Your Android phone will soon be able to auto-open apps when installation completes
When you install an app, the chances are that you’re going to want to fire up straight away. To help with this, Google is in the process of rolling out a handy auto-open feature to Android users.
If this sounds familiar, that is because it is something Google was spotted working on back in the second half of last year. You would have been forgiven for thinking that the company had forgotten about it, but the auto-open toggle is back.
Typepad is closing down, move fast to save your content!
Out of the blue, Typepad has announced that it is closing down. The stalwart blogging service says it was a "difficult decision to discontinue” operations, but does not give any details about the reasons behind it.
Users of Typepad have a little over a month until the service is gone forever, and anyone who would like to preserve their writing is urged to export their content.
Google Translate is ready to take on Duolingo with new language learning tools
When it comes to casual, mobile-based language learning, Duolingo reigns supreme. And now Google Translate is ready to take it on head-to-head.
Until now, Google Translate has been a multi-tool for travellers, holidaymakers, businesspersons and immigrants. It serves as an on-demand dictionary and translation tool for dozens and dozens of languages, and the next step sees it branching out into language lessons.
Microsoft now saves all Word files to the cloud by default
Anyone who has used Microsoft Word for a number of years will remember the times they have been saved by the autosave feature. The move to the cloud complicated things slightly meaning that many people lost files when Microsoft changed the way the feature worked.
Now the company has announced a significant change to Word that will help to dramatically reduce the risk of documents being lost by accident or because of something like a power outage or hardware failure. All Word documents are now saved to the cloud by default.
WhatsApp rolls out AI-powered Writing Help feature
WhatsApp is getting another injection of artificial intelligence in the form of Writing Help. As you would guess from the name, this is a tool designed to help you come up with the perfect message for different scenarios.
With Writing Help being billed as something that could be of assistance in all manner of communication, there will be understandable concerns about privacy. WhatsApp is one step ahead of worried users here, pointing out that Writing Help is built on top of Private Processing technology.
Microsoft previews tool to convert virtual machines from VMware to Hyper-V
Microsoft has launched a public preview of a new tool to convert virtual machines between VMware to Hyper-V formats. The VM Conversion tool is available free of charge via the Windows Admin Center, with Microsoft claiming that the conversion process takes just five minutes.
The company says that the aim of the tool is to provide a simple, supported path for organizations to streamline VM conversion to Hyper-V virtualization environments.
Google to block sideloading of apps from unverified developers
Downloading apps from an official app store helps to avoid dodgy software. The obstacles that can stand in the way of developers getting their apps into the likes of the Google Play Store, however, means that sideloading remains incredibly popular.
Sideloaded apps – those downloaded from unofficial sources – can be safe, but it is something of a minefield. And this is why Google has announced plans to block the sideloading of apps from developers that it has not been able to verify.
xAI is suing Apple and OpenAI for anticompetitive behavior
Elon Musk ‘s xAI startup is suing both OpenAI and Apple for alleged anticompetitive behavior relating to artificial intelligence.
Musk is focusing on these two firms because of the partnership and collaborative arrangements that exist between them. OpenAI has an agreement with Apple to integrate its ChatGPT tool into iOS and macOS. This is something that troubles xAI.
YouTube has been using AI on the sly to enhance creators’ videos
Many people turn to AI to improve their writing, their photos, or their videos. YouTube has been doing the same, quietly enhancing the look of users’ uploaded videos through the use of artificial intelligence.
So, what is the problem? Many creators are upset not so much that their videos have been “enhanced” (although there is debate over whether what YouTube has done can actually be seen as an improvement) but that it was done without consent.
Google is making it easier to switch your default browser to Chrome
Every company with a web browser wants you to choose it as your default. Google is no different with Chrome than Microsoft is with Edge or Mozilla is with Firefox.
Microsoft has received a lot of flak for the heavy-handed way in which it has prompted Edge and attempted to get users to switch to it. More than this the company has made it more difficult to set other browsers as default, although this has changed in recent times. Now Google is taking steps to promote Chrome, pushing a one-click-to-switch capability.
Microsoft slowly rolls out a button allowing Windows 10 users to refuse Windows 11
It is a drum that has almost been beaten to death, but the impending end of support for Windows 10 is not a story that is going to go away any time soon. Even when mid-October rolls around – the cut-off date – this is far from going to be the end of news, reminders, and more.
For now, however, there is some form of respite for Windows 10 users. Microsoft is rolling out a way to halt the constant pestering to upgrade to Windows 11. There is, of course, a catch.
Sam Altman wants to give everyone in the UK free access to ChatGPT Plus
The head and co-founder of OpenAI, Sam Altman, entered into discussions aimed at striking a deal to bring ChatGPT Plus to everyone in the UK at no cost to end users.
In a meeting between the UK’s technology secretary Peter Kyle and Altman, there was talk of granting UK residents access to a more advanced tier of ChatGPT as standard. The deal – while not definitely dead in the water – appears to have stalled, but the idea is an extremely interesting one.
WhatsApp is working on Instagram profile verification
WhatsApp beta testers have access to a new option that allows them to link to a verified Instagram profile, complete with a special icon that others should recognize.
This ability is not necessarily something that will appeal to or interest all WhatsApp users, but it is certainly something that has value for some types of user. Creators are among those who are likely to welcome this addition, as are companies and brands looking to build trust and drive engagement.
xAI makes Grok 2.5 open source and plans the same for Grok 3
Many of the concerns about artificial intelligence can be overcome through transparency. And it is in the name of transparency that Elon Musk has announced the open sourcing of its Grok 2.5 model.
More than this, the AI firm will also make the Grok 3 model open source is around six months.
Snipping Tool gets a handy window recording mode
What started off as a simple screen-grabbing tool has evolved into something powerful and impressive. The Snipping Tool goes from strength to strength, and for Windows Insiders Microsoft has a new option to play with.
The feature is an expansion of Snipping Tool’s screen recording capabilities, this time making it possible to limit recording to a specific window.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. She is currently training to be an LGBTQ+ affirmative psychotherapist. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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