Those who opt for the GPS + Cellular models of the Apple Watch gain the convenience of making and receiving calls even when their iPhone isn't around. It's worth paying for if you want the most "untethered" version of the Apple Watch available, and now you can save a bit of money on the Product Red version of the LTE Watch. The 44mm model is down to $429 — that's $100 off its normal price and the best we've seen it. The 40mm version is also $100 off, bringing it down to $399, although we have seen it $10 less than that in the past.
Aside from the red case and band color, the other caveat to this deal is that you'll have to wait to get your new gadget. Amazon currently estimates delivery for the 44mm model in about one month — not ideal, but a decent tradeoff for the $100 savings. If you opt for the 40mm model, your wait time will only be about two weeks.
Apple made small improvements to the overall experience of using the Apple Watch in the Series 6, while also adding some new sensors into the mix. It runs on an S6 processor that's 20 percent faster than the chipset in the Series 5, and the battery life has been slightly improved. Also, Apple sped up the charging time for the Series 6 — we got a 51-percent increase in battery life after only a half hour of charging.
The Series 6 adds a blood oxygen sensor to its array of internal trackers, which also includes an ECG sensor, a heart rate monitor, altimeter, compass and more. WatchOS 7 added new features as well including native sleep tracking (which is much easier to do now that the Watch's battery life and charge time have improved) and a hand-washing timer. While the less expensive Apple Watch SE is best for those new to wearables in general, the Series 6 is our pick for those that want the most comprehensive Apple Watch experience.
But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that September is slowly approaching, and that's when Apple tends to release the latest Apple Watches. Holding out until the fall is probably best for anyone who wants to ensure they're getting the latest and greatest from Apple.
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Opera has optimized its web browser for Chromebook, with the aim of giving users a full-featured alternative to Chrome. Opera for Chrome OS is based on the Android version of the browser. The company has made some laptop-focused tweaks, such as the addition of keyboard shortcuts.
The browser has a free, built-in VPN and ad and tracker blockers to bolster privacy. There are also baked-in messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Messenger. Opera can thwart those irritating cookie dialogs that pop up when you visit certain websites, too.
Opera
Additionally, there's a built-in cryptocurrency wallet and you can pick from one of five color themes (in both light and dark modes) to match your aesthetic. On top of that, the browser includes a night mode that reduces blue light to help you sleep better.
You can sync Opera for Chrome OS with versions of the browsers on other platforms — all you need to do is scan a QR code. You'll then be able to take notes, save images and small files and share links between your desktop and mobile versions of Opera.
Opera claims many people prefer to use separate browsers for different needs, one for work and another for leisure, for instance. So Chromebook users might welcome another option with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a modern browser. You can download Opera for Chrome OS now.
The iOS 15 public beta is live today, which means a larger swath of people can now check out the latest features coming to iPhones later this year. Despite being a beta, it’s surprisingly complete, with most of the coming changes already available. Some of the updates getting the most buzz are the new Focus modes and FaceTime sharing tools, but there are also changes across Messages, Maps, Weather, Safari, Photos and more to check out.
So far, the preview software seems largely stable. But as always with betas, think twice about how willing you are to risk bricking your phone in exchange for early access to new features. Regardless of whether that's you, we've put together a detailed preview of how iOS 15 will work when it launches in the fall.
FaceTime: SharePlay, screen sharing and spatial audio
Though it would have been a lot more helpful if Apple had launched this feature during the throes of the pandemic, FaceTime’s SharePlay feature will still be useful for many of us. Whether you want to watch an episode of Ted Lasso with your long-distance buddy or provide remote tech support to your relatives, SharePlay and screen sharing over FaceTime will make your life a little easier.
Screenshots of iOS 15 beta
Unfortunately, my colleague Mat Smith and I had to futz around for ages before we figured out how to SharePlay something. While screen sharing is more straightforward — just press a button at the bottom right of a new control panel at the top of FaceTime calls — SharePlay options only show up when you have a compatible media app open during a chat. Mat and I are seasoned tech journalists and we still spent some time looking for a SharePlay-specific button, which seems like the more intuitive way.
Once we figured it out, things went a little more smoothly. When you try to play an episode or video while on a FaceTime call, a window pops up asking if you want to use SharePlay. From there, you can choose to stream with your caller (or callers), play it only for yourself, or cancel.
