Kodi 20 -- codename 'Nexus' -- is the next version of the hugely popular home theater software. After several alpha releases the Kodi Foundation put out the first beta build -- Beta 1 -- last month.

For obvious reasons, alpha and beta releases aren’t ideal for use on a daily basis, but we have some good news -- the team has decided the software is now stable enough to not require a second beta release.

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Bartels Media GmbH has unveiled a major new version of its freemium cross-platform text expander tool with the launch of PhraseExpress 16 for Windows. The new release, which coincides with the software’s 20th anniversary, boasts a fresh new look, new trigger system, improved Edit History feature as well as a new unified phrase file format for using with Mac and iOS builds -- both of which are currently in beta.

The first major change sees the user interface updated with new high-resolution icons to match Windows 11’s more modernized look. Bartels is keen to highlight that the UI has been 'carefully updated' to ensure existing users aren’t left floundering looking for their favorite tools.

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Rick Brewster has announced the release of Paint.NET 5.0 (alpha). This early pre-release, which is also available as a portable build for existing users keen to try out the new features without affecting their current, stable release, promises significant performance increases, resurrected support for pressure-sensitive pens and tablets, plus a brand-new plugin system.

In addition, there are several new adjustments and effects, and a raft of improvements across existing tools. The new build does, however, jettison support for 32-bit systems and older versions of Windows.

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One of my favorite features on the Apple iPhone 14 Pro is the new Dynamic Island that replaces the old notch at the top of the screen. This, if you don’t know, is a dark island that expands and contracts (and even bubbles off) to show important alerts, notifications, and activities.

It’s a cool addition which Apple says, 'blurs the line between hardware and software'. And you can now add this feature to Windows. Here’s how.

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Auslogics has released a major update to its Windows optimization suite with the arrival of Auslogics BoostSpeed 13.0. The latest version is the first to fully support Windows 11, but also ships with several improved features.

Implementing full support for Windows 11 PCs means that BoostSpeed 13 can target specific parts of the new OS -- for example, users are able to delete documents from the 'Recommended' section of Windows 11's Start menu, while other new tools include a multi-uninstall manager and add-ons manager for removing unwanted browser and shell extensions.

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IObit has released major new version of its Windows driver and game component updater tool. IObit Driver Booster 10 simplifies the task of finding and updating drivers across Windows PCs, and comes in both ad-supported free and paid-for versions.

Version 10 sees the tool expand its driver database to now include more than 8.5 million device drivers and game components.

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Audio editing tools -- much like photo editors -- can be both incredibly expensive, and tremendously complex. Audacity has long served as an alternative to such apps, and with the release of Audacity 3.2 it just became even more powerful.

The developers are not hiding their light under a bushel, describing this update as a "gigantic release". This latest build sees the addition of support for realtime effects that allow for non-destructive editing of audio files. But there is more, including improved VST3 support and the option to upload and share content to audio.com.

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The Blender Foundation has unveiled its first Long Term Support release of the Blender 3.x series with the release of Blender 3.3 LTS. LTS releases are supported for two years from release.

Also available as a portable Windows build, this is the third major point release in the 3.x series since it debuted in December 2021.

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The fourth major point release of The Document Foundation’s open-source, cross-platform office suite has landed. As with the previous release in February, LibreOffice 7.4 is targeted towards improving the experience for those migrating from Microsoft Office.

The focus on improving compatibility with Microsoft Office -- both for those migrating away from the platform and others who need to share documents with MS Office users -- is an ongoing process, and the 7.4 press release focuses a lot of attention on LibreOffice’s "highest level of compatibility in the office suite market segment".

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It is very easy to keep Windows up to date -- so easy, in fact, that you hardly need to do anything. Just make sure that the Automatic Updates feature of Windows Update is enabled, and everything will happen in the background. IObit Software Updater does much the same for the apps you have installed as well.

While there are some apps that will update automatically -- including, but not limited to, those installed from the Microsoft Store -- it is certainly not the case for all software. And this is where IObit Software Updater can help, ensuring that all of the software you have installed is up to date, so you not only benefit from the latest features and options, but also the highest level of security. IObit Software Updater 5.0 is now here, complete with support for scores of additional applications.

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Five-hundred-and-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 and 11 on the Microsoft Store and elsewhere in the past seven days.

Microsoft released the first development version of Windows 10 version 22h2 to the Release Preview channel; this marks the final stage of development before official release later this year.

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While Microsoft has made it so much easier to create PDF files in Windows than it ever used to be, the built-in option is still rather limited. You can use Microsoft's virtual PDF printer to quickly convert images, Office documents and other files into the ever-useful PDF format, but there are not a huge number of options that you are able to configure.

Things are rather different with Bullzip PDF Printer which has just been updated to version 14. It is a while since this versatile tool received an update, so it's great to see that it has not been forgotten and that development is on-going. Whether you're a new or existing user, there is a lot to look forward to in Bullzip PDF Printer 14.

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For anyone concerned about privacy and security online, Tor Browser is an extremely important alternative to mainstream browsers. Designed to help keep users anonymous and to bypass restrictions put in place by governments, version 11.5 has landed complete with even more powerful options.

Over the years, it has become easier and easier to use Tor Browser, with complex configuration options being made available to the average user without the need for special knowledge. With the release of version 11.5 of the software, things have been made even easier thanks to the introduction of automatic censorship detection and circumvention with the new Connection Assist feature.

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Renowned eBook management tool Calibre has a new landmark release. Calibre 6.0 makes its bow on Windows (64-bit only), Mac and Linux.

Version 6.0 unveils one major headline new feature -- full text search across entire eBook libraries. It’s also the first version to support Apple Silicon and Linux ARM64 architectures, but also drops support for Windows 32-bit users.

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Kodi 20 -- codename 'Nexus' -- is the next version of the popular home theater software. Builds for the successor to Kodi 19 'Matrix' were available to download for a while now, but as 'nightly' releases they weren't suitable for most users.

Two months ago, the developers rolled out the first Alpha build which, while stable, wasn't the best choice for people to use on a regular basis. Today, Kodi 20 hits another huge milestone, making it a more viable option.

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