduce a feature that requires tight security like this, but Nearby Share will utilise encryption to do just that.

The feature was in the works for quite some time before it began to slowly roll out last year, and there aren't any concrete release plans for this new update, but we'll welcome it when it arrives.

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Latest Tech News

Next year could be the first trillion-dollar year for ecommerce in the US as the pandemic has changed how consumers shop according to a new report from Adobe.

To compile its 2020 Digital Economy Index, the firm analyzed data from Adobe Analytics which covers over 1tn visits to retail sites in the US as well as over 100m SKUs in 18 product categories to show how online shopping increased in the country from March of last year through February 2021.

Over the course of last year, consumers in the US spent a total of $844bn online and during the pandemic, online shopping saw a huge boost of $183bn. This additional $183bn was nearly the size of the last holiday shopping season when US shoppers spent 188.2bn online between November and December of last year.

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At the same time, this additional spending during the pandemic produced a “rare step change in online spending, equivalent to a 20% boost”, according to Adobe.

Ecommerce is here to stay

At current growth rates, Adobe expects the 2021 calendar year to bring in somewhere between $850bn and $930bn. However, the company expects 2022 to be the first trillion-dollar year for ecommerce in the US.

So far in the first two months of 2021, US consumers spent $121 billion online which represents 34 percent growth year over year. One reason consumers are spending more online this year is due to the fact that more businesses are offering them the option to buy now, pay later. For instance, last September PayPal introduced a new short-term installment offering for customers in the US called Pay in 4 that allows them to pay for purchases between $30 and $600 over a six-week period in four installments. 

Perhaps a downside to increased online spending in the US is how branded shopping days such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, President's Day and others lost importance. According to Adobe, Memorial Day 2020 commerce grew 20 percent less than other days that week resulting in $32m less revenue while the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday 2020 contributed nine percent less to revenue share during the holiday season, equivalent to $600m.

Another new trend that emerged during the pandemic that is likely here to stay is buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) or curbside shopping. In a survey of more than 1,000 US consumers conducted by Adobe, 30 percent said they prefer curbside/in-store pickup over standard delivery options.

Only time will tell whether the US ecommerce market will continue to grow but even with vaccines now being widely distributed, consumers have grown accustomed to shopping online or using curbside to avoid the crowds.

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Via TechCrunch

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Stimulus check rules for dependents: Eligibility, more money, tax breaks - CNET

The money dependents can qualify for with the third stimulus check more than doubles the amount from the first two payments. We'll explain which dependents are eligible for a payment, how much they'll get and other implications.

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The capability will be tested over the next few months.

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BMW iX xDrive50 brings sustainability to the forefront of vehicle production - Roadshow

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Latest Tech News

The Moto Edge S launched in China earlier this year, though we didn’t know when it would come elsewhere. But a new set of leaks suggests it’ll be renamed and released as the Moto G100 when it reaches other markets.

The leaks didn’t say when that would happen, but images courtesy of TechnikNews and XDA Developers’ Adam Conway show renders of Moto G100 phones that look a lot like the Moto Edge S.

So here you go. Official Renders of the Moto G100. Its nearly identical, just the Colors changes a bit. @AdamConwayIE x @TechnikNewsNET https://t.co/w8seF1xh24 #MotoG100March 13, 2021

Just to be clear: the image at the top of the article is an official Motorola press photo of the Moto Edge S, while those in the leaks above are allegedly the Moto G100. They seem to have the same rear quad camera, dual punch-hole selfie camera on the front display, and wide slightly-recessed lock button on the side (which likely doubles as a fingerprint sensor a la the Moto G Stylus). 

It’s entirely possible that the leaks accidentally misnamed the former as the latter, but if it’s true, we’ll finally have an explanation for the G100 name that’s cropped up elsewhere without much detail as to what role that phone will occupy.

Moto G100: today’s flagship with yesterday’s specs?

While the G100 was named in a list of unreleased devices referenced by Google in its Play Store For AR/ARCore documentation, we still haven’t heard anything about the phone by that name. Assuming the G100 is a renamed Moto Edge S, we know a lot more.

For starters, the Edge S packs a Snapdragon 870 (basically a repackaged version of last year’s leading Snapdragon 865 chipset with tweaks for launching 5G phones), a large Full HD Plus resolution display with 90Hz refresh rate, a 5,000mAh battery, 5G connectivity, and a quad rear camera fronted by a 64MP main lens. 

The Edge S base configuration packs 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for CNY 1,999 (around $309 /  £220 / AU$399), going up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for CNY 2,799 (around $433 / £310 /  AU$559). 

Of course, these prices could change, especially given its nearly flagship specs for mid-range prices. With the affordable G10 Power and the higher-specced Moto G30 on sale now in select regions, and the Moto G40 allegedly on its way, we could see the Edge S/Moto G100 as an upper mid-range or affordable flagship-priced model released this year for markets that aren’t familiar with the Moto Edge branding. 

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Latest Gadgets News

YouTuber Tech Spurt has released an unboxing video of the Realme 8 Pro ahead of its official March 24 launch. It shows off the retail box of the Pro model – a yellow rectangular box – that houses a 65W SuperDart charger, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, a clear silicone phone case, a SIM ejector tool, documentation, and the phone itself.

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Latest Gadgets News

Bitcoin dropped on Monday, falling from a record high above $60,000 (roughly Rs. 40 lakhs) over the weekend, as investors digested a potential ban from India on cryptocurrencies.

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Latest Gadgets News

Signal appeared to no longer be working in China without the use of a virtual private network (VPN), users in the country said.

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Latest Gadgets News

Microsoft said it was rolling out a fix worldwide to enable its services to recover after an update caused access issues for thousands of users, including those on workplace messaging app Teams.

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10 important things to know about the third stimulus payment: Direct deposit schedule, IRS calculations, more - CNET

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