Software & Apps - Page 64

Firefox will soon see what Mozilla developer Asa Dotzler calls "the largest [change] we've ever shipped": the public release of Electrolysis (aka E10S).

A fundamental design change, E10S splits Firefox into two separate processes: one for interface, and one for content. The benefit for the user is if there are any stability issues (slowdowns due to resource hogging, freezing, crashing, etc.), you'll still be able to use your tabs, buttons, and menus as normal.

E10S has been in beta for a long while now and Dotzler says it's finally nearing public release; the current plan is to launch it publicly on August 2. Only one percent of users will receive it immediately, but assuming all goes well, it will then gradually roll out to the other half in the weeks that follow.

Microsoft has changed the hardware requirements of Windows 10 in light of the looming Anniversary Update. On the whole, these are for the better, allowing a wider range of devices to use the operating system.

Once the update is live, Windows 10 Mobile devices up to 9'' will be able to run it (versus the previous 7.99''), whereas the desktop version can be installed on devices with screens as small as 7'' (down from 8'').

RAM requirements are now up for 32-bit versions of the OS: 2GB versus the previous 1GB. As for storage, that's now at 16GB and 20GB for 32-bit and 64-bit devices, respectively.

Apple Music has been growing thanks in part to its $14.99/mo family plan, and Spotify has taken notice. As of today, the Swedish streaming service offers the same plan except it does Apple one better and supports up to six people instead of five.

At last count, Apple Music sat at 13 million subscribers (up two million over the previous count), while Spotify sat at 30 million.

If Apple's service continues to pick up Steam, both services should improve all the more for the competition, which is great news for users.

Google has yet another messaging client in the works. Called Allo, it effectively replaces traditional SMS texting with a Facebook-like interface and features while still using phone numbers as the contact method. So, you can benefit from read message notifications, typing notifications, emojis, stickers, group chats, and improved picture display among other things.

In addition to that, there are some cool Google-specific features such as Ink (handwriting and drawing as seen in MSN Messenger many moons ago), Whisper Shout (increase text size for a given message to 'shout' at people -- great for arguments!), and smart reply (quick reply options that learn from your chat history).

And then there's Google assistant, which lets you do things like check sports scores, book dinner, play games, search Google, use Maps, share YouTube videos, look at photos from your Gallery, and so on, all without leaving Allo. Voice interaction is supported here, too.

Google will be releasing Android N later this year, but during its ongoing Google I/O event, the company has begun peeling back the layers from Android 7.0 and teasing the world.

Android 7.0 focuses on the way users interact with the OS, with improvements to the already great user experience that'll be made through faster runtime and reduced storage space that gets sucked up by apps. Google is bringing the most optimized experience to Android 7.0, explaining: "We are redesigning how the features and the OS works to make the user experience better".

Google took to its Twitter account, tweeting: "The biggest changes in Android N are around performance, security and productivity". Android 7.0 will include a new Direct Reply feature that will let you long press a notification, and then respond directly from the notification itself. Improved multi-tasking abilities will arrive with Android 7.0, with split-screen support and an iOS-like Picture-in-Picture mode.

Microsoft has at long last released what's effectively Windows 7 Service Pack 2 (SP2): a "convenience rollup" of updates that makes a fresh install or format of the beloved operating system much simpler than it has been. Until now, you'd have to install tons and tons of separate updates and reboot approximately a bajillion times in order to keep the OS current, but this update changes all that.

It's still not nearly as convenient as it could be: you can't download it through Windows Update for some ungodly reason and must download it manually instead, but not before installing the April 2015 servicing stack update for Windows 7. Also, you still need to install any updates that came out after April 2016.

On the bright side, non-security Windows 7 updates (and 8.1 updates) are now on a monthly schedule. Also, you can slipstream the rollup into Windows 7 install media to make the process easier.

Multiple users have reported the recent WhatsApp Android beta included an option to initiate a video call. Although it's said most users couldn't actually activate it and it was later removed in an update, its very presence indicates a release is likely not far off.

Signs have been pointing to video calling coming to the popular chat app since at least December thanks to leaks and translation requests for "Video Call."

Audio calling came to WhatsApp last year. As with that feature launch, it's probable that video calling will be available only to a small number of users at first. To increase your chances, sign up for the beta program.

Google is aiming to make texting much easier and more interactive with Gboard. Essentially, you hit a button inside a text conversation and can then search for things on the web and link them, all without leaving the conversation. Whether it's flight plans, restaurant locations, GIFs, emojis, or whatever else, you're covered.

Gboard actually works in any app, including email and YouTube, but the most popular application of it will likely be messaging.

Oddly, the new service is available for iPhone only, at least for now. We've put in an inquiry with Google regarding whether or not it will come to Android and will update this story should we hear back.

Instagram gets a makeover today, complete with a snazzy new icon and refreshed interface.

The new icon is inspired by the previous icon, while the design is intended to be simpler in an effort to put greater emphasis on photos and videos.

"The Instagram community has evolved over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos to so much more - a global community of interests sharing more than 80 million photos and videos every day," says Instagram. "Our updated look reflects how vibrant and diverse your storytelling has become."

Last week it was reported WhatsApp might be on its way to Windows. Turns out that's true, as a new Windows download on the official site proves.

Now for the bad news. The app isn't exactly an app, but a wrapper, meaning it simply mirrors the mobile version of WhatsApp -- which is required to use the Windows version -- rather than being a native UWP app as you'd hope. It's possible WhatsApp is working on a UWP version and this is merely to tide users over; it's also possible it's done this way for security reasons.

