Software

After spending some time in the preview build, Windows 11 Start menu ads are now rolling out to all users of Microsoft's operating system. The “recommendations” can be disabled, but the “switch to Linux” comments are coming in hard and fast on social media.

ProtonDB is the Linux gaming community's attempt at trying to fix Steam's lack of compatibility documentation surrounding Windows games on Linux. It is a fantastic tool for Linux gamers, but unfortunately, it only adds to the chaos, thanks to how games are labelled.

ASUS has announced a new set of updates for the ROG Ally. Arriving later today, the updates include provide AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) support, among other changes, which should deliver improved frame rates across the board for the popular gaming handheld.

Garmin has rolled out another update for one of its cheaper modern smartwatches. Arriving hot on the heels of Software Version 9.27, Beta 10.12 adds Garmin's latest Messenger app while building on the older Beta 10.08 build that arrived almost a month ago.

Garmin has shipped a new update for the Fenix 7 series and its peers, the third so far on its 17.xx public beta cycle. Available to download now, Beta Version 17.14 features over a dozen improvements from the build that Garmin distributed earlier this month.

Noble ROM 4.1, developed by AlexisXDA, will be released for the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9 series next month. The custom ROM was shown off with some working Galaxy AI features, including Google Circle to Search, Live Translate, and Generative Edit.

Fedora 40 and the various spins of this Linux distribution are officially available and can be downloaded from the Fedora Project website. The main new feature is an update to the GNOME 46 desktop; the KDE spin also switches to KDE Plasma 6.

LG asserts that the display panel of the future will be able to act more like two monitors in one, as it will be able to support 2 different resolutions, each of which will have its own refresh rate. Mass production for the first-ever OLED panel to feature this breakthrough has now been announced, so that more OEMs might be able to take its potentially image- and versatility-enhancing technologies up in their next-gen line-ups.

Facebook's parent company has launched Meta Horizon OS for third-party VR headsets, the same operating system that powers Meta Quest. Two of the very first companies that have jumped on board are Asus and Lenovo, with Microsoft working with the company to bring a "limited-edition" VR headset that's "inspired by Xbox."

LittleOne.Care has launched the Elora baby wellness monitor, an artificial intelligence-powered wearable to monitor a baby’s air quality, daily activities, words heard, sleep patterns, and more. Critically, the Elora can alert parents to emergencies such as falls or unusual screams.

Garmin has shipped a new stable update for one of its most recent smartwatch series. Rolling out now to the Venu 3 and Venu 3S, the update was previously available to beta testers with alleged improvements to Garmin's Connect IQ service.

Garmin has delivered a new stable update to one of its older Forerunner smartwatches. While the update does not introduce any new features, it should resolve outstanding issues associated with Garmin's Connect IQ service.

Garmin has rolled out a new stable update for its flagship Forerunner smartwatch. Available to download now, the update contains significantly fewer changes than a recent beta update that Garmin delivered for the same device.

The U.S. Senate is set to pass a TikTok ban stuffed into an Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine support package that includes the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which itself passed the House Wednesday. The act includes a fine on TikTok of $5,000 per user located in the United States to force ByteDance to divest TikTok or leave the U.S. market. The Senate can vote on the package as early as Tuesday.

CheckMag AMD Link ended support in January and Nvidia GameStream is being actively removed from Shield devices in favour of Geforce Now. Fortunately, a number of other open and closed source solutions offer flexible and arguably better experiences. Here are the best solutions for streaming games to a range of devices in your house and on the move.

The XAV-AX3700 is a relatively compact, wallet-friendly addition to Sony's line of in-car AV receivers. Nevertheless, it integrates features such as FLAC, LDAC and Apple CarPlay support, not to mention the ability to hook rear-facing parking cameras to its matte display, which is found above large physical buttons to control its more customizable interface.

