Author: batteryforpc

Microsoft is enabling enterprise features by default in the Dev Channel builds of Chromium-based Edge. Here’s what’s available to IT pro testers now and what’s coming later.

Late last week, Microsoft officials said they were ready for IT pros to start kicking the tires of the coming Chromium-based Edge browser. But it wasn’t until today, July 16, that we got some updated details about what Microsoft is doing for businesses with its new browser.

In a new blog post, Microsoft officials said the Dev Channel for Chromium-based Edge (“Chredge”) now has enterprise features enabled by default. It’s ready for evaluation and is supported by “detailed deployment and configuration documentation,” officials said. Microsoft is offering full support for deployment in pilot and production environments at this point through its commercial support channels.

Microsoft made available an updated Enterprise Roadmap as part of its post today. This new roadmap expands on a Chredge roadmap that officials made public at Microsoft Build earlier this spring.

On the list of features available to evaluate today in both the Canary (daily) and Dev (weekly) channels are IE Mode; offline installers for the Win 10, 8/8.1/7, Server and MacOS variants; the ability to sign in with Azure Active Directory accounts and get single sign-on and support for multiple profiles; integrated PDF support; more than 180 group policies; COnditional Access and Application Guard protection on Windows 10; availability in 10 languages; and webview integrated with the Microsoft dev stack.

In “controlled rollout” starting today and over the course of several weeks, Microsoft will be adding the new Microsoft Search (its new unified search service); enterprise new tab page with access to Office 365 docs and sites; and the ability to sync data securely across devices using “secure compliant clouds.”

Coming in an unspecified “future update” are the ability to use Information Protection on Windows 10; support for 110 languages; integrated deployment and configuration with System Center Configuration Manager and Intune; and PDF support for digital signatures and Microsoft Information Protection.

I asked Microsoft when the company plans to open up the Beta channel for Chredge, which will provide users with feature updates every six weeks. A spokesperson said Microsoft had no comment at this time. I’m wondering whether the Beta version actually is what Microsoft will make available whenever it finally makes Chredge generally available.

In December 2018, Microsoft officials said they were redoing Edge so that it would be built on top of Chromium in the name of improving compatibility across the web. Chromium is an open-source browser implementation that is used as a base by a number of browser developers, including Google (with its proprietary Chrome browser), Vivaldi, Opera, Yandex, Brave, and more. Chromium-based Edge is available to testers on Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, Windows 7 and macOS.

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming iOS 12.4 update to developers, one week after seeding the sixth iOS 12.4 beta, and two months after releasing iOS 12.3, a major update that introduced a revamped TV app.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.4 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over the air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center. Public Beta testers can download the beta over the air.

There were no new features discovered in the first six iOS 12.4 betas, so it’s not entirely clear what’s coming in the update. As a more significant 12.x update, it’s possible that the update is focusing on a feature that’s not yet available — the Apple Card.

Apple is planning to release the Apple Card in the summer, so iOS 12.4 could be the update that prepares the iOS operating system for that launch, adding hidden features that will be unlocked when the update becomes available to the public. If we find new features in the seventh beta of iOS 12.4, we’ll update this post.

iOS 12.4 may be one of the last updates to the iOS 12 operating system as Apple transitions to iOS 13, set to launch this September, and as we are now at beta seven, the update could see a release in the very near future.

With the Nest Hub Max in May, Google introduced a new homescreen for Smart Displays. Already available on the Nest Hub, this revamped — and somewhat controversial — redesign is now rolling out to Lenovo Smart Displays.

The Ambient Mode — which allows for fullscreen clocks or Photo galleries — stays the same. When users tap the screen, the current background is blurred while a Google News “Top stories” card slides in from the right. This is the default card if media is not playing or you have no upcoming events.

Time and day/date appears in the bottom-left corner, while the weather includes the temperature, condition, and high/low. Previously, the entire left half was dedicated to showing a larger temperature readout and three-day forecast. Most Nest Hub users have complained about the lack of a forecast, though the weather section can still be tapped to launch the fullscreen experience.

While the blurred wallpaper is meant to personalize your Smart Display, clocks get the same treatment. This is not a particular elegant solution, with the background switching to solid colors as you scroll through cards.

