Admitting that "we didn't make it easy to" share posts on other social media platforms, Reddit has announced that it's rolling out new features to fix that issue. Those include an updated "shared link" preview for text posts shared via messaging services, new sharing for Instagram Stories, one-tap screenshot sharing and more. The improvements arrive on the heels of other user-friendly features like an updated interface, improved comment searching and more.

In the past, sharing a Reddit post on a messaging app like WhatsApp forced the recipient to click the link to see what was going on. Now, you get a visual preview of the content, along with the subreddit name, total upvotes and comments. 

Another new trick is the ability to share Reddit content directly to Instagram stories without the need to screenshot or download content to your phone. And much like with apps like Google Photos, a new custom "share sheet" pops up showing your most-used social channels, so you can quickly publish without leaving the Reddit app. There's also a one-tap screenshot sharing experience that allows you to share content without saving images to your device. That provides a direct link to the content rather than just a screenshot.

Finally, Reddit has introduced a new embedding toolbox that makes it easier to embed tweets in articles or CMS platforms like WordPress. Again, that allows users to not only show Reddit content on a website, but also link to it directly. That brings it in line with other social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which have had the capability since forever.

It's hard to believe that Reddit has existed so far without these features, but the company evidently felt that it stood alone and didn't need the extra reach. The sharing follows other updates designed to make the app and websites easier to use, like the ability search within post comments, the addition of new text browsing feeds including Read and Watch, a revised, decluttered interface and more. At the same time, Reddit recently made API access a paid feature, ostensibly due to AI training concerns. 

Ford just dropped a trail-finding app specifically for Bronco SUV owners. The appropriately-named Bronco Trail App is available for both iOS and Android mobile devices and includes a boatload of goodies for true off-roading enthusiasts. In other words, this app is not for people who use their rugged SUVs primarily to pick up coffee down the street.

The app leads drivers to more than 1,200 professionally curated trails throughout the US, Canada and Mexico (with more countries coming), totaling 18,000 miles. These maps let you filter by location, length, difficulty and more, with the ability to save your favorite trails. Once you save a trail, you can add waypoints, notes and even photos to show off preferred landmarks.

Of course, the deeper you trek into the wilds, the more cellular service diminishes. The app lets you download maps ahead of time in satellite or 2D topographic formats so you can view them even when in the middle of nowhere.

Beyond curated maps, there are some high-tech features here. The app integrates with the SUV’s tire pressure gauge sensor and automatically adjusts the pressure to suit trail recommendations. This feature works without a cellular or cloud connection. There is also a small social media component here, as you can trade marked-up maps with other Bronco owners to share unique destinations and the like.

Ford

On the topic of social media, the app includes the ability to capture video, which is then shared via your preferred social network. This isn’t any ordinary video, however, as this content is automatically overlaid with all kinds of useful and nifty information, like speed, RPM, distance traveled, elevation and a lot more.

The app is free, but a new Ford Bronco starts at around $42,000. It’s available for download right now and Ford says it’ll stay on top of updates, adding more trails and features in the coming months. You'll also need an up-to-date FordPass subscription, but if you own a new Bronco, you probably have that too. 

Weber debuted its smart grilling platform in 2020 with a standalone connected device and a WiFi-equipped pellet grill. The company has continued to add new features to the app that controls both of those since launch, and today it released a massive overhaul to the software. Officially dubbed version 2.0, the new Weber Connect app now includes grill tools like an updated dashboard, temperature graphing, more recipes and the ability to monitor multiple grills — and multiple recipes — at the same time.

Weber says one of the most-requested features is the ability to watch multiple recipes simultaneously inside the app. You can now do so with the new "mission-control-style" interface. The company explains that its smart grills and the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub can handle up to 12 recipes and timers at the same time. What's more, you don't have to keep all of your dishes on the same grill as the app can also keep tabs on multiple grills at once. There's a Launchpad section of the app that offers easy access to the Smokeboost feature, adjusting grill temp, adding a temperature alert, starting a timer and shutting down the grill — most of which are exclusive to the SmokeFire pellet grills. 

For all of the barbecue data nerds, Weber Connect now features temperature graphing. The company says these colorful live visuals are updated every second as the cook progresses. Graphs display temperature stats for the grill and up to four connected probes, so all of info is viewable in one place. The graphs also appear on the Now Grilling screen alongside start time, current temp and target temp info for each probe. Data can be shared with other users, including status updates and still images. What's more, you can create CSV files to use all of your grilling data in spreadsheets.

Weber also made the app more accessible with the option to increase font size via dynamic text and the addition of voiceovers. A new dark more changes the entire interface from color to black-and-white for aspiring pitmasters who wish to reduce eye strain. With this update, Weber says the Connect app now houses over 800 recipes. 350 of those are "smart" recipes, meaning they offer step-by-step guidance with videos and detailed instructions. All of today's updates join tools like the ability to monitor and adjust temperatures remotely so you don't have to stay near the grill or Hub the entire time.

