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Today, Microsoft leaked what could be a new Windows Start menu. The company accidentally shared a Windows 10 internal build (18947) with its Insider Program, Windows Central reports. The most striking change is a completely redesigned Start menu that swaps live tiles for a grid of app icons.
Google's app for the hard of hearing is now within reach of many more people. The tech firm's Sound Amplifier app now supports devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, not just 9.0 Pie like it did months ago. You won't need a relatively cutting edge device to understand a conversation or sound from a TV -- just a decent set of headphones. There's a new look with a visualization feature, too.
Tinder wants to keep its users safe in the nearly 70 countries that have discriminatory LGBTQ laws. Today, the company is launching a feature called Traveller Alert. When members of the LGBTQ community open the app in one of those countries, the alert will warn them about the potential dangers LGBTQ people face.
As of today, you can use OpenTable's updated iOS app to book dinner reservations or have your food delivered. OpenTable announced that it's partnering with Uber Eats, Caviar and Grubhub to offer meal delivery from over 8,000 restaurants in 90 cities across the US.
Google Photos is a great way to organize and store your photos, but it's a bit on the beefy side, taking up space and needing constant access to the cloud. So it's not ideal for people with mid-tier phones, or those who don't have a reliable data or internet connection. Enter Gallery Go, a lightweight photo gallery that boasts a lot of the features of Google Photos, and is designed to work offline.
New York City could become the first city in the country to ban the sale of geolocation data to third parties. A bill introduced today would make it illegal for cellphone and mobile app companies to sell location data collected in the city. It would impose hefty fines -- up to $10,000 per day, per user for multiple violations -- and it would give users the right to sue companies that share their data without explicit permission.
WhatsApp has only had limited availability on basic cellphones until now, but Facebook is about to throw the gates wide open. The messaging app is now available on the KaiStore, making it available to "millions" of low-cost KaiOS cellphones with at least 256MB of RAM. "Most" KaiOS phones will come preloaded with WhatsApp in the third quarter of the year, and that's no small number when over 100 million of the phones have shipped to date.
Slack has become an essential part of the daily workflow for many of us, but its desktop app has perhaps been in need of a little TLC. An update is rolling out over the next few weeks that Slack claims will make the app more efficient and help you get more things done.
Tinder is exploring a different approach to fighting app store fees -- it's simply ignoring what the store operators want. The dating giant has introduced a default payment process into its Android app that skips Google Play's system entirely, instead taking payments directly. And if you go this route, you lose the option of switching back to Google Play after the fact.
Lyft's support for public transportation will soon include one of the biggest mass transit systems on the planet. The ridesharing firm is rolling out access to real-time New York City subway directions through its app over the months ahead, giving locals a one-stop directory for some of the most common transportation options in town. You'll still have to pay with your MetroCard (or a tap of your phone), but you could use just one app to take a Lyft car to an urgent meeting, the subway for your return and a Citi Bike for the last leg of the journey.
If you're a YouTube Premium or Music Premium subscriber, switching between a song and its music video should be smoother as of today. You can hop back and forth between the two, and playback will continue from the same point with no pauses or interruptions, YouTube says.
Instagram is making a few changes to the way it disables accounts. Currently, the platform removes accounts with a certain percentage of violating content. But it's rolling out a new policy that will also allow it to disable accounts with a certain number of violations in a given timeframe.
It's one thing to voluntarily share your phone activities with friends and family, but some app developers have been encouraging far more sinister uses. Google has pulled multiple people-tracking Android apps from the Play Store after Avast discovered that they're largely meant to enable stalking. Once the would-be spy has physical access to the target's phone, they install a tracking app that collects sensitive details like location, text messages and call history. They even help snoops hide evidence of the apps -- you won't find icons or other telltale clues. After that, the stalker can watch their victim through a desktop.
Spotify has been available on the iPad for several years, but it hasn't really evolved to take advantage of the Apple tablet's growing multitasking abilities. You've still had to switch to a full-screen view just to start a new playlist or see what friends are playing. At last, though, it's getting more respect. Spotify has stealthily updated its iPad app with support for multitasking modes like Slide Over and Split View. You can keep tabs on an album while you're reading the artist's bio on the web, or browse podcasts without disrupting your group chat.
Uber is taking its retail offerings up a notch. Last year, the company teamed up with Cargo to let drivers hawk goods ranging from snacks to phone chargers. Now, Uber and Cargo are hoping riders will buy more expensive products, like Amazon Echos, Apple AirPods, Oculus devices and Glossier make-up.
This spring Alphabet subsidiary Wing LLC became the first drone delivery company to receive FAA certification, and the company has successfully launched drone delivery service in Australia and Helsinki. Now, with more drones in the sky, it needs a way to keep them safe. Today, Wing formally introduced its OpenSky app, which could serve as an air-traffic control system for drones.
Former Vine boss Jason Toff announced he'll be joining Facebook next. In a Twitter post, Toff shared that he'll be leading Facebook's New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team. Revealed last week, the NPE Team will focus on "entirely new experiences for building community," and the high-profile hire could be promising.
Unsurprisingly, most smart-home gadgets are fairly human-centric. But what about all the furbags that live with us? Don't they deserve a little slice of the connected dream? Petcube certainly thinks so. The company has two pet-camera products, the Bites and the Play. The former lets you sling treats at your cat or dog, while the latter has a laser allowing you to "play" with them remotely. Both models have just been refreshed, with a few interesting upgrades: a wider camera view (180 degrees, up from 138) and Alexa baked in. They're available starting today.
Niantic built its reputation on location-based games like Pokémon Go, Ingress and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, but its roots are in its Field Trip app for finding nearby activities. And believe it or not, the company has kept the app going since 2012 -- even after the split with Google. Now, though, it's ready to wind down its original project. The team is shutting down Field Trip's services sometime later in 2019 in order to "prioritize" its efforts on augmented reality experiences.
Google can't resist the urge to create another social network even after the Google+ shutdown for everyday users. The company's experimental Area 120 unit has developed a social network, Shoelace, that helps people get together in real life. You pick your interests, and the creators help you hook up with like-minded people for various activities, whether they're custom-created or hand-picked. If you're new to town, for instance, you could find fellow runners or a local book club.