Software & Apps - Page 36

Apple is currently testing the Journal app with the company's iOS 17.2 update, but there is currently no indication that it's going to come to the iPad or Mac any time soon. In fact, there's no suggestion that it'll make its way to those platforms at all.

Apple announced the Journal app as part of the iOS 17 update back in June before saying that it would arrive later this year. There's still no official date for that, but those who are testing the iOS 17.2 update are already able to take the app for a spin - although few are raving about its current capabilities. However, as 9to5Mac notes, there is currently no sign of the Journal app in the macOS 14.2 or iPadOS 17.2 betas. And Apple has so far been surprisingly quiet about the chances of the app coming to the Mac or the iPad at all.

Discussing the fact that there is no Journal app on those platforms, 9to5Mac notes that Apple's iOS 17 webpage is the only one that makes any mention of the mindfulness and journaling app - it can't be found anywhere on the macOS Sonoma or iPadOS 17 webpages.

WhatsApp, the hugely popular instant messaging app and platform owned by Meta, is testing a new feature that could make it much easier to keep your location private when on a call.

The feature, which is currently only in beta testing and ahs no public release date, allows users to protect their IP address when on a call. The move means that it will be harder for other people to use that IP address to try and figure out the person's location if they don't want them to know it.

The new feature was spotted by the WhatsApp watchers over at WABetaInfo and is available in the latest WhatsApp beta that is now being offered to iPhone users.

Apple first announced the Journal app as part of the iOS 17 unveiling back in June of 2023. We knew that it wouldn't be ready for iOS 17's release when that happened in September, but Apple did say that the Journal app would launch before the end of the year. Now, with the release of the first iOS 17.2 beta, it looks like it's coming good on that promise.

The first iOS 17.2 beta is now available for testing and while it doesn't have as many big new features as the iOS 17 update did, it does have some notable additions. The Journal app is one of the biggest because Apple promised that it would make it easier for people to reflect on and relive special moments. But is it going to live up to the hype?

Our initial testing suggests that might not be the case. Right now all you seem to be able to do is create a new entry and then add media if you wish. You can also share information into the app via the Share Sheet, with the journal entry showing a card a bit like the Notes app does. But so far, none of the recommendation aspects of the Journal app appear to be working.

It has been more than a year since Elon Musk officially carried out the acquisition of the social media platform that was formerly called Twitter, and is now called X.

Leading up to the acquisition, Musk expressed that he wished to turn then-Twitter into the "everything app," a single app that encompasses all of the general needs of smartphone applications (calling, texting, communities, authenticated accounts, and finance). While there are many other aspects to include in the "everything app", the aforementioned features are what X is currently working on implementing, and now we are hearing about a coming payment system.

During X's latest earnings call, Musk explained that he plans on turning X into a bank that has a seamless payment system between users, and that this feature would be implemented into the platform by the end of next year. Musk further iterated that this payment system wouldn't be as simple as sending $20 to someone, but would also include support for securities to be moved from one individual to another.

We all know that Windows 10 doesn't have too many miles left on the clock for support, and the impact of that could be pretty devastating to the environment, an advocacy group in the US has argued.

The Register reports that PIRG, the US Public Interest Research Group, has brought attention to the stark reality that when Windows 10 is made obsolete in October 2025, that will mean up to 400 million of the billion devices out there running the older OS could be on the scrapheap.

PIRG urges Microsoft to think again on Windows 10 support, and notes that the move could mean the "single biggest jump in junked computers ever," putting a big dent in the company's drive for sustainability.

The first version of Microsoft Word for Windows debuted on October 25, 1983 - a couple of days before the release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. If you have vivid memories of one or both of these events, you're one of what the young people these days call "the olds." Don't worry, putting a reference to one of the most popular albums from 1998 in the headline probably puts me in the same category.

Yes, Microsoft Word is now 40 years old, and to celebrate the occasion, Microsoft has posted a nice little timeline to commemorate the history of the Word Processor. The very first version of Word shipped with a mouse, and as you can see from the YouTube clip from Aldo Computers below, there was a little tutorial on how to use the strange new input device.

The WYSIWYG or 'what you see is what you get' design meant that whatever you saw on screen was exactly how the document would print. It was most likely on one of those dot matrix printers that made sounds like they were a secret weapon in Wolfenstein 3D.