As a reminder, depending on the app, both you and your friend will need subscriptions to watch stuff together on SharePlay. For Apple’s services like TV+ and Music, you’ll both need a subscription or trial. Other streaming apps like HBO Max, Hulu and Disney+ will be the ones that decide whether all parties need accounts to watch shows together on SharePlay, but it’s highly unlikely they allow it some other way.
On our attempts to stream episodes of Mythic Quest and Central Park on SharePlay, though, Mat and I kept getting a failure notice saying “Unable to SharePlay. This title isn’t available to SharePlay with people in different countries or regions.” It’s odd, since both those shows are available in both our regions. It’s also sad that you wouldn’t be allowed to watch it with someone abroad. Apple hasn’t said if this limit will be in place when iOS 15 launches, but if it is it’ll be disappointing for anyone that was looking forward to SharePlaying with their overseas partners, families and friends. We’ll update this article if Apple confirms this either way.
Screen sharing worked better. I was able to show Mat my dubious shopping list on Instagram though, as it does with other video chat apps, my camera automatically turned off whenever I shared my screen. When Mat streamed his display, his camera stayed on. We suspect this has something to do with the fact that he’s using a more capable iPhone 12 mini while I was on an aging iPhone XR that was burning up from my testing. This is a known issue with SharePlay that has been detailed in the iOS 15 developer beta release notes, so it may get fixed in time.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
Two other FaceTime features that are also live in this beta: links to join calls from non-Apple devices and spatial audio. The latter lets you hear each person in a call from the direction where they’re positioned on your FaceTime grid. Since it required multiple people running the beta to work, I couldn’t fully experience this. I got on a call with Mat and our former colleague Chris Velazco, and while Mat and I were able to hear each other from different directions, Chris wasn’t on the beta and did not notice the effect.
I also sent FaceTime web links to Chris, as well as Engadget staffers Nathan Ingraham and Valentina Palladino. The URL brought us to a page that prompted us to enter our names, and as the host I could choose to allow or block each would-be participant. Chris was able to join my call from a non-Apple laptop, while Valentina and Nate went through the browser on their Macs. Meanwhile, I was using an iPhone. Everyone looked and sounded great… to me.
Valentina and Nate couldn’t hear each other until they used the FaceTime app on their MacBooks. Chris also couldn’t hear other people on the call — all anyone heard was my beautiful voice. (As it should be.) But really, this appears to be an issue with how browsers handle audio input devices or a possible bug in the beta.
It’s not yet clear whether the region-specific SharePlay restrictions will also work this way in the stable release. But so far, barring some glitches, the updates to Apple’s video calling app appear meaty and potentially very useful.
Focus modes
I’ve spent too much time talking about FaceTime, so I’m going to try to succinctly describe the other iOS 15 features I’ve tested thus far. One of these felt incredibly relevant as I spent time finishing this article on deadline: Focus modes. Here, Apple allows you to customize profiles that will allow notifications from specific apps or people when enabled.
Screenshots from the iOS 15 beta
Three placeholders are available at the start: Work, Bedtime and Personal. On your first time trying to enable each, you’ll have to set up which contacts and apps to allow. You can also choose to enable your Focus Status so people who try to reach you will see that you’re away when they’re using a compatible app. Developers of messaging apps will have to use Apple’s API to enable this, so that your friends who hit you up on, say, Telegram or Facebook Messenger will see your status too.
For now, only Apple’s own Messages supports it and I was able to see below our conversation that Mat had silenced notifications. I sent a message anyway, and the app showed my text was “delivered quietly.” Just like you can on Slack, you can choose to “notify anyway” so your message breaks through the wall of silence. (I’m not an awful person so I didn’t, poor Mat had already put up with my relentless testing and FaceTiming all day.)
With each Focus mode, you can also pick a home screen showing just the apps you want. To do so, you’ll have to first create each page as an additional panel on your main screen, then select the relevant one when customizing your Focus mode. I created a barebones page with just four apps and designated it as my main Personal screen. I also made a different option for Work and was able to have apps appear on multiple pages — Instagram and Twitter could be placed on every page, for example. When each mode was enabled, I couldn’t see any other page; swiping sideways only showed the apps drawer and the Today view.