Weber Connect 2.0 is available now in the Apple App Store and Google Play store. The software supports iPhone, iPad, macOS and Android devices. Additionally, iOS users can choose to have grilling notifications sent to Apple Watch. Weber is also offering a discount on the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub ahead of grilling season. The device is typically $139, but you can get one for $89 for a limited time.

Nextdoor is introducing its first generative AI feature, an in-app “assistant” that can help users rewrite “potentially unkind” posts on the neighborhood social network. The new feature is rolling out “over the next several weeks.”

It’s far from the first time the company has experimented with ways to remind users to keep conversations “neighborly.” The company, which has at time struggled to fight the perception that its platform can be toxic, began using “kindness reminders” in 2019 and last year introduced pop-ups reminding users to be more “empathetic.” The app has also served up more targeted nudges to promote anti-racist language and less heated political discussions.

The new “assistant” takes the approach a step further. Instead of preemptive reminders, the assistant will prompt users to “rephrase potentially unkind comments” and suggest new wording for the post. “It's great to tell people, ‘hey, be a little bit more constructive,’ or ‘you don't always have to respond,’” Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar says. “But now you're actually helping them reframe it in a way they might not have thought of.”

Friar notes that the assistant-written posts are optional and that users are free to make changes to the text it suggests. “It’s saying ‘when you word things this way,’ or when you maybe just add a few more sentences or add some context or an emoji, you can help someone hear you,” Friar says. “They may not agree with you, but at least they can begin to hear you.”

The assistant itself relies on the same OpenAI models used by ChatGPT, and has also been trained on “all of the data we've collected over our almost 10 years of life,” according to Friar. She says this allows the assistant to provide more tailored suggestions for other kinds of posts on the platform. In an example provided by the company, the assistant rewrites a post from a user looking for landscaping work with new phrasing the app says may “get a better response” than the original.

While the assistant is Nextdoor’s first use of generative AI, it likely won’t be the last. Friar says she’s particularly interested in how generative AI can be used for recommendations to help small businesses using the platform.

Apple promised faster turnaround times for security patches with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, and it's now delivering on that claim. The company has released its first Rapid Security Response updates for devices running iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1 and macOS 13.3.1. They're available through Software Update as usual, but are small downloads that don't require much time to install. MacRumors says the fix is deploying over the course of 48 hours, so don't be surprised if you have to wait a short while.

There have been hitches so far. Engadget and others have received an error warning that iOS can't verify the update as the device is "no longer connected to the internet." We've asked Apple for comment, but you may have to be patient with this software. To date, the upgrades have only been available to beta testers.

Rapid Security Response lets Apple fix vulnerabilities sooner than it would through conventional software updates. While you can disable them, they may be ideal for quickly fixing zero-day flaws that attackers can use right away. That, in turn, could prevent malware from rapidly spreading through the community — particularly among users who have automatic updates enabled.

The concept of emergency security updates isn't new, of course. Apple, Microsoft and others have posted out-of-schedule patches. This just streamlines the process, and (along with recent additions like Safety Check) provides some reassurance. You're less likely to spend days worrying that your data could be up for grabs.

Everyone loves a good to-do list, and now they're spreading into PC games. Along with a slew of other new features, Steam's latest update includes an integrated Notes app as part of a re-vamped in-game overlay tool. It lets you write thoughts and tasks down about the game you're playing then runs on top of the game while you play, which you can access across any PC you log into and when playing offline.

Valve

At any time you can pin the to-do list right to your gaming screen, adjusting its opacity based on your preferences. Guides, discussions and whatever is on your browser (even the show you're watching) can also be clipped to the game. 

Steam's other updates to the in-game overlay include a revamped toolbar and overview. The new toolbar has everything from chat to guides, customizable depending on fields you want to see and in either icon or list mode. The game overview will fill you in on information like accomplishment progress, friends' game play and news about that title.  

Notifications have also cleaned up a bit with less interruptions of things unrelated to you. The tray will only display newest notifications, but you can still view all if you want. The last in-game Steam update is for screenshots, allowing you to choose between large and small thumbnails, while also sorting screenshots by most recent, instead of per game. 

These features are only available through the Steam Client Beta at the moment, but if you’ve never opted into the Beta version before, it’s pretty simple. All you need to do is go to settings (it will be called preferences if you're on a Mac), click the change button where it says Beta Participation in the Accounts tab and choose Steam Beta Update. Once you restart Steam, the Beta features will become visible.

Valve asserts that a lot of its recent work has gone towards improving code sharing between Steam Desktop Client, Deck and Big Picture mode. The company claims this should allow future features to roll out quicker across the different platforms. 

Following a limited test that began in late February, Microsoft has begun rolling out iPhone support within its Phone Link app to the wider Windows 11 user base. The software, for the uninitiated, allows you to sync your calls, messages and contacts to your PC. Microsoft has offered Phone Link (in various forms) on Android devices since as far back as 2015. Microsoft expects to roll out iOS support to all Windows 11 users by mid-May.

