Articles about Beta

It has been a while since Google announced its plans for YouTube Go, a streamlined version of its mobile app with a focus on sharing and minimizing data usage. Now the company has released the first beta on Google Play.

Designed for use in countries with less-than-reliable internet connection, such as India, YouTube Go also allows for the downloading of videos for offline viewing without buffering. The app includes a number of options to help you "maximize your fun without burning up your data," including the ability to preview videos and see the amount of data required to download different quality versions of the same file.

Continue reading →

Windows 10 Creators Update is mere days away from release, and ahead of the launch Microsoft has pushed out a couple of cumulative updates.

Build 15063.13 is being pushed out to Windows Insiders on the Slow Ring and Release Preview Ring, while those who have opted to participate in the Fast Ring can download build 15063.14. With the full rollout of Creators Update now just a week away, these updates see Microsoft address a handful of last minute issues.

Continue reading →

OnePlus is among the few smartphone makers that let their fans test software updates before they're released to the public. Its beta program has two such "streams", or rings if you prefer, which give members access to closed or open betas. But now the company is adding one more.

OnePlus just announced the MP Early Access Program, a new stream to test builds that it deems ready for prime time before they're pushed to the official -- MP -- channel. Why? Simple: to catch any bugs that might have slipped through.

Continue reading →

Microsoft wants to make Office more secure, so it has announced a bug bounty program for Office Insiders to catch vulnerabilities before shipping a public release.

The bug bounty program targets the Windows version of Office on the Slow ring and features rewards of up to $15,000, but for "certain submissions" -- presumably highly-critical security holes -- the software giant says that researchers can expected to be paid more.

Continue reading →

Beta software provides a great way to get a glimpse into the future and try out new features and options in apps before they reach the masses. Google has just opened up a couple of new beta programs for the Android version of its Gboard keyboard, as well as Google Play Services.

Signing up for either of these will give you access to the most bleeding edge features -- but it also means living life on the edge slightly as there is the potential for stability problems. The Google Play Services beta is quite a big one, as this is a core component of Android and used to roll out all manner of new options.

Continue reading →

Microsoft may have a "mobile first, cloud first" mantra, but we shouldn't forget that the software giant is also highly invested in the enterprise market as well. It's incredibly lucrative, as business clients spend billions upon billions of dollars on its products, a list of which includes the likes of Windows and Office.

So, naturally, when Microsoft is working on a product it has to take that into account as well. With Windows 10 things have been going rather well, if you compare it to Windows 8, when it comes to enterprise adoption, but the software giant is looking to improve things with a new Windows Insider program aimed at businesses, referred to as WIP4Biz.

Continue reading →

OnePlus has been busy lately, rolling out the Android Nougat update for its 3T flagship killer just hours before passing into 2017 and working hard to make the smartphone more readily available to ship to potential buyers in major markets.

The OnePlus 3T is available to consumers without an invite, but not everyone has been able to get their hands on the smartphone. OnePlus did not always have it in stock, but that is about to change from now on.

Continue reading →

Two features that are requested of messaging apps -- but found in very few -- are the ability to delete messages, and the ability to edit them. There could be good news on the horizon for WhatsApp users as the latest beta of the app includes references to precisely these two features.

While controversial to some, many users would welcome the option to edit messages that include typos, or to recall messages that were fired off in haste. Although references to both options have been found in WhatsApp beta 2.17.25, neither are currently active.

Continue reading →

Microsoft may have said that there would be no new Insider builds released this week, but that did nothing to stop one from leaking out anyway. Windows 10 Build 15002 has been lifted directly from Microsoft's servers and you can grab yourself a copy if you fancy trying it out.

Don't expect an easy ride if you do decide to download the leaked version, however -- it is supplied in WIM format, meaning that you will have to tinker about with converting it as well as other steps. There are a few changes worth noting.

Continue reading →

Another day, and yet another version of Linux Mint with a different desktop environment. The operating system uses Mate and Cinnamon environments by default, but also offers KDE and Xfce editions as well.

While some people -- such as yours truly -- think the project should redirect its focus by supporting fewer desktop environments, that apparently won't be happening any time soon. Case in point, today, Linux Mint 18.1 'Serena' Xfce Edition reaches Beta status. Will you download it?

Continue reading →

The OnePlus 3T may be the replacement for the (slightly) earlier OnePlus 3, but this certainly does not mean that the original has been forgotten. Having already released preview version of Android 7.0 for the flagship killer, OnePlus has now launched its third beta of Nougat for the handset.

Going by the name of OxygenOS Open Beta 10, the release incorporates many of the feedback suggestions made in response to the previous beta. Headline changes include improved battery life and faster performance.

Continue reading →

Earlier in December, Microsoft warned Insiders that there would be no more new builds released this side of the New Year. Of course, this does not mean that a new build did not exist, and now build 14997 has leaked online.

Coming from the internal development branch (rs_onecoe_base, specifically), it's possible that build 14997 will never be officially released, but the leak does give a tantalizing glimpse of what we can expect. On the menu in this build of Windows 10 Creators Update is an updated version of Microsoft Edge, an improved OOBE and important tweaks to the Start menu.

Continue reading →

AVAST has announced betas of AVG Free Antivirus 15 (32-bit here) and AVG Internet Security 17 (32-bit here).

The releases follow AVAST’s acquisition of AVG earlier this year, and aim to combine the best technologies from both companies: AVAST’s core engine with AVG’s behavior analysis.

Continue reading →

Those who have followed me over the years know that I came somewhat late to the mobile computing party. I didn’t buy my first smartphone until 2014 -- an el-cheapo Samsung Galaxy Avant running Android 4.4.2. However, after languishing in the hinterlands of abandoned devices (Samsung never bothered to updated the Avant’s OS past "KitKat"), I finally bit the bullet and this past August splurged on a Galaxy S7 (I went for the nondescript black model to discourage phone thieves).

No question, the Galaxy S7 is a wonderful "piece of kit" (as my UK friends would call it). It’s fast, has plenty of RAM (4GB), and is expandable via microSD card (unlike its immediate predecessor, the Galaxy S6). But while it runs circles around my old Avant in terms of performance, I found the phone’s TouchWiz-enhanced Android 6.0 Marshmallow UI to be uninspiring.

Continue reading →

Automation tools for mobiles were something of a craze a little while ago, with the likes of IFTTT proving incredibly popular. Last month, Microsoft released its own automation tools, Flow, to iOS users, and now a beta version has been launched for Android.

Microsoft's take on automation is very much what you would expect -- it's all about connecting different cloud services and apps, and getting them to work together in a helpful way.

Continue reading →