Software & Apps - Page 63

Android might be installed on over 1 billion devices, but that doesn't mean Google isn't working on other operating systems - like the new, mysterious OS called "Fuchsia".

Fuchsia, according to Google's own description simply means "Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System). There's nothing more than that, but Android Police reports that the Magenta kernel is based on the 'LittleKernel' project, and just like Linux and Android, the Magenta kernel is what powers the larger Fuchsia operating system.

Android Police says that Magenta is "being designed as a competitor to commercial embedded OSes, such as FreeRTOS or ThreadX." Magenta is designed to scale better, which will see it work on embedded devices, smartphones, and even desktop PCs. In order for this to happen, Magenta improves on the foundations of LittleKernel by adding first class user-mode support, as well as a capability-based security model.

Mozilla is experimenting with integrating the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine into its Firefox browser. What this means is anytime you hit a dead page, the browser will automatically detect it and offer up a link to an archived version. At least, in theory: the feature (dubbed "No More 404s") is in the early stages and doesn't always detect pages and sometimes there is no archived version available.

If you want to try out No More 404s, install the Firefox Test Pilot add-on and find the new feature through that. Alternately, you can try out an add-on like Resurrect Pages.

Firefox recently hit version 48.0, which introduced revolutionary multiprocess design (so freezing isn't really an issue anymore) and a much-improved awesome bar.

After extensive planning and development, multi-process Firefox (aka Electrolysis or e10s) is here with Firefox 48. The jist of it is this: web content and browser interface processes are now separate, so if a page is hogging resources, your tabs, buttons, and menus will no longer lock up.

E10s is rolling out slowly; to check if it's enabled for you, type about:support into the address bar and check the line that says 'Multiprocess Windows.' If it says '1/1 (Enabled by default', you're good to go.

The awesome bar also gets significantly more useful with the 48 release: many more suggestions, each showing more information now show up when you begin to type in the bar.

After many months of waiting, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update is finally here. Well, for some: the update is a slow rollout as you'd expect, so if you don't see it in Windows Update yet, you will soon.

There are tons of new features and improvements included, among them mirrored Android notifications and texts, Windows Hello third-party support (so you can login into a lot more apps and sites with your fingerprint or face), an Ink-compatible sticky notes app said to feel like the real thing, Windows Defender scheduling and notifications, a performance-enhanced Edge browser with extensions, Xbox Play Anywhere, and lots more.

The update will his PCs first, with Windows Phone and Xbox One afterward. In the case of the Xbox One, it will be called the Summer Update, and will see Cortana return, and Windows Store integration and sharing, among other changes.

Today is your absolute last chance to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge. Starting tomorrow, you'll have to shell out $119 for a copy.

The occasion marks not just the end of an offer, but also the end of Microsoft nagging you to upgrade, and the imminent launch of the Windows 10 Anniversary update (set for Tuesday, August 2).

Windows 10 has received a lot of criticism over Microsoft aggressive tactics surrounding the upgrade process as well as the Windows Store. Conversely, it's garnered a lot of praise for being more desktop friendly than Windows 8, as well as its performance benefits (particularly in games), among other perks.

Microsoft has claimed that its Edge browser is the only one out of the four big browsers on the market that can handle 1080p playback of Netflix content, and according to PCWorld, the claims are true.

The three other browsers - Chrome, Firefox, and Opera - are all capped at 720p. Using the "secret Netflix menus" (press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D) will display the resolution and bitrate of the Netflix content on your PC, and Microsoft is right - the others are capped at 720p while Edge ramps up to 1080p. The Windows 10 Netflix app renders Netflix at 1080p as well.

Considering that the PC is one of the most powerful platforms in the world, it's a strange thing to see that the PC doesn't support 1080p playback of Netflix, let alone 4K playback. Le sigh.

NVIDIA has just released its new GeForce 368.81 WHQL drivers, which are Game Ready for a bunch of new VR titles that NVIDIA has just released - including VR Funhouse. You can download the new GeForce 368.81 WHQL drivers here.

There's also support for Everest VR, Obduction (from the makers of Myst), Raw Data, and The Assembly. As for the changelog on NVIDIA's new GeForce 368.81 WHQL drivers, here's what you'll need to know:

Game Ready

Google has finally updated Hangouts for Android, bringing its own Android version of Hangouts up to the same level of Hangouts for iOS - you know, Google's main competitor's mobile operating system.

Hangouts for iOS has supported video messaging since its February 2014 update, and now Hangouts for Android will allow users to record or upload up to 60 seconds of footage to their friends and family through Hangouts. Hangouts for Android supports 1080p videos, while Hangouts for iOS is limited to 360p.

While Android users win with 1080p video support, the iOS version of Hangouts supports up to two minutes of video, up from the one minute allowed on Hangouts for Android. Google has also ditched the SMS/Hangouts merged conversations, with Google explaining that low usage and confusion being the main driver behind dropping the merged SMS/conversations.

Apple has unleashed the second developer beta of iOS 10, which includes a slew of tweaks and improvements to Apple's mobile operating system.

MacRumors has put together an informative video that highlights a bunch of the new features and improvements in iOS 10 beta 2, which includes the new Messages app, sticker packs from Apple, changes to the Control Center 3D Touch actions, Apple's new organ donor signup, and more.

Apple will officially launch iOS 10 in September, so begin preparing your iPhones and iPads now. Personally, I've been using an iPhone 6S for over a month now and iOS severely lags behind Android, so I'm hoping there's some big improvements in iOS 10.

