Microsoft’s annual Build conference started yesterday, and per the norm, a bunch of new announcements and cool stuff came with it. Here’s a quick look at some of the best things that we’ve seen so far.
Windows 10 is getting a built-in Linux kernel. Probably the most significant announcement yesterday was the announcement of the Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2—WSL 2—which brings a full Linux kernel to Windows. We have all the details if you’re interested. It’s cool.
A real command line is coming to Win10. The Windows Terminal, as it’s called, is a full command line, PowerShell, and Bash system rolled into one. It has tabs, themes, and even supports emoji. Welcome to the future.
Big moves for Chromium Edge. Microsoft has been hard at work on the new Edge browser, which is based on the Chromium engine, and it announced a ton of new stuff yesterday. Better privacy controls, Internet Explorer Mode, and a OneNote-like feature called “Collections” to help with research are all along for the ride. Hit up our coverage for the full skinny.
Edge for Mac, baby. Microsoft teased Edge for Mac very briefly, but the cat is out of the bag—you can already install and test the Edge Mac build for yourself. Spoiler: it’s almost identical the Windows version (and that’s a good thing!).
There were also several smaller announcements, like the new Fluid Framework, improved Cortana interactions, Visual Studio in the browser, and AR Minecraft. So much cool stuff.
In other news, it’s Google I/O day! Also, Apple released its first new iOS game in years, more drama for the Galaxy Fold, Twitter now lets you put GIFs and pictures in retweets, and more.
- Google I/O starts today: We expect all sorts of announcements about smarthome, Android Q, Stadia, Assistant, and even a couple of new phones. The livestream begins at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET, and you can watch it here.
- Apple’s first new iOS game since 2008: Say hello to Warren Buffet’s Paper Wizard. It’s a free download in the App Store. Maybe you can play it while you wait for the I/O keynote to start. [MacRumors]
- More Fold drama: Samsung can’t deliver a firm release date for the Galaxy Fold, so it’s canceling pre-orders unless customers explicitly say otherwise. Oof. [9to5Google]
- The GIFs are coming (to retweets): Twitter announced yesterday that you can now put GIFs and other images into retweets. What a time to be alive…though we really should talk about that edit button. [Engadget]
- Android Auto’s fresh new look: Google is giving Android Auto a makeover that will roll out “this summer.” It will have a much better interface that offers access to multiple apps at the same time, a more intuitive app drawer, and more. I can’t wait. [Google Blog]
- Google is going to let users block tracking cookies (kind of): A new report suggests that Chrome is going to get the option to block tracking cookies…except those from Google. Of course. [The Wall Street Journal via Android Police]
- A new supercomputer for the government: AMD and Cray are partnering to build an insane new 1.5 Exaflop supercomputer. It’s going to be…cray. [Anandtech]
- An Xbox controller with braille? Microsoft patented one, so it may be coming soon. And, man, that’s just really cool. [TechRadar]
Finally, let’s talk about Pokemon. And I’m not talking about Detective Pikachu here—I’m talking about all the Pokemon. A new study suggests that Pokemon characters have a special place in the brains of “Pokemon experts.” A pea-sized cluster of neurons that does nothing else but store information about Pokemon. The study compared “experts” to a control group to confirm that they, indeed, had a special place in their brains just for these little digital creatures. Humans are wild, man. [Ars Technica]
Source : Daily News Update: The Biggest Stories from Microsoft Build 2019
