Software

Oppo has rolled out a Samsung Galaxy AI-like photo editing tool called AI Eraser for its affordable Reno 11 series smartphones. Some of the features that it offers are similar to what you get with third-party apps such as Adobe Photoshop. However, with the new update, you get the convenience of editing images with features packed right into the phones.

ZTE has unveiled the latest addition to its high-end Axon series of smartphones as the line's inaugural satellite communications-enabled handset. The 60 Ultra also packs the cutting-edge 5G-A standard, dual rear 50MP cameras and 120Hz OLED into a considerably updated chassis - which makes it all the more of a shame that it will not be offered to consumers, not even in China.

Eclipse's Theia web-based platform and Theia IDE have been updated to version 1.48. A total of 53 enhancements have been made to the cloud platform and IDE, including support for floating second windows in the code editor.

The beta version of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS has been released a week late and is now available for download. The final version of Canonical's Linux distribution is scheduled for release on 25 April 2024.

Garmin has released its second software update for its latest smartwatch. Arriving on its Beta Program, the update brings the smartwatch onto par with many other recent models through support for the Garmin Messenger app and improvements to heart rate data gathering, among other changes.

For the second month in a row, Linux on the desktop has reached a market adoption rate of over 4%, according to Statcounter.com. Will 2024 be the much-touted "year of the Linux desktop"?

Future versions of Firefox may include a new feature that translates selected text in other languages. This feature recently appeared in Firefox Nightly 126.

A current generation Garmin smartwatch is eligible for a new update. Rolling out now, the software update features numerous changes like a new Jet Lag Adviser glance, plus various heart rate data refinements.

Garmin has revealed a new update for one of its older high-end smartwatches. The new update arrives as Beta Version 19.09, the first 19.xx build of any kind for the device. Accordingly, the new software contains multiple changes from v18.22, including but not limited to adding support for the Garmin Messenger app.

Sony asserts that its next flagship camera for dedicated pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) recording will leap to the forefront of professional subject-tracking on its launch. The BRC-AM7 is touted to be the world's lightest and smallest device of its form-factor on its launch, yet pack the picture quality and format support to match some of the OEM's other flagship video cameras.

Kuura touts its first-gen Ring as "The Future of Fitness" thanks to its ability to deliver advanced health-tracking features while helping the user enhance their work-outs over time. The Ring is slated to debut via a crowdfunding page later in April 2024, whereupon it will be offered to early adopters for under $100.

The Meta build 64.0 is rolling out to Quest headsets in phases. While the release brings new features to the Quest 2 and Quest Pro, it focuses on improvements for the Quest 3. These include higher resolution and image quality for Passthrough and support to Use Apps While Lying Down.

Asus recently settled a lawsuit in the UK over its unfulfilled promises of a bootloader unlock tool for its Zenfone line-up. Asus promised the Zenfone bootloader unlock tool way back in early 2022 and still hasn't delivered.

SwitchBot has announced that "almost all" of its smart and automatic home devices are now eligible for the OEM's conversion to support Google's universal connection system Matter. That includes its latest K10+ mini smart vacuum, which might now be able to respond to user controls in a more streamlined, direct manner.

Google has brought various changes to the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 with its latest round of updates. Rolling out as TWD9.240405.001, the update adds a new feature called 'Vibration Watch', among other refinements.

EndeavourOS, a Linux distribution based on Arch Linux, has announced that it will discontinue development of its version for ARM processors. Maintainers are more urgently needed for the x86_64 edition of EndeavourOS.

AI Playlist is a new Spotify feature that allows the users to create new playlists by using prompts like "a heavy metal playlist for riding my bike" or "relaxing music to enjoy while fishing" and has limited availability. For now, it can only be used in the UK and Australia, on Android and iOS devices.

Shortly after the creation of the Microsoft AI organization that would focus on consumer AI products and research, the Redmond-based tech giant is opening a new AI hub. The location chosen is London, and the goal of the team that will work here is to drive the company's AI efforts while collaborating with other Microsoft AI teams and partners, such as OpenAI.

The JavaScript and TypeScript toolkit Bun has been released in version 1.1 with a number of improvements. These include support for Windows 10 and higher, as well as optimised performance.

The upcoming Ubuntu 24.04 LTS will include an updated version of the Power Profiles Daemon. Laptop users in particular, especially those with the latest Intel or AMD components, should benefit from the power management improvements.

Disney is planning to put an end to password sharing on its Disney+ streaming service. Disney CEO Bob Iger has now revealed details in an interview.

President of Xbox since late October 2023, Sarah Bond has recently set up a special team that will handle future-proofing the digital Xbox game libraries. The task of this team will not end anytime soon, as they will continue to ensure that old titles will remain compatible with future Xbox hardware as well.

Google appears to be getting ready to introduce a new feature for its Phone app on Android. Called "Lookup," the new option has made its appearance on the beta version 127.0.620688474. But it's not a replacement for Truecaller, as the feature works differently.

Its 30th anniversary less than three years ahead, OpenBSD remains in active development and is considered the most secure operating system based on the now defunct Berkeley Software Distribution. Version 7.5 sports various kernel improvements, updated graphics drivers, VMM/VMD improvements, security enhancements, and much more.

Garmin has announced a new update for a slew of current flagship smartwatches. Rolling out on the company's Beta Program as Beta Version 17.12, the new update focuses on resolving bug fixes that were present in the older Beta Version 17.10, which contained dozens of bug fixes and new features itself.

Apple has updated the App Store guidelines, which introduces a good number of changes. One of them is adding retro game emulators to the list of permitted software. These changes to the policies comply with the anti-steering mandate imposed by the European Commission and respond to the antitrust lawsuit filed by the US.