True to its word last week, Microsoft has altered the Windows 10 upgrade notification for Windows 7 and 8 users to be more clear and actually stop nagging you when you tell it to (at least it appears that way). However, as part of the alterations, the notification now goes fullscreen.

Your options upon seeing the message include upgrading, delaying the notification for another three days, setting the notification to go off three more times, or permanently dismissing the notification.

Microsoft notes the notification will not appear if any of these things are true:

It's always an interesting time when the Steam survey rolls around, with Valve using its extensive network of gamers to provide it with data to display how many gamers are using NVIDIA or AMD video cards, or what operating system the majority of gamers are using.

Windows 10 is now the most used operating system on Steam, where 40.53% of gamers are using Windows 10 with a DX12-capable GPU. Another 29% of gamers are using a DX12-capable GPU but with a version of Windows that's before Windows 10, such as Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 - or even Vista.

It's an interesting statistic to see, as Windows 10 seems to be quite popular with nearly half of the gamers on Steam using Microsoft's latest DX12-powered operating system.

NVIDIA users can test drive a new version of GeForce Experience today, which brings a brand new interface, ShadowPlay improvements, and more.

The new look takes inspiration from digital distribution platforms like Netflix and Origin and is said to be much faster. It also features gaming tech news from NVIDIA itself.

As for ShadowPlay, features new and old include 60FPS and 4K recording, fullscreen and windowed mode recording, YouTube uploading, livestreaming support, and game joining via Chrome.

To say Microsoft has been aggressive with encouraging users to upgrade to Windows 10 would be an understatement. Finally though, it says it will tweak the prompts to be more straightforward. By the sounds and looks of it, declining the offer will actually decline the offer now, instead of scheduling it without you knowing.

"Since we introduced a new upgrade experience for Windows 10, we've received feedback that some of our valued customers found it confusing," says Windows chief Terry Myerson. "We've been working hard to incorporate their feedback and this week, we'll roll out a new upgrade experience with clear options to upgrade now, schedule a time, or decline the free offer."

The cynic in me says this is Microsoft's calculated attempt at buying back some of the goodwill it's lost in recent months over this issue just before they were about to stop the prompts anyway, but hopefully it's a genuine move. In any case, be sure to keep an eye out this week for the change.

If you've ever experienced issues with the Start menu in Windows 10 (won't open, tiles disappearing, etc.), Microsoft has a cure for what ails you. The newly released Start menu troubleshooter will automagically check for and repair any issues it finds.

To download it, click here for the direct link or here for the indirect link if you're the cautious type. And if you're having trouble with the Store or your printer, official troubleshooters exist for that too and can be found with a simple search on the Microsoft support website.

If you're a Windows Insider, starting with yesterday's Build 14371 you can link your Windows 10 license with your Microsoft account (MSA). The feature is already activated if you use your MSA to login to Windows 10. If you don't, simply do so and you should be on your way.

The change solves two issues: needing to keep your license key stored somewhere and being unable to activate Windows if you've lost your key. It also pushes the operating system even further into the digital realm for the better.

The bad news is licenses are still limited (how much exactly we don't know yet), but it's an understandable necessity given how easy it would be to share a license infinitely with your login details.

The latest version of GPU-Z is here, with v0.8.9 including support for AMD's upcoming Polaris-based video cards. It also supports the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, as well as support for reading the values on your overclocked GTX 1070/1080s.

Here's the full skinny on GPU-Z v0.8.9:

Amazon is planning to launch a standalone music streaming subscription service late this summer or early autumn, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The service will cost $9.99 per month and will offer a competitive catalogue.

The online shopping giant already offers a limited streaming music service to its Prime customers, and recently offered a monthly fee Prime option, so a full catalogue standalone service based on the subscription model would be a natural leap. With the success of Spotify and Apple Music (which collectively serve about 43 million subscribers and many more non-subscribers), it makes even more sense.

Although Amazon would enter the game a bit late, it has the clout and financial power to significantly alleviate that disadvantage.

The latest nightly build for popular catch-all media player VLC bakes in Chromecast support. A long anticipated feature, it enables users to view virtually any kind of video content, live or recorded, on their TV. While such functionality has been possible through other avenues, none are as convenient as what VLC offers.

Head here for the latest nightly builds. The Chromecast-enabled version (3.0) may not be ready until later tonight (June 10/11), so keep checking back if necessary. Or if you're not the early release type, take this as news that public Chromecast support is not far away.

Tinder has been available to 13 year-olds and up since the app launched four years ago, offering minors the opportunity to date and/or hook up with other minors. That's going to change next week though when it goes 18+ only.

"On a platform that has facilitated over 11 billion connections, we have the responsibility of constantly assessing our different user experiences," reads the company's statement. "Consistent with this responsibility, we have decided to discontinue service for under 18 users. We believe this is the best policy moving forward."

Tinder's underage users currently represent three percent of its userbase.

Facebook, Twitter, and Tinder, among other services have enabled GIF support in recent times, and now WhatsApp is joining the party too.

The changelog for the latest iOS 2.16.7.1 beta, as interpreted by @WABetaInfo, indicates GIF support is indeed on the way. Unfortunately direct importing of GIFs doesn't appear to be apart of the deal (at least not yet), but you can link to GIFs and they'll show up as intended. Other GIF-related features include GIF saving to your camera roll, autoplay, static image conversion, direct reply, encryption, and peek and pop actions.

Look out for the new goods when the beta hits. Or if you're not the beta type, sit tight and wait for the public release, which shouldn't take long.