Google to stop accepting payments for Argentine developers from June 27, apps to be pulled from July 27.

Android developers based in Argentina have received notice from Google that it'll no longer be able to accept payments for them from June 27. A letter from Google to devs, obtained by South American phone site Celularis, indicates that the changes apply to both paid apps and in-app purchases. The Verge points out that the change is likely due to tough new restrictions on currency exchanges recently imposed by the Argentine government. But Celularis notes that despite the changes to Google Play, Google AdSense for mobile continues to operate in the country.

The letter from Google states that it'll stop accepting payments on behalf of Argentine developers from June 27. Paid apps and in-app items from these devs will be pulled a month later, starting July 27, following final payments on July 22. One solution for Argentina-based app developers is to move their account to another country where they're able to legally do business, an option Google itself suggests in its email to developers.

Google states that it hopes to restore payouts to developers based in Argentina in the future, but that "no specific plans are in place at the moment."

Source: Celularis; via: The Verge

A good portion of Google I/O was spent, naturally, on the design of applications, and Google apparently gave a little sneak peek at what probably is an upcoming redesign of the Gmail app. As evident in the Structure in Android App Design session, Jens Nagel shows off a redesign navigation drawer that combines several views into a single drawer-style UI.

As the slide above shows, there are different layers to the views, collapsed by default. And most important is that you can get to this drawer from anywhere in the app, which is what lets them get rid of that lower Action Bar. (It's almost in the same vein as the BlackBerry Hub in BB10, just at an application level instead of at the homescreen level.) It should also mean a much faster switch between labels, long a sore spot for some of us here.

If we had to guess, we'd expect to see an updated Gmail app roll out with the expected Android 4.3 update, whenever that's available.

Source: YouTube; via Android Police

Support for larger Android tablets finally arrives in the BBC's streaming app

The BBC has updated its iPlayer app for Android, bringing support for 10-inch tablets for the first time. The new iPlayer version 1.7.0 has just landed on Google Play, allowing larger tablets like the Nexus 10 and Xperia Tablet Z to enjoy the full iPlayer experience. In addition, the Beeb says it's tweaked the phone and 7-inch tablet layouts, though we're not noticing any huge differences on our own devices.

Download support -- long present in the iOS version of iPlayer -- is still absent, but a note in the changelog reminds users that the BBC is working on bringing this feature to Android.

Hit the Google Play link up top to grab the new version of iPlayer. You'll also want to grab the BBC Media Player companion app for video playback.

Team-based task management solution brings app to Android

Developer Appigo has announced the launch of Todo Pro in beta for Android, a companion app for its task management service of the same name. The app has been in private testing since February, and now a beta build is available on Google Play now for devices running Android 2.1 and above.

Todo Pro is a collaborative task management service with an app presence on iOS and MacOS for several years. The new Android app allows tasks to be managed and shared between team members, and assignments to be given to individual members, complete with support for comments and location tagging.

It's a subscription-based service, but basic web accounts are free, and premium accounts come with a 14-day trial period. Beyond that, it's $1.99 per month or $19.99 for a year.

Hit the Google Play Store link above to grab the Todo Pro beta.

Full screen browsing for tablets and automatic page translation highlight the changes for the latest Chrome for Android beta

Chrome beta for Android has been updated to version 28 (28.0.1500.21), bringing a number of requested features along with the new code base. Tablets now have the same full screen experience that phones have as of version 27, as the toolbar and omnibox simply disappear as you scroll down the page. In addition, automatic translate for pages not in the device's native language is available, just like users are used to on the desktop. Here's the bullet point change log:

• Google Translate: When you come across a page written in a language that isn't in the same language as your phone or tablet, look for the translation bar
• Fullscreen on tablets: Simply scroll the page to dismiss the toolbar
• Support for fullscreen API
• New graph showing your estimated bandwidth savings when you use the experimental data compression feature
• Mobile friendly error pages

The jury is still out about any speed increases, but my first impressions are favorable. If you're following the Chrome browser beta track for Android, grab today's update in Google Play or from the link above.