I haven’t spent enough time with the beta to know how useful these customized views will be, but I’m already in love with the ability to pick different notifications profiles. You can also set them to automatically activate based on the time of day, your location or app usage. Again, this is something I’ll need to use for more than a few days, but I appreciate the concept. Unfortunately, I haven’t encountered Notifications summaries in the beta yet.
Live text (aka Apple’s version of Google Lens)
Many other iOS 15 updates are similar to features that competitors already offer, and the most obvious of these is Live Text. This tool scans the photos on your device for words and turns them into text you can actually use, whether it’s copying and pasting a phone number to another app or translating foreign words on a menu. This is basically Apple's answer to Google Lens, which has been around for years.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
Similar to Lens, Apple’s version will show a small symbol at the bottom right of each image in the Photos app to indicate it’s found something. Tap that icon, and all the characters in that picture will be highlighted, and you can select the portions you need. I snapped a picture of my bottle of moisturizer and was able to copy all the words on the label and URLs also got identified as links I could click through. You can also use Live Text via the Camera app’s viewfinder without snapping a shot, by the way. When your phone detects words in the scene, the same icon will appear in the bottom right and you can hit it to pull up the snippets that Live Text noticed.
So far, this generally performed as expected, though it's worth noting that as its name suggests, Live Text only works on images that have a lot of words in them. But even a photo of my dinner, which included a container of yogurt with a brand name prominently displayed on it, didn’t trigger Live Text. Google’s Lens, meanwhile, will identify buildings, pets, furniture and clothes in pictures with nary a letter in them.
Maps, Photos and generally tighter integration
Elsewhere in iOS 15 you’ll find updates to Maps, Weather and Photos. In some cities, Apple’s maps look richer and more detailed than before, thanks to meticulous drawings of individual trees, lanes, traffic lights and more. I was able to explore a golf course in San Francisco, as well as the Conservatory of Flowers and Dutch Windmill in the Golden Gate Park in surprisingly detailed 2D and 3D views. I was disappointed when I zoomed super close to the Penguin Island in the San Francisco zoo and there were no cute little feathered friends. But I guess that’d be too much to ask.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
Memories in Photos has also been updated to give you greater control over who shows up in them and what music plays in the background. You can now edit your pictures’ descriptions to create richer alt text that stays with each image as you forward them to friends. I liked using this to identify people and places in a photo for contacts who are blind or have low vision. Even though I added keywords like “sunset” and people’s names to some pictures’ descriptions, searches for those words in my iPhone’s Spotlight didn’t return those images. It would be nice, but the descriptions aren’t currently being indexed for that.
But that’s another update in iOS 15: Spotlight searches for all things in your phone will now include your photos in results, too. It uses Apple’s own machine learning to detect things in your library though, and this is still sometimes inaccurate. I searched for “Cherlynn” and “Sunset” and was shown screenshots with my name in them and an image of a red-hot map of New York from the Weather app that Apple thought was a sunset. This isn’t perfect, but at least photos are better integrated into Spotlight now.
Another update that provides better integration across iOS is the consolidation of media that your friends send you. Apple calls this Share With You, and things from your recent interactions with each person will show up there — pictures that Mat sent me of his adorable baby niece, as well as the screenshots he shared from our FaceTime adventures, were all in his page in the Phone app.
Screenshots of the iOS 15 beta
There’s still a ton more to explore not only in the public beta but in iOS 15 when the final release is ready. The Weather app has new maps that appropriately show just how scorching hot it’s been in the New York area these last few days. And we still have to test more things like Safari mobile extensions and ID and keys support in Wallet. For now, this has been an intriguing taste of what to expect in the software update. Despite a few snags, it looks like iPhone users will have plenty to look forward to later this year.