The Tesla Cybertruck's cracks are starting to show as more people get their hands on the unique electric pickup truck. Owners seem to be having issues with everything from dead and faulty low- and high-voltage batteries to steering and climate control systems.

The start-up company Cognition has unveiled the "first AI software developer" called Devin. Devin is said to be able to create and deploy an entire programme based on prompts.

One UI 6.1 for the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the first ever software update to confer Samsung's latest AI features on its former flagship smartphone. However, the firmware version is also now firmly linked to complaints of various bugs and issues that may have arisen on the device. The OEM now admits that one of them is a thing, but shifts the blame for it to another party.

With the update to version 2024.1, the IntelliJ IDEA development environment gets practical new features such as code completion for whole lines and a new terminal. In addition, JetBrains' Java and Kotlin IDE now supports the latest Java version 22.

Intel has launched the 1.3 version of XeSS. The latest update for the upscaling technology aims to offer noticeable performance improvements over the predecessor. This version also comes with a new AI model, which is claimed to come with optimizations achieved through additional training.

With subscription plans that start at $6.99 per month for basic access and only $7.99 for the premium offering, KOCOWA+ is now finally reaching Europe and Oceania. The company's CEO says this is the first streaming service that provides exclusively Korean content to reach Europe and Oceania.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro recently received beta support for outputting to external monitors. Now, a reliable source has shown what Google's improved desktop mode actually looks like and how it compares to Samsung DeX.

Released in mid-June 2018 for Android devices, Google Podcasts made it to iOS two years later. Since it was also available on the web, it was also accessible to macOS, Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux users. Sadly, it was killed yesterday, and podcasts were added to YouTube Music.

Opera, one of the popular web browsers, has announced the ability to download and use local LLMs (large language models). This new feature is currently rolling out to the developer stream of Opera One. So, users running the developer version can now select and use more than 150 models from over 50 families.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 (FSR 3) frame generation is slowly making its way to console games. Having debuted on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for consoles, the technology will soon be ported to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of Immortals of Aveum through a free update.

An idea that surfaced on Mozilla Connect > Ideas more than two years ago has finally became an actual feature in Firefox Nightly. Still in the "very rough proof-of-concept" stage, vertical tabs are now one step closer to becoming available for all Mozilla Firefox users. However, it is also possible that this won't happen anytime soon.

Peerless-AV touts its latest Neptune-series TV as the ideal screen to install in one's patio, lobby or restaurant. The Full Sun Outdoor Smart TV is rated to withstand extreme temperatures and withstand dust, rain or even snow to stay bright and clear all year round. It is powered by LG's UI for TVs and comes with a free "commercial-grade" wall mount.

Apple has released the first taste of iOS 17.5. Distributed as iOS 17.5 Beta 1, the update contains several changes from iOS 17.4 builds, including the option of installing apps from developer websites.

Lepro claims that its new RGB lighting effect aren't just smart - they're AI-generated, too. Their "first-of-its-kind" LightGPM technology is touted as capable of learning to adjust and adapt in response to a user's voice or even their facial expression to create the most "precise" mood lighting around. The new LED Wall Lights, Neon Rope Lights and LED Strip Lights are also rated to sync with other devices for seamless, intuitive control and smart home integration.

According to new reports, Apple is expected to end software support for certain iPads and Apple Watches later this year with the release of iPadOS 18 and watchOS 11. By contrast, there should be some good news for those who continue to use older iPhones.

Released by eHelp Corporation as RoboDemo more than two decades ago, today's Adobe Captivate was also a Macromedia product between 2004 and 2006. In 2022, Adobe Captivate switched to a subscription-only model. Now, version 12.3 arrives with new features in the export/import area, image editing, accesibility enchancements, and more.

Garmin has begun rolling out a new feature to many of its current-generation smartwatches. Distributed through Garmin Connect rather than a firmware update, the new feature is related to tracking energy and recovery levels.

In development since 2019, NetBSD 10.0 is now finally available for download. The list of highlights includes support for WireGuard, Apple hardware and Raspberry Pi boards, SMP tweaks, as well as multiple tweaks and fixes. Some early tests revealed a performance increase of roughly 12% over NetBSD 9.0.

Xiaomi has revealed the latest details on its HyperOS rollout plan. The company confirmed that seven popular phones from the Redmi Note series have already received the update in March 2024. For Q2 2024, the smartphone maker plans to drop the update on multiple phones that were released in 2021. The list also has a couple of affordable phones, the Pad 5, and Mi 10.

Realme has brought an Apple-style "Dynamic Button" experience to Android in 2024; now, the new feature is believed to trickle down to its affordable C series of smartphones. The C65 is also slated to launch with a rear camera hump not seen since the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, albeit with a more "radiant" appearance and without 5G.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is touted as Samsung's smartest, most advanced Android devices to date (and has the price-tag to match); however, it seems it can take up to "a third of a second" longer than one of its premium counterpart the Google Pixel 8 Pro to take a picture out of the box. This issue can result in blurry images with unwanted, inadvertent blockage of the subject - however, there are a few ways to reduce its effect.

WhatsApp has officially announced a new change for the Android app. While the old version of the messaging application had a navbar on the top, the new version redesigned it and put it on the bottom. This updated navbar is said to be "closer to your thumbs and easy on the eyes."

China Mobile has been revealed as the world's first carrier to release 5G-Advanced mobile data plans. The new connectivity standard, also known as 5G-A or 5.5G, is touted to increase top speeds by up to 300% compared to 5G. OPPO's current flagship Android smartphones are to be the world's first devices to access the new services.

Microsoft is significantly expanding options for the playablity of titles via Xbox Cloud Gaming. The range of titles is rather limited, but also includes strong titles.