This UI makes most sense for future devices like the Nest Hub Max where Face Match will recognize users and then slide out personalized reminders and Duo messages on the homescreen. For existing devices, it’s somewhat of an eyesore depending on the configuration and shows less information at a glance.

According to Lenovo owners this week, the redesigned Smart Display homescreen is rolling out with the R12 OTA for the 8- and 10-inch models.

Amazon Alexa can be helpful on Windows, but you can’t quite treat your PC like a supersized Echo when third-party voice helpers don’t work until you’ve signed in. That might not be a hurdle in the near future. Microsoft has released a Windows 10 preview on the Slow ring that allows the use of third-party assistants “above” the lock screen. The company doesn’t mention Alexa by name, but it’s the only major AI helper on Windows beyond Cortana — Amazon would just have to update its app to enable voice commands in more situations.

There aren’t other major updates, although artists might like lower latency for inking when a stylus or similar device has appropriate hardware support.

It’s going to take a while before this feature reaches finished Windows 10 updates, and possibly a while after that before Amazon and others hop aboard. Microsoft also warns that it’s leaving features off by default in this build and will turn them on for some people based on “feedback and quality.” If you can wait, though, there’s a good chance you’ll have greater control over your smart home from your computer, even if you haven’t signed into the system yet.

The drip of leaks from the once impenetrable Apple has become a stunning tsunami. From details of the circuit board, through close examination of the camera unit, to 3D prints of the leaked CAD models, it’s possible to come up with a very clear view of Apple’s upcoming iPhones. And the picture is pretty boring. Looking at the information in aggregate, I keep coming back to one simple question.

Apart from the hardcore fanatics, who exactly will be interested in 2019’s new iPhone?

2019’s iPhones will come with iOS 13 and Apple has a number of new software features in the code – but Apple (like the competition in Android) has ensured backwards compatibility of the code. Almost all of the benefits will be available to the older handsets. The additional value in the software will not be reflected in many of the sales.

The exception may be users still running the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S who will not have access to iOS 13. Given time app access to iOS 12 and earlier will fall away, but there’s no cliff edge to force an upgrade.

Looking at the leaks, Apple is making a number of internal changes that suggest the presumptively named iPhone 11 family will be able to be marketed as the fastest, most powerful, best iPhones ever – but which iPhone launch has not featured those claims. The screen design remains, the physically styling remains, the lightning port remains, it’s going to take a very keen eye to spot the differences that can justify an annual upgrade.

Perhaps the only real beat that will be noticed by users will be the increased battery size. Adding around twenty percent capacity compared to the 2018 models will help daily endurance, but as with most ‘increasing’ specs of the iPhone it does little more than offer power parity with similar Android devices. Apple managed to get away with smaller batteries by relying on iOS’ efficiency over Android, but that software advantage is being negated by many Android manufacturers.

There are some small gains moving to this year’s iPhones, but the real spoiler is next year’s iPhone. The 2020 variant of the iPhone looks to be the handset which will feature a number of major changes that will be requirements for smartphones for the next few years.

This includes the move to 5G. While the 5G networks are still in their infancy, accessing them will require 5G enabled hardware. Anyone looking for a flagship experience and the ultrafast speeds offered by 5G is unlikely to invest over $1000 in a handset that will not support the new networks. That effectively pushes the iPhone geekerati towards Tim Cook’s 2020 handsets because Apple is not in apposition to adopt 5G in the 2019 handsets (arguably the 2020 appearance is pushing it).

Apple is also expected to finally move to display that will remove the notch completely and mount the forward facing camera and sensors under the screen. While Android manufacturers have been working to minimize the cut-outs or tuck the cameras in pop-up units, Apple has retained the ridiculously wide notch used in 2017’s iPhone X for three generations.

The screen is also expected to feature an in-display fingerprint reader that would see the return of TouchID to the iPhone line, a bruising climb down for Apple following its desire to push facial recognition on the aforementioned iPhone X and the XS and XS Max follow ups.

And there you have it. More details, more leaks, and very little to change the narrative around this year’s iPhone as being little more than a “will this do?” iterative release. If you are looking for an iPhone that matches modern expectations, then you’re looking at 2020’s release… and even then that only offers parity with the Android handsets announced earlier in 2019.