There's plenty to look forward to in the upcoming iOS 15 update: SharePlay in FaceTime, new Focus modes, better Maps and Weather apps, as well as deeper integration across Messages, Photos and more. Though there's still some time to wait before the next OS officially rolls out, those eager to try early versions of these new features can check them out starting today. Apple has released the iOS 15 public beta and if you're curious enough to install potentially unstable software, you can run it today. Additionally, Apple also dropped the public betas for iPadOS 15 (which shares many of the same features as iOS 15) and watchOS 8. Make sure you back up your data before you begin!
iOS 15 will be compatible with iPhone 6S and later (including both generations of the iPhone SE), as well as the 7th-generation iPod Touch. Those hoping to test watchOS 8 will also need an Apple Watch Series 3, 4, 5 or 6 running the iOS 15 beta. If you have compatible hardware, all you have to do is sign up for Apple's beta program on its website here. You'll get a notification that it's ready to install (or you can keep looking at your "Software update" page in Settings). We've been using a developer beta build for a couple of days and, assuming it's largely similar to the public beta, the software seems fairly stable with occasional glitches in specific apps.
While your devices are enrolled in the beta program, you'll receive updates automatically when they're publicly available. If you've played around with the preview and decide you've had enough, you can revert to an older version by unenrolling. Once again, to ensure that your data is safe, make sure you perform a back up before getting the beta.
Judging from the first Windows 11 Insider Preview, Microsoft's next OS is shaping up to be much more than a mere Windows 10 update. The company is fundamentally shifting the way many aspects of Windows works, with a centered taskbar and redesigned Start menu, among other changes. But it's still Windows, so at its core it still works like it always has. There's the focus on productivity that Microsoft leaned into with Windows 10, along with subtler improvements that makes for a more pleasant user experience. At this point, Windows 11 feels like an OS that will please PC diehards and mainstream users alike.
At first glance, the Windows 11 Insider Preview, which started rolling out on Monday, doesn't look much different from the leaked build we covered a few weeks ago. The centered and icon-filled taskbar still looks distinctly Mac-like; the rounded window corners give off a slightly more polished vibe; and the redesigned Start menu is sure to be controversial. It features pinned app shortcuts up top, recommended files at the bottom, and a link in the top right to see the entire unfiltered Start Menu.
This Start menu is certainly different, but after testing out the leaked build for two weeks, I've grown to prefer the changes. I've never met anyone who used the Live Tiles in Windows 10's Start menu, and those were just a distilled remnant from Windows 8's horrific full-screen Start page. It's nice to be rid of that legacy, once and for all.
As I dug further into the preview build, I noticed small tweaks throughout that just felt, well, nice. Instead of combining notifications and system shortcuts into a single right-hand pane, they're now broken up across two screens. Hitting the clock in the Windows 11 taskbar brings up all of your notifications, along with a full calendar. The system shortcuts, meanwhile, are combined into a single screen that pop up when you press the Wi-Fi, sound or battery icons.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
From there, you can join other wireless networks, and turn Bluetooth on and off, along with airplane, battery saver or Focus assist modes. Sliders along the bottom also let you manage your volume and screen brightness. This isn't that different from Windows 10, but the overall look is a lot cleaner and easier to read. (Maybe I'm just sick of hitting the "More options" to expand Windows 10's shortcut settings.)
Microsoft is also clearly pushing a taskbar UI that only features icons in Windows 11. It's something the company started doing with Windows 7, but up until Windows 10 you always had the option to turn on labels for taskbar icons (at least, until they started piling up too much). While it tended to make Windows look a bit messy, I always liked being able to see what a window contained before I actually clicked on it. Windows 11 no longer has label options of any kind, and there's no indication that Microsoft wants to bring them back. They just don't fit into the neat aesthetic the company is aiming for now.
At first I figured losing labels would be a pain, but I've grown used to living with an icon-filled taskbar over the last few weeks. And I'd gladly lose labels in exchange for better multitasking features, like this new OS's revamped window snapping. Now you can hover your mouse pointer over any app's maximize button to see an array of areas to snap it to, like the top left or bottom right of your screen. It's much more accurate than dragging a screen to a specific spot and hoping Windows automatically snaps it into place.
Whenever you use the quick snap feature, Windows 11 also shows you all of the other apps you're running in the other portions of your screen. So if you shove Slack to the top right, you can have Edge take over the entire left side and put Spotify in the lower right within a few seconds. It may sound confusing, but in practice it's a smart way to make sense of all your open windows. Snapping at least two apps together also creates a snap group in the taskbar, allowing you to easily bring up their arrangement in the future.