Soon X users will be able to call each other, or at least that's what seems to be happening as select users are reporting a new feature popping up in their account settings.

Reports indicate that X users will now be able to enable audio and video calling by heading to their settings and locating the new toggle feature. Personally, my account hasn't received the push notification "Audio and video calls are here!" informing me that calls are now enabled on my account, but some members of The Verge reported they did, along with thousands of other users. It seems this new feature is being rolled out slowly to users, likely by region.

Notably, the new feature allows users to choose who can call their account, with options such as "people in your address book, People you follow, and Verified users". As you can probably imagine, users can make a call by heading to their Direct Messages, selecting the account they wish to message and then the call button located in the right-hand corner of the screen.

Microsoft has just pushed out Copilot to Windows 11 testers who are in the Canary channel, those using the earliest test version of the OS.

If you recall, there was some displeasure when the Copilot AI first began testing and was present in Dev, but not the Canary channel.

At any rate, the AI is now finally in Canary, but don't get too excited if you're involved in this branch of testing - the rollout is only just beginning at the moment. As that part of the intro in the blog post for build 25982 is bolded, we can guess that initially Copilot is probably going to see pretty limited availability.

Microsoft has a long history of trying to promote Edge over Chrome in one way or another - and indeed just trying to advertise Edge full-stop in Windows 11 - but the latest development in this kind of 'nudging' is an eye-opener.

Neowin reports that when attempting to download Google Chrome recently using the Edge browser, a poll popped up in the sidebar.

In the poll, Microsoft asks the Edge leaver if they can take a moment to inform the company why they are trying a rival browser.

Microsoft is forging ahead with adding AI into, well, everything it can right now, and the latest recipient in this respect is the Paint app in Windows 11 preview builds.

You may recall that Paint Cocreator was introduced to the app in testing in Canary and Dev channels back at the end of September, and subsequently has progressed through the Beta channel, and the functionality just hit the Release Preview channel (the final stage before actually landing in the finished version of Windows 11).

For those who missed this, Cocreator is an AI-driven feature based on Dall-E which works like the Bing AI image creator. You can simply describe a picture you'd like to have composed, select an art style (if required), and then the AI will knock up an image based on those criteria.

Windows 11 is now the operating system of choice for over 400 million monthly active devices. Windows Central reportedly is getting eyes-on with "Microsoft internal data" that has Windows 11 on track to hit 500 million monthly active devices in early 2024.

Microsoft launched Windows 11 in October 2021, so it has taken two years to reach the 400 million milestone, versus Windows 10 only taking just over 12 months to hit 400 million users. Windows 10 had reached a huge 600 million devices just a few months after the two-year mark, so Windows 11 is a little behind when it comes to operating system upgrades and adoption rates.

We should note Windows 11 is only supported by CPUs that were released in 2018 and newer, as well as with devices with TPM security chips. Windows 11 had higher minimum system requirements than previous operating systems, with modern chips and TPM (Trust Platform Module) support.

Windows 11's Copilot AI has seen some useful changes in a new preview build released by Microsoft.

For starters, in preview build 23570 which has just been unleashed in the Dev channel, Copilot now has a lot more finesse in the way the assistant appears, as you can see in the above tweet from PhantomOfEarth.

In previous builds, when you clicked on Copilot and the side-panel (which may eventually be expandable) came into view from the right-hand side of the screen, the AI rather rudely shoved other windows on the desktop out of the way - they positively jerked aside.

If you're one of the Windows 11 users who frequents the Microsoft Store with any regularity, you may have noticed some improvements having been made in recent times - with the latest tweak speeding up loading times.

Those whose patience was wearing a bit thin at waiting for the store to actually appear after clicking its icon will doubtless be pleased to hear that it now loads around three times faster.

That's according to one of Microsoft's software engineers working on the store as part of the Windows team, who posted on X (formerly Twitter) to share the good news about the latest version of the app (22309).

The social media platform formerly called Twitter, now called X, is testing its "Not A Bot" subscription method that will force new users to the platform to sign up for $1 USD a year or suffer from "read-only" account restrictions.

X took to the blog side of its website to announce the "Not A Bot" subscription program that will be rolled out across two countries. This latest test is designed to reduce the number of spam and fake accounts that are popping up across the platform and is part of the overarching effort from both X, and its owner, Elon Musk, to reduce the number of fake accounts on the platform to as little as possible.

