Arrow Launcher for Android exits beta and becomes Microsoft Launcher
It came as something of a shock to people when Microsoft first released an Android launcher in the guise of Arrow Launcher. Now the company is making it more obvious who is behind the app, bringing the launcher out of beta and relaunching it as Microsoft Launcher.
Joe Belfiore only very recently admitted that Windows Phone is dead, and this is something that is borne out by Microsoft's increasing interest in developing iOS and Android software. What may well come as a surprise to many is that Microsoft Launcher is actually a decent piece of software.
Download the Android Oreo beta for your OnePlus 3 or 3T
OnePlus has earned itself quite a reputation for pushing out new Android builds to its users, and it's no different with Android 8.0 Having previously announced that Oreo would be the last major update for the OnePlus 3 and 3T, the Chinese smartphone-maker has now made a beta version available to everyone.
Just last month, a closed group was given access to an early Oreo beta for the OnePlus 3, but now the OnePlus Open Beta program means that anyone who likes the idea of trying out Android 8.0 on their handset can do so.
Download Microsoft Edge preview for Android
Microsoft only recently announced that its Edge browser would be coming to both iOS and Android -- and now the company is making good on its promise. A preview version of Microsoft Edge (described by the software giant as "unreleased") is now available on Google Play.
Based on Chrome's Blink engine, Edge for Android has a particular treat for anyone using Windows 10 Fall Creators Update -- they can take advantage of the "continue on PC" feature. This lets users start browsing the web on their phones, and then switch to a computer and pick up from where they left off.
Apple unveils new emoji coming in iOS 11.1
Following a somewhat problematic initial release of iOS, Apple pushed out iOS 11.0.2 to fix a number of issues. But people are already looking forward to the next incremental, non-bug-fixing release. This is iOS 11.1, and Apple has revealed a little of what we can expect.
iPad and iPhone users are to be treated to a new batch of emoji -- hundreds of new ones in total -- encompassing "more emotive smiley faces, gender-neutral characters, clothing options, food types, animals, mythical creatures and more."
Google releases new Android Wear beta... that's only compatible with one watch
Google has released a new beta version of Android Wear, but it's an update that's going to be of interest to a very limited number of people. For testing in the real world, the beta is only compatible with the LG Watch Sport.
While this may sound like a serious limitation -- well, it is really -- Google is quick to point out that anyone can try out the beta by installing the Android emulator. But what can you expect to find in this new release?
System76 Pop!_OS Beta Ubuntu-based Linux distribution now available to download
Next month, a new era of Ubuntu begins. Unity is dead, and GNOME 3 takes over as the default desktop environment. While this change was for the best, it was still shocking for many. For a company like System76, for instance, that sells computers pre-loaded with Ubuntu, this was problematic. Why? Well, the company essentially lost control of the overall user experience by relying on vanilla Ubuntu. It was being forced to follow Canonical's path.
To solve this, and regain some control, System76 has been developing its own operating system called "Pop!_OS." No, it is not reinventing the wheel here -- it will still use Ubuntu as a base, and GNOME will be the desktop environment. The company is customizing the operating system, however, with things like fonts, themes, and icons, to create something truly unique. This could lead to an improved user experience. Today, the first official beta of the operating system becomes available for download.
Experimental Twitter Lite app is now available for Android
All of the major players have been busy creating "lite" versions of their apps and online experiences. Microsoft has LinkedIn Lite, Facebook has both Facebook Lite and Facebook Messenger Lite, and Google has its Search Lite app.
Back in April, Twitter decided to get in on the lite action by launching Twitter Lite, a cut-down, data-friendly version of its mobile website. Now the micro-blogging service has gone further and released a Twitter Lite app.
Twitter is testing a tweetstorm feature to allow for longer tweets
There are two features that Twitter users constantly ask for -- the ability to edit tweets, and the ability to send tweets that are longer than 140 characters. Tweet editing is not likely to come any time soon, and longer tweets are also an uncertainty, but Twitter could be about to make tweetstorming much easier.
Tweetstorms are the alternative to longer tweets: messages that won't fit into 140 characters are simply manually split up over multiple tweets. Manually doing this is a chore, but there is hope on the horizon. A hidden tweetstorm composer has been unearthed in the Twitter Android app, indicating that the feature is undergoing internal testing.
OnePlus 3 users treated to Android Oreo beta -- OnePlus 3T and 5 won't be far behind
True to past form, OnePlus is not hanging about in getting Oreo pushed out to its smartphones. It's early days at the moment, but OnePlus 3 owners can already download a beta version of Android 8.0 for their devices.
The update is only available to members of a closed beta group at the moment, but a public beta is due by the end of September. OnePlus has not indicated exactly when the 3T and 5 will receive the beta, but the update is on the way.
Now everyone can try the Outlook.com beta -- no special tricks needed
It has been a few weeks since Microsoft launched an updated beta version of Outlook.com. Rather than making the beta available to everyone, the company chose to roll out the beta to a limited number of users -- although it was possible to jump the queue with a little trick.
Now Microsoft has decided to make the Outlook.com beta available to everyone. There's quite a lot to try out, with an updated look and a host of new and improved features. While the beta version is available to everyone, it's not enabled by default.
Microsoft wants you to beta test Windows 10 S
Microsoft has announced a major shake-up in the testing for Windows 10 S.
The software giant has announced that its new OS can now be tried out by all members of the Windows Insiders program.
Google Chrome stable can now run side-by-side with Beta and Dev variants
When you install Google Chrome Beta or Dev versions on your Windows computer, it overwrites and replaces the stable version. This keeps things fairly simple and neat, as home users won't have multiple versions of Chrome on their PC. The problem with that, however, is the Beta and Dev versions really aren't intended for home users -- even though some still use them. Those unstable versions are intended for testing, meaning having them run side-by-side, like with the Canary builds, would actually be preferable.
Thankfully, Google has now decided to change the default behavior on Windows so that Google Chrome stable can run side-by-side with both the Beta and Dev variants. This means a web developer, for instance, can easily test their page with all three builds at the same time. When you include Canary, that means you could have, in theory, four variants of Chrome at different development stages running at once. Unfortunately, macOS users are excluded from this side-by-side fun -- for now at least.
Use this simple trick to force Outlook.com to give you access to the new beta version
Yesterday, Microsoft announced it was rolling out a new beta version for its Outlook.com webmail service. This offers a number of improvements for users, including better performance, a smarter inbox, and greater personalization.
The problem, as with all Microsoft rollouts, is only some users will be able to access the beta. The majority have to wait to be invited, and that could take weeks. Fortunately, there’s a simply trick you can use to access the beta right now.
Microsoft launches new Outlook.com beta -- here's how to try it
Outlook.com struggles a bit in the shadow of Google’s Gmail. While the latter is incredibly popular, Microsoft’s webmail service fails to attract users in the same way, which is a shame because it has a lot to offer.
It might be pulling in more users soon though, as Outlook.com is set to receive a big makeover that, in Microsoft's own words, takes advantage of "recent advances in programming, design, and artificial intelligence." Among the promised changes are improved performance, a smarter inbox, and better personalization. If you want to try it out, you can. This is what you need to do.
New OnePlus 3/3T beta rolls out, while OnePlus 5 update is recalled
There's good news and bad news for OnePlus handset owners -- whether it's good or bad depends on whether you have a OnePlus 3/3T or a OnePlus 5. For users of the older handset, there's a new OxygenOS Open Beta which adds a decent selection of new features.
For OnePlus 5 users, however, the OxygenOS 4.5.7 update that was released earlier in the week is being recalled. OnePlus is responding reports of terrible gaming performance in withdrawing the update.
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