Software

A few weeks ago, Microsoft revealed a number of innovative Surface products, from its easier to repair Surface Laptop 3 to the ARM-powered Surface X to, of course, its pair of dual-screen devices. The form factor of the Surface Neo naturally required a different form of Windows. That was called Windows 10X and it was believed to be exclusive to an upcoming breed of such dual-screen devices. It turns out, however, that Windows 10X might be coming to traditional "clamshell" laptops, too, which might not actually sit well with some Windows users.

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Chromebooks, or at least most of the newer ones, may now be able to install Android apps but that hardly makes them Android devices. In fact, users can only install certain apps from the Google Play Store, which may not cover everything that they want or need. On Android, users can try manually installing Android APKs on their device, a.k.a. sideloading. That capability may soon come to Chromebooks as well, perhaps in Chrome OS version 80 next year.

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Mozilla has pushed out the latest Firefox browser update, adding a new Privacy Protections report related to the Enhanced Tracking Protection feature introduced earlier this year. As well, the browser is getting a couple of new security tools, the most notable being a new password generator that works with the software's Lockwise, a feature that safely stores passwords.

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The "real Photoshop" experience for iPad may not quite be what graphics pros are hoping for, with beta testers of Adobe's upcoming app warning that some expected features are still missing. Adobe announced Photoshop CC for iPad at its annual Max conference in 2018, promising to take advantage of the hardware capabilities and stylus support in Apple's iPad Pro tablets.

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Google Maps keeps borrowing features from Waze, and latest to be bundling into the navigation software is an easy way to report road hazards and other events directly from the iPhone app. The new feature allows Google Maps users on iOS to report crashes they pass, along with speed traps and traffic slowdowns, straight from their phone.

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Today we're looking at a wide variety of features released for the Google Pixel 4. One of the most interesting camera features revealed for the Google Pixel 4 will also be available for the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3a. That also includes the Google Pixel 3 XL - and it has a whole lot to do with the devices' already-active Night Sight feature.

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A select number of Android users over the past day have seen Google show them a pop-up with an image of a Google Home Mini. This pop-up - or block, rectangle, whatever you'd like to call it - included the following text. "Enjoy a gift for using the Google Assistant," said the Google note, with the one catch: "Just pay for shipping."

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The Surace Pro tablets and especially the Surface Studio are advertised as creatives' tools and yet few apps actually take advantage of their true nature. Of course, there's always the full-blown Photoshop but few if not none that were designed primarily for touch and pen the way Procreate on iOS is. That target is what a new Microsoft Garage named SketchPal is trying to hit and, in trying to find its voice, it may have found a home in the upcoming dual-screen Surface Neo.

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The latest developer beta for ioS 13.2 has arrived with new features, as well as the anticipated opt-in notice that gives users control over whether clips of their Siri recordings can be used by Apple to improve the assistant. The company promised in August that it would introduce these changes following a report claiming contractors were reviewing the audio, some of which allegedly contained sensitive information.

READ: iPhone 11 Review: When enough is enough

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This year might end up being unkind to Apple's software if the past few days continue their trend. iOS 13, one of Apple's most monumental releases for its mobile platform, has had three emergency releases in just a week to quickly patch up critical security bugs. macOS Catalina, an equally big release, was pushed back later than initially promised. The latest macOS update has finally rolled out and, fortunately, it isn't as bug-ridden as iOS 13. Unfortunately, it has its own share of controversy that is leaving some users and developers out in the cold.

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The Web may be filled with information, some of which we may have wished never came to light, but it has also become a scarier place as well. Never mind the "dark web" and hackers and spies, even companies seem to be out to get you, or at least your information. Web browser makers like Google and Mozilla are stepping up in this game of cat and mouse, blocking ads and cookies that don't play nice. Opera is joining the chorus with an addition to its arsenal of privacy tools which it is only too happy to remind users comes built into the desktop browser and, better yet, available for free.

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Apple has released macOS Catalina, the latest version of its software for Macs, and as expected it's a free update if you've got a machine from the last few years. Previewed at WWDC 2019 earlier this year, Catalina includes features like Apple Arcade support and the new Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV apps, which finally see little-loved iTunes retired.

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