Once you have access to the feature, the easiest way to link your devices together is to type “Phone Link” into Windows 11’s search bar. Coincidently, that’s also the best way to find out if you have access to the feature too. If you’re like me, you will probably see the option to add an iPhone grayed out, with the icon noting it’s “coming soon.” Once the feature does arrive, it’s also worth noting there are some limitations. As with the Insider test, you can’t use the app to send images and videos from your Windows machine. Group messaging also isn’t supported. Additionally, the software works on a session basis, so your latest messages will only come through when your iPhone and PC are connected. 

Still, even when you consider all those limitations, iPhone-carrying Windows users are sure to appreciate the integration offered by Phone Link, particularly since most people might not be familiar with options like Unison and AirDroid.

It took several months, but Slack's "canvas" collaboration feature is finally rolling out across its apps. Effectively, it's a way to organize and access all the resources that would normally be scattered across a chat channel. You can store apps, files, links, people, raw text and even in-app functions like service requests. It can help you track must-do items, share handy tools or even serve as an FAQ for newcomers.

You can bring canvases into huddle audio and video chats to discuss them with colleagues. Much like a cloud document app, you can add comments, see the change history and limit sharing to specific people. This isn't a full-fledged creative tool like Google Docs, as Slack tellsThe Verge, but it can help you coordinate more quickly than you would through separate apps.

This is, to some extent, an improvement on the bookmarks and pins that Slack currently offers to help you find vital documents and notes. Those features will remain for now, but it won't be surprising if canvases become the dominant (if not exclusive) way to share resources in a given channel.

Canvases promise to be more convenient, but they might also give Slack a competitive edge. The more likely you are to stay in Slack while sharing documents and performing tasks, the less temptation there is to use competing apps. This might be the decisive factor if you're weighing the merits of Slack versus rivals like Microsoft Teams.

Since March, NVIDIA has offered AI Foundations, a service that allows businesses to train large language models (LLMs) on their own proprietary data. Today the company is introducing NeMo Guardrails, a tool designed to help developers ensure their generative AI apps are accurate, appropriate and safe.

NeMo Guardrails allows software engineers to enforce three different kinds of limits on their in-house LLMs. Specifically, firms can set “topical guardrails” that will prevent their apps from addressing subjects they weren’t trained to tackle. For instance, NVIDIA suggests a customer service chatbot would, with the help of its software, decline to answer a question about the weather. Companies can also set safety and security limits that are designed to ensure their LLMs pull accurate information and connect to apps that are known to be safe.

According to NVIDIA, NeMo Guardrails works with all LLMs, including ChatGPT. What’s more, the company claims nearly any software developer can use the software. “No need to be a machine learning expert or data scientist,” it says. Since NeMo Guardrails is open source, NVIDIA notes it will also work with all the tools enterprise developers already use.

NVIDIA is incorporating NeMo Guardrails into its existing NeMo framework for building generative AI models. Business customers can gain access to NeMo through the company’s AI Enterprise software platform. NVIDIA also offers the framework through its AI Foundations service. The release of NeMo Guardrails comes after some of the most high-profile generative AIs, including Microsoft Bing and Google Bard, have come under the microscope for their tendency to “hallucination” information. In fact, Google’s chatbot made a factual error during its first public demo.

“NVIDIA made NeMo Guardrails — the product of several years’ research — open source to contribute to the developer community’s tremendous energy and work AI safety,” NVIDIA said. “Together, our efforts on guardrails will help companies keep their smart services aligned with safety, privacy and security requirements so these engines of innovation stay on track.”

If you want to read a deep dive into how NeMo Guardrails works, NVIDIA has published a blog post on the subject that also shares information on how to get started with the software.

Opera has released the early access version of its completely redesigned browser that it plans to launch for all platforms later this year. It's called Opera One, and it was designed to have a cleaner look with plenty of open space for future generative AI features and extensions in its sidebar and address bar. Opera says it has implemented a new multithreaded compositor and its new modular design principles for the browser to enable a fresh batch of features that include what it calls "tab islands."

The browser has the capability to automatically and intuitively group websites people open based on their content. It will open all pages with menus and restaurant details in one island, for instance, and all tabs with Google Docs in another. The idea is to reduce confusion and make it easier to jump between tasks, whether for work or for something personal. Opera apparently conducted research and found that users get overwhelmed by the number of tabs they have and wish their browsers could do more for them. This is Opera's answer to that problem. 

While the browser was designed with the capability to create tab islands on its own, users can manually group pages together, as well. They can drag and drop tabs between islands or create a new one by pressing the CTRL or Command button and clicking on the websites they want to group before right clicking on the "create a tab island" option. Opera considers tab islands as the first manifestation if its modular design strategy with their clearly distinguishable island borders and color markets, so we could probably expect more similarly designed features. 

In addition to tab islands, Opera One comes with ChatGPT, ChatSonic and AI Prompts enabled by default. If you'll recall, the company introduced sidebar integration for the AI chatbots back in March, allowing users to quickly launch them in a separate window within the browser. Meanwhile, the AI Prompts feature suggests different ways people can use the chatbots to transform the text on page, such turning a chunk of text into a soap opera dialogue or extracting information from it to create quiz questions. 

Opera One is now available for download from the company's website.