• Thursday • September 19, 2024

    Avatar photo

    The Verge

    Microsoft launches a Windows app for iPhones, Macs, and Android devices

    Stream a Copy of Windows to Almost Any Device

    Microsoft is launching a Windows app today for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, web browsers, Android devices, and even Windows PCs. The Windows app is essentially a hub for streaming a copy of Windows from a variety of sources, including Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, Remote Desktop, and more.

    This new unified app has been in testing for nearly a year and includes a customizable homescreen, multi-monitor support, and USB redirection so you can use local devices like webcams, storage devices, and printers as if they were plugged directly in to a cloud PC.

    ,
  • Tuesday • July 16, 2024

    Avatar photo

    Industry News Source

    Apple revamps App Store search layout, emphasizing ads and suggestions

    Apple’s App Store Search Redesign Puts Ads Front and Center

    Apple updated the App Store’s Search tab, removing the Discover section and placing suggested apps, including ads, more prominently below the search bar. Why it matters: Advertisers will now have their apps showing at the top of the Search tab potentially increasing their ad exposure as well as leading to higher click-through rates for app install ads.

    ,
  • Thursday • May 9, 2024

    Avatar photo

    Bloomberg

    Microsoft Plans Mobile-Game Store, Vying With Apple, Google

    The Store Will Debut With Microsoft’s Own Games, Offering Discounts On In-Game Items

    Microsoft Corp. will launch its own online store for mobile-game consumables in July, creating an alternative to Apple Inc. and Google’s app stores and their fees. The browser-based store will debut with Microsoft’s own games, offering discounts on in-game items associated with titles like Candy Crush Saga. Xbox President Sarah Bond announced the move Thursday at the Bloomberg Technology Summit. Later, Microsoft will open the store to other publishers.

    Bond says the store is launching on the web, versus an app, so it’s “accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what, independent of the policies of closed ecosystem stores.”

    ,
  • Wednesday • January 10, 2024

    Avatar photo

    New York Times

    OpenAI Unveils App Store for Custom Chatbots

    Subscribers to ChatGPT Plus Will Be Able to Browse Tailored Chatbots That Perform Different Tasks

    OpenAI said on Wednesday that it was opening an app store for people to share customized versions of its popular chatbot, ChatGPT, as the artificial intelligence company works to expand the reach of its flagship technology and turn it into a moneymaker.

    The new store is called the GPT Store. People who spend $20 a month for a subscription to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus service can browse the store for custom chatbots that provide a wide array of services, including those that recommend books, teach mathematics and search through scientific papers.

    ,
  • Tuesday • January 9, 2024

    Avatar photo

    Techcrunch

    Amazon’s Alexa gets new generative AI-powered experiences

    At CES Amazon Revealed Three Developers delivering New Generative AI-Powered Alexa Experiences

    Among the slew of CES announcements this week, it should be no surprise to anyone that generative AI is a major theme from tech companies this year, including Volkswagen, Nvidia and — of course — Amazon.

    In September 2023, Amazon announced to developers that it would be launching new tools to build LLM-powered experiences. Today, the company revealed three developers delivering new generative AI-powered Alexa experiences, including AI chatbot platform Character.AI, AI music company Splash and Voice AI game developer Volley. All three experiences are available in the Amazon Alexa Skill Store.

    Character.AI’s new experience enables Alexa users to have real-time conversations with different personas, such as a fictional character called Librarian Linda, a personal trainer or even pretend-versions of historical figures like Socrates.

    ,
  • Friday • October 6, 2023

    Avatar photo

    The Verge

    Microsoft launches new web app store for Windows

    Microsof Rebuilt the Web Microsoft Store With a New AI

    “Microsoft has launched a new web version of its app store for Windows.
    It’s designed as a replacement for the existing way to find Windows apps on the web, with links from the site opening in the Microsoft Store client on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

    The software giant has ditched its old React codebase from its previous web version of the Microsoft Store and replaced it with a modern web version that uses Shoelace, Lit, Vite, and a C# ASPNET backend.

    “The old site was a React codebase built on an obsoleted UI framework,” explains Microsoft engineer Judah Gabriel in a post on X. “We created a fresh user experience with a thoughtfully designed interface, easier ways to discover new apps, modern web tech stack. I hope folks will find it useful.””