And if you want to take things to another level, you can customize several virtual desktops from Windows 11's task view. You can reach that by hitting the Windows key plus Tab, or by enabling the Task View shortcut in the taskbar. That's useful for creating entirely different work modes — say, one desktop for managing email and Slack, and another for focusing purely on writing. Having different spaces could help you stay in your productive “flow”, a concept Microsoft has practically made its corporate philosophy now. (Drink every time someone says "flow" at the next Windows event.)
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
One major addition with this Windows 11 preview is the new File Explorer, which wasn't fully baked in the leaked build. Now, in addition to file and folder icons, there's also a simplified toolbar at the top of the screen. But while it's far sleeker than the Windows 10 explorer, which could get seriously cluttered if you had the Office-style Ribbon toolbar open, it's also a bit confusing. There are the usual cut, copy and paste commands, but it took me a while to figure out one of the other buttons lets you rename files. I suppose it's still easier to figure out than the Ribbon though, so I'll call it a win for Microsoft.
The new Windows 11 settings app is a clearer upgrade. Like before, it's where you'll go to tweak just about everything in your PC, but now it's organized neatly into two panes. Along the left, you can choose the section, like “Bluetooth & devices,” or “Network and internet.” Along the right, you can drill down into specific settings. And if you don't have a clear sense of what you're looking for, the search bar at the top left can point you in the right direction (this is also true for every search bar throughout the OS). It seems like a silly thing to get excited about, but the new settings app could make it far easier for less tech-savvy users to adjust their systems. I can't help but applaud that.
Among other notable additions, there's also a redesigned Microsoft Store app in Windows 11. It has a navigation bar along its left side, rather than section tabs from before. Again, this seems to be a deliberate step away from Microsoft's aging Metro design, which was all about top-level tabs. Widgets also make a return in this OS, something we haven't seen since Windows 7. Now they pop up on the left side of the screen when you hit the Widgets button in the taskbar. At this point, they're just simple square apps that can show you the weather, your calendar entries, or upcoming esports matches at a glance. There's room for Microsoft to make them more useful, but it's unclear how much the company plans to invest in widgets moving forward.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Some of the Windows 11 features I'm most excited to try aren't yet available in this preview. That includes the ability to run Android apps, built-in Microsoft Teams chat, and AutoHDR for older games. Similarly, I haven't been able to test some intriguing new features that actually have been included, like the ability to automatically change your refresh rate while inking or scrolling. That's only possible on high-refresh-rate monitors that you typically find on gaming screens. Unfortunately, then, my Surface Laptop 4 review unit won't cut it. Still, I can imagine it being useful. Normally, I just leave gaming notebooks at their highest refresh rate, which makes scrolling and any sort of screen movement look buttery smooth. But that's not the best idea if you're trying to conserve battery life.
Even though this is the first Windows 11 Insider preview, it's easy to understand Microsoft's vision for its next OS. It's all about delivering a polished, uncluttered experience to make you more productive. If you'd like to try it out yourself, I'd strongly recommend testing it on a secondary computer. There are still some bugs that require the occasional reboot (and Microsoft is still trying to sort out installation requirements). Sometimes the auto-snap features just disappear, for example, and the old File Explorer Ribbon interface reappears. Microsoft clearly has a lot of work left to do. But at the very least, Windows 11 appears to justify an entirely new version number.
How can Samsung make its smartwatches as successful as the Apple Watch? Returning to the Google fold — or at least collaborating on wearable software — is a start. Samsung has already helped develop the latest edition of Wear OS, apparently improving responsiveness and battery performance. Now we have a glimpse of a more unified software experience between your Samsung watch and phone, called One UI Watch. According to the company’s MWC showcase, you’ll be able to adjust settings across both devices, while the menus on the watch will also mimic what you’re already probably used to on Galaxy phones.
A few years ago, when Samsung developed its own mobile OS, Tizen, for both phones and wearables, it struggled to muster up third-party app support. With the new Wear OS inside, the One UI Watch will offer Google Play Store access, including apps from Adidas, Calm and MyFitnessPal, as well as core Google services, from Maps to Messages to YouTube Music. This will be crucial in helping Samsung turn a corner with its smartwatches. According to the latest figures from IDC, it remains a contender, but the Apple Watch still dominates the wrists of smartwatch buyers.
A new 4K Plus plan adds at least $10 to your YouTube TV subscription.