QIDI asserts that it can bring all the advantages of augmented reality (AR) to the user's outdoor adventures with its upcoming product. The VIDA glasses are touted to pack all the tech necessary to make cycling futuristic, a heads-up display for info on performance, speed and heart-rate via in-built sensors included. They are also projected to replace the equipment necessary to keep teams together safely.

System76's COSMIC desktop, designed to run on the Pop!_OS Linux distribution now plays better with Nvidia GPUs, has fully fledged theming capabilities, and as well as a number of exciting third party contributions.

Garmin has published a new update for its latest mid-range smartphone, the second it has released so far after Software Version 9.24. Arriving as Software Version 9.26, the update makes far fewer changes than Beta Version 19.09 that Garmin recently delivered for the same device.

One of Garmin's popular smartwatches is eligible for another stable software update. Arriving in the wake of Beta Version 19.09, the new update actually sees a return to 18.xx builds for the wearable.

Xiaomi has revealed that HyperOS upgrades are now available across its Redmi Note 13 5G series. HyperOS 1 also brings Android 14 to the Redmi Note 13 5G, Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G and Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G, which has been missing since their initial launch.

Nothing has dropped the Nothing OS 2.5.5 update for the Nothing Phone 2. With this, the smartphone has received a handful of bug fixes, new additions to the camera app, and ChatGPT integration.

Provenance, another multi-system emulator built for iOS, is supposedly coming to the official App Store soon. It follows on the heels of the Delta emulator, which has already topped the App Store's Entertainment category.

Logitech has launched the Signature AI Edition M750 wireless mouse and Logi AI Prompt Builder software. Dedicated buttons on the M750 mouse launches the Logi AI Prompt Builder or ChatGPT with one press. The Logi AI Prompt Builder supports a wide range of Logitech mice and keyboards, allowing users to quickly build AI prompts and receive answers.

Delta, the multi-system console emulator developer by Riley Testut, is now available on the official iOS App Store. The emulator was previously available only through Testut's AltStore service, which would use some iOS trickery to sideload apps onto an iPhone or iPad. Delta is not available in the European App Store; European iPhone users will have to use the AltStore PAL third-party app store.

The display green line issue is back to haunt Samsung Galaxy phones again. This time, users are reporting that the problem is appearing after or during the April One UI update. While it's hard to say what's causing the issue, it could be due to a defect on the OLED panel that's getting worse for the phone heating up during the update.

Available since yesterday, the Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver 552.22 comes with optimizations for the most wishlisted game on Steam, namely Manor Lords, as well as zero-day optimizations targeting No Rest for the Wicked. These two titles are not yet released, but if everything goes well, they will be live by the end of the month.

Garmin has expanded a recent mapping feature for many of its flagship smartwatches. Previously limited to the US, the paid feature can now be used across Europe, as well as 'all 50 U.S. states and Canada'.

Right after Apple removed the Game Boy Advance emulator iGBA, the NES gaming emulator named Bimmy disappeared from the App Store. However, unlike the case with iGBA, it's the developer who took it down, and it was removed "out of fear."

Garmin has pushed a new update to a few of its modern smartwatches. Strangely, the firmware contains a lower build number than the one that arrived last month. Nonetheless, Garmin claims to have included various Connect IQ bug fixes and improvements for eligible models.

The "pylyzer" analysis tool tests Python scripts for errors and is said to be very performant thanks to its programming in Rust. The open source project's development team also provides a Visual Studio Code extension.

The KDE Plasma 6 development team has released the April bugfix release in the form of version 6.0.4. Amongst other things, it is now easier to use URLs via drag & drop, and bugs in the system monitor and battery applet have been fixed.

Adobe has integrated Firefly Video AI model into Adobe Premiere along with third-party AI models to enable editors to add AI-generated content to films. Such content includes videos of scenes and actors completely generated by AI, and object addition and removal from films. Information regarding the use of AI is also embedded in such content, sparking privacy concerns.

Xiaomi HyperOS beta update has recently landed on Mi 10 series devices in China. Now, the company has rolled it out for the successors of that series. That includes the Mi 11, Mi 11 Pro, and Mi 11 Ultra, all of which were 2021 flagships.

