The best Android apps and games revealed in 2018 Google Play Awards
It's not long since Google's Android Excellence program bestowed praise on apps and games on what were considered to offer a high quality experience. Now the company has used Google I/O to reveal the winners of the 2018 Google Play Awards.
Google says that the aim of the ceremony is to "recognize the best apps and games on Google Play over the past year", and it's a great way to discover something new to try.
Facebook copies Snapchat's Bitmoji and creates personal, customizable Avatars
Never afraid to steal an idea or two from its competitors, Facebook is at it once again, this time "borrowing" Bitmoji from Snapchat. The yet-to-be-released feature is called Facebook Avatars and it will let users create personalized cartoon images of themselves to use as stickers or emoji.
The Avatars feature has not even been announced by Facebook yet, but references to it were found hidden deep in the code of the social network's Android app. The company has, however, confirmed that the feature is in development.
Linksys WRT32XB dual-band AC3200 Xbox One wireless gaming router now available
If you are a PC gamer, there are many ways to gain an edge -- such as upgrading components and accessories. A new GPU and mouse, for instance, can make a big difference. With console gaming you are much more limited -- you can't upgrade the CPU, GPU, or RAM. Some argue that is a good thing, as it levels the playing field, while others say a lack of upgradeability is a negative.
If you are an Xbox One gamer, however, there is a new piece of hardware that could give you an edge when playing online -- the Linksys WRT32XB 802.11ac wireless router. If you aren't familiar, this is a variant of the company's WRT32X gaming router where the firmware has been optimized for Xbox One (plus PCs using Killer networking). Linksys says it can detect Xbox traffic and reduce peak ping by up to 65 percent, and ultimately, reduce lag. If you are dubious of that claim, please know that Microsoft has certified this router as a part of the "Designed for Xbox" program. Today, the Linksys WRT32XB finally becomes available for purchase.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro now $150 off, including Amazon-exclusive Mocha Brown color
The Huawei Mate 10 Pro is one of the best Android smartphones you can buy. Not only is it elegantly made, but it has top specifications, including a drool-worthy display. The camera even leverages artificial intelligence, making it one of the best picture-taking experiences on the market. Don't forget -- BetaNews is giving one of these amazing flagships away, so be sure to enter our giveaway here.
Only one person can win our contest, however, so if you really want a Mate 10 Pro, your best bet is to simply buy one. Thankfully, starting today, the Huawei flagship becomes more affordable. You see, from now through May 19, you can score one for a mere $649 -- that is $150 off the MSRP! Best of all, the phone is unlocked, so you can use it on any GSM carrier in the USA, such as T-Mobile and AT&T.
Android Things exits beta as Google jumps further into the IoT
Google today announced the launch of Android Things 1.0, its Internet of Things platform. There have been numerous beta versions for developers to play with, but now that the operating system has been officially launched we can expect to see it popping up on a wide range of devices.
The company says that it has been working closely with a number of manufacturers to help ensure that products will be available soon. On the horizon are smart speakers from LG and iHome, as well as smart displays from Lenovo, LG, and JBL.
Microsoft announces Your Phone, an app to view your iPhone or Android device in Windows 10
Having given up on its own mobile operating system, Microsoft has a greater interest in Android and iOS than ever before. Today at its Build 2018 developer conference, the company announces a new app called Your Phone.
The purpose of the app is to enable you to connect your computer to an iPhone or Android device and access the handset's contents without having to pick it up. As well as being able to view and respond to text messages from the comfort of your PC, you'll also be able to move files to and from your phone.
How to fix the Feedback Frequency bug in Windows 10 April 2018 Update
The Windows 10 April 2018 Update has started to roll out to users around the world, and it has not been without its problems. One issue that some people have noticed is that the "Feedback frequency" setting cannot be changed.
Users are complaining that the setting has a new label reading "Windows Insider Program manages this option" -- regardless of whether the computer has been part of the Insider program or not. An update is available to address the problem, but it has to be installed manually.