Finally, starting today, YouTube TV will have a new add-on called 4K Plus. As the name suggests, it'll enable 4K streaming, assuming you have a compatible TV and streaming device. The 4K Plus add-on also includes the ability to download recordings from your DVR to a phone or tablet, too.
4K Plus also lets you stream YouTube TV from "unlimited" devices when you're at home. The basic YouTube TV package can stream on three devices simultaneously. Unfortunately, this all comes at a fairly steep cost. The 4K Plus add-on costs $19.99 per month, on top of whatever your existing YouTube TV plan costs. (Right now, the basic YouTube TV plan starts at $64.99 a month.) That said, if you act quickly, you can get a price deal on 4K Plus — YouTube is offering a one-month free trial to new users, after which you can sign up for $9.99 per month, a pretty good deal over the standard price. Continue reading.
If you've been waiting impatiently to see Denis Villeneuve's much-anticipated take on Dune, you'll have to keep on waiting. After being delayed to October 1st, 2021, from its original December 18, 2020, release date, Dune has been pushed back a further three weeks to October 22nd. Warner Bros. announced last year that its entire 2021 movie lineup, including Dune, would be released simultaneously on HBO Max. That move didn't sit well with director Villeneuve, who railed against the decision online. Continue reading.
Microsoft has begun rolling out the first preview for Windows Insiders. The build will show off the operating system's centered taskbar and redesigned Start menu, as well as its improved window management. But you'll have to wait a bit for some of the more advanced features, like the integrated Microsoft Teams chat and Android app compatibility. Check your PC meets the Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements before you get too excited, though. Continue reading.
Amazon is targeting newbie record collectors with its latest subscription. If you sign up to the Vinyl of the Month Club, you’ll receive a new record for your collection every 30 days or so.
You won’t know what records you’ll receive as part of the $25 plan until they show up at your door, but they’ll be classics from the “Golden Era of Vinyl” — the 1960s and ‘70s — chosen by curators at Amazon Music. Expect releases from Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin and ABBA, so if your tastes fall outside of the mainstream of the mainstream, this might not be for you. At least the spirit of Columbia House lives on. Continue reading.
Honda finally has a name for its first electric SUV. The Prologue is coming in 2024, so there’s a little time to wait. You should also see the Acura SUV sometime in 2024, but that vaguer promise suggests this model will come later than its more mainstream counterpart.
Honda hasn’t offered much detail about what the Prologue will entail, although it reminded us that both the Prologue and its Acura counterpart will run on GM's Ultium batteries. Honda is still hard at work on its own electric car architecture. Continue reading.
When Microsoft released the first Insider preview of Windows 11 earlier today, it made an already confusing situation even harder to parse. As you may have noticed, you don't need a specific CPU or a TPM 2.0 chip to install the preview. In a new blog post, the company has outlined its reasons for doing that, and it comes down to a desire on Microsoft's part to get a better idea of what systems can run Windows 11.
"By providing preview builds to the diverse systems in our Windows Insider Program, we will learn how Windows 11 performs across CPU models more comprehensively, informing any adjustments we should make to our minimum system requirements in the future," the company said.
Microsoft says its "confident" PCs with 8th-generation Intel and AMD Zen 2 processors will meet the security, reliability and compatibility standards it plans to set with Windows 11. The company plans to pay close attention to those who test the OS on systems with 7th-generation Intel and AMD Zen 1 CPUs to see if some of the models in those families meet its standards.
Microsoft has also temporarily stopped offering its PC Health Check. The software was at the center of a lot of the confusion that came out over whether a specific computer could run Windows 11 or not. Acknowledging that fact, Microsoft said the app "was not fully prepared to share the level of detail or accuracy you expected from us." The company plans to address the faults of the app before rereleasing it later this year, ahead of the general availability of Windows 11 in the fall.
Windows fans and developers can get their first taste of Windows 11 today, as Microsoft has begun rolling out the first preview for Windows Insiders. The build will show off the operating system's refined interface, with a centered taskbar and redesigned Start menu, as well as its improved window management. But you'll have to wait a bit for some of the more advanced features, like the integrated Microsoft Teams chat and Android app compatibility. To try out the Windows 11 preview build, you can sign up on the web or from the "Windows Insider Program" section in Windows 10's settings.