Source: Google Chrome team

Web-based Appstore now available in the UK

Amazon has announced that its Appstore for Android -- the Google Play rival operated by the online retail giant -- is now  available in almost 200 countries following its expansion of the service. In a press release today, Amazon also revealed that the Kindle Fire is spreading its reach across the globe, with the total countries in which it's available set to reach 170 on June 13. To celebrate, Amazon says it'll bring back the popular Fruit Ninja as a free app of the day, along with Cut the Rope: Experimentals and classic puzzler Tetris -- these will be available from May 23.

Finally the web-based Amazon Appstore is now available to users in the UK. Brits can point their browsers to www.amazon.co.uk/appstore to look through the selection of available paid and free apps.

More details in the presser after the break.

New 'Holo light' UI brings Magazines in line with latest Play Music and Play Store apps

Google has updated the Play Magazines app for Android to verison 2.0, bringing a new, lighter user interface. The new version of the app draws inspiration from the recent updates to Google Play Music and the Play Store, both of which have received UI updates in the past month or so. Everything's generally a lot lighter and brighter, and there's a new slide-out sidebar allowing you to switch between Read Now, Library and Shopping views. The official changelog also lists bug fixes in this new version of Play Magazines.

If you're already using Play Magazines, hit "My Apps" in the Play Store app to update. Alternatively we've got a Google Play web link up above.

Today's update brings a new look and some powerful tools to Google Drive 

Google Drive has a big update in Google Play today, with two very cool features being added. The interface of the application has been redesigned, and now we see Google's new cards design at play, looking very much like a mashup of Google Now and Google+.

In addition, users can scan paper items like receipts or bills, and transfer them into pdf files to get stored in Drive, With the new OCR technology, you'll even be able to search through their contents. This should make things a bit easier to use Google Drive for things like expense reports, and the new sheets (spreadsheets) editing tools will make it easier to build that report.

There are also a few other small changes, like being able to download local copies to your Android device and use Google Cloud Print with any compatible printer. To get this one, just click the Google Play link above.

Via: Google

Full screen browsing and simpler searching highlight the changes in Chrome 27 for Android

Chrome for Android has been updated to version 27 (27.0.1453.90 to be exact), bringing one of the most requested features along for the ride -- full screen browsing. In addition, other changes like simpler searching and tab history made it into Chrome 27.

The Chrome team is excited to announce the promotion of Chrome 27 to the Stable channel. Chrome for Android 27.0.1453.90 contains a number of improvments including:

• Fullscreen on phones - Scroll down the page and the toolbar will disappear.
• Simpler searching - Searching from the omnibox will keep your search query visible in the omnibox, making it easier to edit, and show more on your search result page.
• Client-side certificate support - You can now access sites that require you to use a certificate and Chrome will allow you to select an installed certificate
• Tab history on tablets - Long press the browser back button to view your tab history
• And a ton of stability and performance fixes

The update is recommended, and you can get the latest version from the Google Play link above.

Via: Google Chrome

Google Now voice search goes live in the latest Chrome desktop builds

Ladies and gents, it's time to upgrade your Chrome browser. Google Now style voice search has just went live in the latest Chrome stable version for the desktop (Version 27.0.1453.93). As far as we can tell from playing around testing things, the full contextual search isn't running like we saw in the demo during the Google I/O keynote, but the basic voice search and response is ready to go.

To get the latest update is easy. Open the settings in the Chrome browser, and click the Help line entry. Give it a second or two to start checking, and when it tells you to restart Chrome, just restart your whole browser session. When things come back, head to www.google.com and click the microphone in the search box. 

You have to give permission (look for the bar across the top of the window) to listen to your voice, then start asking questions. Welcome to the future! We've got a couple screenshots after the break just in case you're not able to update or don't use Chrome.

Thanks, Christian!