Watch Microsoft's Build 2018 keynote live, here
It’s that time of year again. Microsoft is kicking off its annual Build developer conference in Seattle today, May 7, starting with its opening keynote this morning (a second keynote is happening tomorrow).
Last year at Build Microsoft announced the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, new mixed reality headsets and controllers, and 'Project Emma', a wearable for Parkinson's disease sufferers. So what can we expect this year?
Vine successor V2 is postponed for an 'indefinite amount of time'
It is now over a year since Vine closed down, and fans have been holding out for a follow-up to the video service. Co-founder Dom Hofmann previously said that work was underway on a successor called V2, but this has now been put on hold.
Blaming "financial and legal hurdles", Hoffmann now says that the project has been postponed "for an indefinite amount of time". He says that he had hoped to bring V2 to life as a personal project, but the realization that more money will be needed means that investors need to be brought onboard.
Compatible handsets will get Windows 10 Mobile April 2018 Update
The Windows 10 April 2018 Update rollout to PCs around the world has already started, and Microsoft says that the update will also make its way to compatible Windows 10 Mobile devices.
The number of people who will actually end up receiving this update, however, is likely to be rather limited. Microsoft says that the availability of Windows 10 Mobile April 2018 Update will vary according to "manufacturer, model, country or region, mobile operator or service provider, hardware limitations" and -- ominously -- "other factors".
How managed services can help businesses with GDPR [Q&A]
With GDPR implementation now only weeks away many businesses are still not fully prepared for the impact of the new legislation.
We spoke to Matt Klassen VP of cloud marketing at IT service management specialist Cherwell Software to find out how managed services can help companies to comply with GDPR by the may 25th deadline and to manage the additional workload it's likely to create.
Email management service Unroll.Me to close in Europe because of GDPR
The new batch of privacy related legislations that's due to roll out across Europe later this month has claimed another victim -- Unroll.Me.
The email management service, which claims to help users "clean up your inbox", has announced that it is incompatible with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and will therefore close down in the EU on May 23. If you live in the EU, Unroll.Me will delete your account and you'll no longer be able to use the service.
Microsoft's Meltdown patch for Windows 10 has a 'fatal flaw'
If you've not updated to Windows 10 April 2018 Update but you have installed Microsoft's Meltdown patches from a few months ago, your computer is vulnerable to a "fatal flaw".
This is not the first time a patch for the Meltdown vulnerability has led to problems with Windows, but previously it was Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 that were affected. A security researcher found that Microsoft's patch for Windows 10 "undermined the mitigation", and while the problem has been fixed in the April 2018, the company is still working on backporting an updated patch for older versions of Windows 10.
OnePlus 6 specs leak ahead of the launch later this month
The OnePlus 6 is due to be revealed on May 16 and, as with just about every OnePlus device, details of the latest flagship have leaked out nice and early.
There have already been a number of rumors relating to the OnePlus 6 -- such as confirmation of the notch -- but now full specifications have appeared on the website of Chinese regulator TENAA. So what can you expect from the A6000, and will it be enough to warrant an upgrade from a OnePlus 5 or OnePlus 5T?
The rise of the experimentation team
2017 was the year of DevOps with companies focusing on delivering better customer experience and improving operational efficiency. According to a recent Forrester report, over 60 percent of organizations surveyed said they have either already implemented or are expanding their DevOps efforts in the future. With the rise of DevOps, greater investments in software development and a faster release cadence comes a need to measure the impact of these efforts and ensure they are delivering valuable software faster. To do this, organizations are taking a more modern approach to code deployment, release management, and measurement of outcomes.
This approach known as experimentation is a new product development workflow, combining DevOps and Product Analytics, helping organizations both speed up product delivery while simultaneously providing critical insights on the performance of their features and products. Every feature release is measured against business and technical KPIs defined by the organization. Experimentation teams, historically only formed at leading technology companies, are now emerging in most enterprises who are starting to look for and build out engineering and product experimentation roles.
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