Garmin has brought another set of bug fixes to popular recent flagship smartawtches. Rolling out as Beta Version 26.95 on its Beta Program, the new update resolves a few outstanding issues ahead of an impending new stable update.

Sony asserts that customers love the Deep Black Non-Glare Coating on the new Pro BRAVIA BZ53L, rated to confer enhanced visibility with minimal reflections on the new enterprise-grade display. It is rated for a 120Hz refresh rate as well as a 4K resolution with XR TRILUMINOS Pro technology and Full Array Local Dimming for a color-accurate image.

The fight against blocking ads on the Google-owned online video sharing and social media platform YouTube continues as third-party apps that go against its terms of service are now in the tech giant's crosshairs. There are no names mentioned in Google's announcements, but we should hear them soon enough.

The latest additions to ELEGOO's Saturn series have launched with cutting-edge features such as the Tilt Release Technology that might reduce print time and damage to the resulting model in the new top-end 4 Ultra. It also boasts a light source touted to yield smoother results and an AI-powered print-monitoring system.

CheckMag Not to miss the cash train, many original manufacturers have released “mini” consoles, including Sega, Nintendo, Commodore and Atari. However, of all the retro consoles, the latest Atari Gamestation Pro is a short lived nostalgia trip at best and e-waste destined for landfill at worst.

Xiaomi HyperOS, first introduced with the Xiaomi 14 series in October last year, is reaching more and more previously released phones. The latest rollout is for the Mi 10 series, which has many smartphones launched in 2020. Worth noting that it's not the stable version of the custom Android skin. Instead, the update is an internal testing or beta version of the firmware.

Samsung has now confirmed that a new batch of older smartphones and tablets will soon be offered One UI 6.1 upgrades. Not only has the company revealed which models are eligible, but it has also outlined a rough release schedule.

Just a week ago, Apple updated App Review guidelines, which opened the doors for retro game emulators to be officially listed. A Game Boy emulator named iGBA became the first to take advantage of this, but its time on the Apple App Store was short-lived. It got removed for spam and copyright violations.

The Garmin System Software 15.08 is rolling out to several smartwatches. Previously seen as a beta update, the release brings a wide range of bug fixes to the wearables, tackling issues with workouts and battery estimates. Plus, the latest update brings new GPS firmware to some models.

The AI assistant "aider" is using ChatGPT 3.5 or 4 and can incorporate entire Git repositories into AI-based development. The open source tool is used in the terminal and should be able to perform commits independently with automatically generated descriptions.

A simple spelling error in the source code of the Telegram Messenger Windows application let attackers bypass a security warning. This enabled the automatic execution of Python scripts after clicking on a link disguised as a video.

Microsoft's Visual Studio Code source code editor has been updated to version 1.88, adding new features such as scrolling synchronisation between windows and separate labels for opened editors.

Users running the latest Microsoft Windows 11 Insider build are reporting that the operating system now opens Copilot, the company's AI assistant, automatically at launch. This auto-launch feature was first tested weeks ago with Preview Build 23615, and now, it has resurfaced again on Build 26100 of both Canary and Dev channels.

Google has kicked off its spring and summer public beta testing period for Android 15. For now, Android 15 Beta 1 remains exclusive to Pixel devices, starting with the Pixel 6a. The first beta packs various changes from current Android 14 builds and is also to open the Pixel Fold, as well as the Pixel Tablet.

As other providers have already done in recent months, Electronic Arts is now also increasing the prices of its EA Play subscription model from May 10. The costs for the online service will increase by 60% in some cases. But there is a worthwhile alternative.

OnePlus has announced that it has partnered with Google to augment the AI power of its smartphones over time. They are now eligible to integrate the Mountain View giant's most powerful large language models (LLMs) to date, which might enable features such as Gemini-powered search and content-processing on devices such as the OnePlus 12 soon.