The new program will force new users in New Zealand and the Philippines to perform two steps before they are granted access to X. The first will be an active mobile phone number entered into the account details. The second will be to select a subscription plan. The "Not A Bot" subscription plan is a $1 annual fee that enables actions such as: post content, Like posts, Reply, Repost and Quote other accounts' posts, Bookmark posts. Other subscription plans also include X Premium, which unlocks a bunch of bonus features.

The Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit 2023 is underway. KIOXIA is showcasing its extensive data center and enterprise SSD solutions lineup alongside next-generation technology, Software-Enabled Flash technology, and PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Its presence at the Summit is about connecting and collaborating with customers focused on the same goals across enterprise and hyperscale data centers.

Collaboration is one of the key reasons why the Software-Enabled Flash technology movement and KIOXIA's involvement are so impressive. Spearheaded by the Linux Foundation, Software-Enabled Flash technology is all about open-source SSDs designed to meet the needs of hyperscale environments like the cloud. It gives developers direct control to maximize the benefit of flash memory - KIOXIA's specialty.

KIOXIA's presence includes a broad portfolio of products, including low-latency KIOXIA XD7P Series EDSFF E1.S SSDs and the new PCIe 5.0 KIOXIA CD8P Series U.2 Data Center NVMe SSDs.

Elgato (owned by CORSAIR) is a name beloved by content creators and streamers worldwide, from its cameras to capture cards to the popular Stream Deck to make going live, playing games, or simply hanging out much easier. Today, we've got word that the company has launched the new Elgato Marketplace, which is set up to be a one-stop shop for plugins, graphics, voice effects, video transitions, and more.

With a focus on streaming and content creation, Elgato's popular Wave Link app and the third-party OBS Studio, and editing software and podcasting tools, the Elgato Marketplace is designed to be a one-stop shop. And one that will empower creators, with "Makers" being community sellers who can sell their digital products to a large audience.

The press release doesn't include info on the revenue split, but it's the right move to let the community create and share an avenue to make money. The Elgato Marketplace will be home to the popular Stream Deck plugins and controls for apps like Discord and Microsoft Teams, in addition to hosting a library of voice effects and sounds for podcasters, streamers, and content creators to draw from.

Microsoft's offer to upgrade for free from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 (and from there to Windows 11, if you want, and your spec qualifies) has been one of the most long-standing freebies ever, surely - but not anymore.

The loophole has now been officially closed, as The Verge reports.

Free upgrades from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 came in when the latter OS launched mid-2015, and were only supposed to be available for the first year. However, when the middle of 2016 rolled around, while Microsoft stopped advertising the upgrade - to the relief of many - it remained in place.

WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging platform that is currently owned by Meta, is working on a new feature that will make it easier for people to plan events right from within their chat threads.

The new feature, which is currently in testing with those who are using the Google Android beta version of the app, lets people plan events including their date, time, and location. There is also an option to add a scheduled video call to the event for those which are being run remotely, too.

The change was first reported as part of the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.21.12 update and was spotted by the WhatsApp watchers over at WABetaInfo.

EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton posted a letter addressed to Elon Musk warning him of what will come if X continues hosting disinformation/misinformation.

The letter specifically states instances where X has hosted content regarding the attacks in Israel and Palestine and the quality of that content. According to the EU Commissioner, many of these instances resulted in X spreading false information or misinformation, as the posts were "illegal". The letter requests that Musk stop the spread of misinformation on the platform by tightening the systems that are already in place that filter out posted content.

Brenton outlined three key areas of interest in the letter, with the first being a call for the enforcement of content policies. Secondly, it was for X to take faster action when it's alerted on illegal content being posted on the platform, as the speed of the response is critical to mitigating the spread of the misinformation. Lastly, Breton told X to establish "mitigation measures" that will be designed to reduce the risk of disinformation reaching the community and influencing public security.

Currently, Microsoft's Copilot AI sits in a side-bar in Windows 11, though it's a fairly slim panel - but you'll be able to make it a lot bigger in the future, should you wish.

According to Windows Latest, the ability to expand Copilot's panel is being tried out in preview versions of Windows 11 right now.

You might want a bigger area to interact with the AI if you're going to engage in a deeper, lengthier, session of queries, and if that's the case, the new ability simply allows you to drag out the panel to the kind of size you'd prefer.