You'll have to make sure your PC meets the Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements to test the preview build, naturally. (Microsoft is making an exception for systems that meet the Windows Insider program's requirements though. Yes, it's all very confusing.) Microsoft's compatibility app will let you know if your system passes muster.
Microsoft
The first Insider Preview, Build 22000.51, looks a lot like the leaked build that we looked at a few weeks ago. There are a few notable changes though: the File Explorer now has a cleaner command bar, the Microsoft Store app has been updated with a new UI, and you'll also be able to customize your touchscreen keyboard. If you use an external monitor alongside a laptop, you'll also see the improved docking experience, which can place Windows in their correct spots whenever you plug into your monitor. And when you disconnect, that monitor's open windows neatly minimize to your task bar.
It can be quite infuriating to find out that you can't access some episodes and movies you thought you were able to download on your device after settling in for a long flight. Now Netflix has launched a new feature that can prevent the scenario from happening. Starting today, the streaming giant will let you begin watching shows and movies even if they never finished downloading while you were connected to the internet, as long as you're on an Android phone or tablet.
Netflix originally introduced the ability to download content way back in 2016 to give you a way to watch whatever you want even if you don't have constant access to an internet connection. It's an incredibly useful feature, especially if you commute regularly and live in places where mobile internet isn't reliable.
The company has rolled out a number of other improvements to the downloads experience since then, including the ability to automatically delete stored episodes you've already seen and replace it with the next one in the series. Earlier this year, the service also introduced a new feature that automatically saves shows and movies its algorithm thinks you'll like.
With partial downloads, Netflix will prompt you to download the rest of the title you've already started watching once you get back online. You'll also be able to find the show or movie in the "download" or the "continue watching" tabs. While the capability is only available for Android users right now, Netflix will start testing it for iOS in the coming months.
Companies will never stop trying new things when it comes to our tablets and laptops. While Apple might be going bigger on iPad sizes — see below — Lenovo added a hanger to its new Yoga Tab. It might also be a kickstand, but the idea of hanging your tablet is what’s new. We’ve seen kickstands in other tablets, the Nintendo Switch or, lest we forget, the terribly designed HTC Thunderbolt, where the charging port was placed so you couldn’t charge the thing when using the kickstand.
Lenovo’s 13-inch tablet shouldn’t have such issues, but the idea of suspending it has some cool use cases if you use your imagination. (Hard on a Monday, I know.) I could see people using it for cooking guidance, with the tablet hanging off utensil hooks. It also means your electronics won’t take up counter space and tomato sauce and the like will be less likely to be hit it.
You could also, possibly, hook it to the coat hooks or tray table latches on trains or planes — depending on dimensions. Further still, the tablet can double as a secondary display: You could hang it from the wall in your tiny work-from-home setup. The use cases are there, but the device is expensive for an Android tablet at $680. I’m intrigued by the prospect, though — and that’s something I’ve never uttered about Lenovo before.
Bigger than 12.9 inches? Your next iPad might be. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed Apple was exploring iPads with even larger displays. Any potential products might take at least a "couple of years" to ship if they go ahead, but still — Apple hasn’t gone bigger since 2015’s iPad Pro. Continue reading.
YouTube is facing criticism for cracking down on videos documenting China's alleged abuses against Uyghur Muslims in the country's Xinjiang province. Reuters reported that YouTube took down a dozen videos from Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, and at one point removed the channel itself, for supposedly violating the site's anti-harassment policy. The takedowns followed reports from unnamed parties.
YouTube told Engadget that videos documenting human rights abuses were allowed on the site, and it was aware that Atajurt didn't have sinister intent when showing the ID cards. However, it argued the rights group didn't have enough "educational, documentary, scientific and artistic content" to allow an exception to its policies, primarily showing ID cards, which broke a rule against showing sensitive personal information. Continue reading.
China has released early clips of video and audio from the Zhurong rover's first forays on the Red Planet. They cover the landing as well as the deployment and initial movement. There's also a panorama revealing just how far Zhurong has traveled from its landing platform. Continue reading.
In this week's podcast, Cherlynn and Devindra came straight from live Windows 11 coverage to run through this week’s biggest tech news, including McCaffee, Snapchat in the Supreme Court and a chat with developers from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