So while no native app is disappointing, it's better than nothing, no?

The Windows 10 free upgrade will expire July 29, and with it will go the 'Get Windows 10' nagware that's been so persistent for Windows 7 and 8 users these last months.

"Details are still being finalized, but on July 29th the Get Windows 10 app that facilitates the easy upgrade to Windows 10 will be disabled and eventually removed from PCs worldwide," said a Microsoft company spokesperson. "Just as it took time to ramp up and roll out the Get Windows 10 app, it will take time to ramp it down."

Battlefield 1's 64-player matchmaking is still intact, and it's even better than ever.

Today DICE revealed Battlefield 1, the World War I FPS that's built on a more brutal world-on-fire approach. As such, multiplayer will be even more chaotic and brutal, with tons of explosive vehicle combat including biplane dogfighting in the skies, different variations of tanks, zeppelins, battleships--just all-out war across the land, sea and air.

"Battlefield 1 is all about the old world meting the new world, we wanted to depict this. the old tactics meet the new with cataclysmic results," said Lars Gustavsson. "The battles will be intense, the physicality really brings the immersion to the battles, and allows players to turn beautiful pristine landscapes into devastated landscapes." DICE affirms that multiplayer includes some of the "largest ever vehicles we've ever built", and combat will be much more brutal and impact players in a significant way,

As of today, Apple is offering a discount to students who sign up for its streaming service Apple Music.

If you're enrolled in an eligible institution, you'll receive 50 percent off your subscription. In a somewhat unexpected twist, the offer is available outside the US for once: those in many other countries -- the U.K., Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, among others -- will be able to take advantage. Once you've done so, the offer is good for four not necessarily continuous years.

The offer is no doubt a bid to better compete with rival Spotify, which has done the same for awhile now. Last we checked, Spotify sat at 30 million subscribers with Apple Music at 11 million; news is in now that the latter has grown to 13 million, attributed in part to its $14.99/mo. family plan. Soon, a new interface is said to arrive, which should help matters further.

AMD has just pushed out its new Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.1 beta drivers, with support for Forza Motorsport 6: Apex - which looks so ridiculously good at 4K on the PC, by the way.

The new drivers fix the usual issues, with AMD adding that there's a nice 27% performance boost for the Radeon R9 Fury X. As for what to expect:

Grab the new Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.5.1 beta drivers right here.

Microsoft's recent KB3133977 update for Windows 7 means those with ASUS motherboards will no longer be able to boot into their operating system. Instead, they'll be greeted with a red screen of death that cites a "secure boot violation."

The source of the issue is KB3133977, which enables Secure Boot in UEFI and is evidently an issue in this specific configuration. While it's been confirmed for awhile now, the update was always optional, until Microsoft recently made it mandatory for an unknown reason.

Fortunately, ASUS has a relatively simple workaround that involves changing boot settings. Not everyone will be aware of it though (even more likely if they're still on Windows 7), so a significant number of people will be left in the lurch, or at least confused for an unnecessary amount of time.

Following mediocre reviews of Apple Music's first iteration and departures of executives intended to revitalize the company's music strategy (among other bad news), those familiar with the service have told Bloomberg a revamp is on the way.

It's said the interface will be made more intuitive to use, Apple's streaming and download businesses will be better integrated, and its online radio service will be expanded. The reveal will take place at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, at which point the marketing machine will go full throttle to get more customers on board.

Nine Inch Nails founder and tech geek Trent Reznor as well as content head Robert Kondrk are said to oversee the new design, with many other notable staff contributing.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has a new iOS and Android app designed to motivate you to get out of bed in the morning and make the day your...well, you know. Appropriately named "The Rock Clock", it lets you set a personal goal, choose when you want to get up, and then wake up to a message from The Rock himself.

Other features include video messages from The Rock, 25 custom alarm tones, and "Rock Time", which syncs your alarm with The Rock so "you get up when he does" (probably not smart if you don't live in the Pacific Northwest). Amusingly, there's an intentional lack of snooze alarm because "The Rock is not a fan of that button."

Reviews are, perhaps surprisingly, quite strong with most sitting at four or five stars. Although some users note room for improvement, it appears to be a great foundation to start with.

It appears a WhatsApp client is coming to Mac OS X and Windows, according to information uncovered by software sleuths WABetaInfo. The information seems to come from a survey on WhatsApp's translation page and pretty clearly indicates a beta is on the way. Although the text is rough in parts, bits like "Download for Mac OS X", and "Download for Windows" make it difficult to imagine another scenario.

The chat software is used by a staggering 1 billion people and is already available on Windows mobile, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Symbian, so it would not be surprising in the least to see native Windows and Mac clients appear. Should it happen, expect sync functionality across different devices and operating systems.

The features Apple Music has had for months are now finally on Android thanks to a new update.

First is video playback, allowing you to watch most music videos and soon, a Vice documentary called "The Score", a new Dr. Dre series named Vital Signs, and an Apple series about app developers.

Then there's family plans: if you're willing to drop $14.99 per month over the standard $9.99, you can share with up to five other people.

Apple has a new API for its Music service which offers a variety of exciting features for developers, allowing them to do all kinds of things they couldn't before.

Among them:

In turn, this added functionality opens up possibilities like Facebook creating playlists for you based on songs your friends have posted; fitness apps could create playlists based on tempo, and social music apps could pop up left and right. In short, every developer can now integrate Apple Music into their own apps and software in a ton of different ways without having to worry about things like licensing, since that's handled by Apple.