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Android loses its emulator edge as Apple trims the hedge on its walled garden in this week's news
This week in Android: Big Tech goes on a killing spree, and the grass IS greener on the other side of the pond
With some of the biggest companies in the world constantly competing for market- and mindshare, there's never a dull week in Android news. This week, a few big names outside the usual Google-Samsung two-step came to dance, as EU regulators and corporate lawyers alike laid down the litigation. Of course, Google itself still made headlines, but not all of them were good. If you haven't been following the space as closely as you'd like, we've got you covered with a rundown of this week's top five headlines below.
Microsoft just killed off Windows Subsystem for Android
Prepare to go back to Android emulators in 2025
Earlier this week, popular Nintendo Switch emulators Citra and Yuzu announced they are shutting shop after the latter’s developers settled with the corporation for $2.4 billion, but it appears emulators of another kind are staring a resurgence in the face. Android emulators for Microsoft Windows could soon become popular again because the company just announced the shutdown of Windows Subsystem for Android, a module which allows users to run Android apps as native programs.
Last call to save 86% on a Microsoft Office Pro lifetime license
Your chance to get Office Professional Plus 2019 for just $30 ends this weekend
If you're looking for a deal on software packages or applications, it's a safe bet that StackSocial is going to be the place you'll want to look. Throughout the year, it drops insane deals that take upwards of 90% off everything from Microsoft's latest operating systems, like the new Windows 11, to training courses and productivity apps like Microsoft Office.
Microsoft's keyboard app is borrowing a Snapchat feature nobody asked for
Swiftkey first teased AR lenses back in September
Many Microsoft products already incorporate AI capabilities, and the popular keyboard app SwiftKey hasn't been immune to this phenomenon. The keyboard first teased AI-based image-generation capabilities back in September. Microsoft has since rebranded Bing Image Creator into Image Creator from Designer while also unleashing Microsoft Copilot. In the meantime, the company also announced a partnership with Snap to offer AR-based filters and lenses directly within the keyboard app. This feature is now getting another announcement from SwiftKey, along with some changes to how these AR lenses are accessed.
Microsoft's Copilot AI can now replace Google Assistant on Android
But you might want to hold off for now
Android's customization is one of its key strengths, allowing you to personalize the OS as you like. So, while all Android phones ship with Google Assistant as the default assistant, you can use any voice assistant you like as long as the latter supports this feature. In early January 2024, signs popped up that OpenAI's ChatGPT could soon support becoming the default assistant on Android. While that has not happened yet, Microsoft has updated the Copilot Android app, enabling you to set it as your phone's default digital assistant app.
Your favorite tech company might be lying to you – and getting away with it
Should there be larger repercussions when companies get caught falsely advertising?
False advertising goes beyond being just an annoyance -- it's a sign of a rotten company with no integrity. It has real-world repercussions, and tech companies often seem to be among the worst false advertisers. Is it time to move beyond a slap on the wrist and start to consider serious legal ramifications when companies clearly break the law?
Save up to 90% on Microsoft coding and productivity apps with these can't-miss deals
Save big on Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022, Visio 2021 Professional, and Project 2021 Professional with these fantastic deals
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Microsoft Excel has been around longer than some of the flexible and more intuitive options like Google Sheets. Excel is popular for its advanced functionality, but its complexity can scare away many new users. If you're tired of staring at a blank Excel spreadsheet and thinking about designing and using the appropriate formulas to get your desired result, try Excel templates.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots are two words in the tech world that you will be hearing more about sooner rather than later. AI has taken over various industries and is on many of our devices, including smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. Some of the biggest tech companies are working on their AI-powered chatbots of the future, and Microsoft is no exception. In this guide, we discuss Microsoft Copilot and how to access it on all your devices, from a smartphone app to the web.
Microsoft launches new $20 Copilot Pro subscription with AI features you might actually use
Pay extra for faster responses, greater freedom with image generation, and more
In 2023, every major tech company launched a standalone consumer-facing AI chatbot — OpenAI was first to the party with ChatGPT, Google created Bard, and Microsoft called its creation Copilot. Copilot is closely integrated with the company’s Bing search engine and its functionality closely resembles the best in the business — answers in a conversational tone, image generation, logical reasoning, data organization, etc. Microsoft has now announced a paid tier called Copilot Pro with more features and a subscription fee.
What is T-NLG and how does it work?
Learn how Microsoft's Turing Natural Language Generation model understands and generates natural language, and the ways it can make your job easier
T-NLG stands for Turing Natural Language Generation. It's an AI that predicts the natural flow of human language. The name Turing comes from Alan Turing, a British mathematician famous for code-breaking during World War II. Turing developed the Turing machine, the first concept of a computer, and the Turing test, a way to assess a computer's ability to respond like a human.
What is Microsoft Designer?
Microsoft's graphic design tool with an AI touch is ready to take on Adobe and Canva
Microsoft officially entered the graphic design space with Microsoft Designer in late 2022. The software giant made Designer free to anyone in mid-2023. Unlike traditional graphic design tools like Canva and Adobe Express, Designer uses generative AI to create stunning designs in no time.
Microsoft is adding another dedicated button to its keyboards — and of course, it's for AI
Copilot gets some prime real estate in PCs set to be showcased at CES
Microsoft's obsession with artificial intelligence continues with the recent launch of mobile app versions of its Copilot AI. The company also sprinkled AI into every nook and cranny of its software, and boldly crowned Microsoft Edge as the "AI browser" at the start of 2024. In a clear sign of its ongoing AI commitment, Microsoft announced that Windows 11 keyboards will feature a dedicated Copilot key.
Microsoft's AI chatbot app Copilot is now on the Play Store
Android users can get free access to GPT-4 and DALL-E
Whether you love them or hate them, AI chatbots are here to stay. Powered by large language models, chatbots have carved a unique place into many people's workflows. They can teach you a new subject or serve as a faster alternative to a Google search. Various chatbots are available to us, and they are all pretty similar, but we have our favorites. Google's new GPT-4 competitor Gemini Pro dominated the headlines with its recent release, but quietly, Microsoft just made its AI more accessible to Android users.
13 best Google Play Store alternatives for apps and games
Sick of Google's Monopoly, perhaps it's time to seek out competing digital media marketplaces
Google has always monopolized the markets when it comes to Android apps and games. And it's not beneath the company to succumb to using dirty tricks like showering alternative app stores with money to choke out its competition. Google has made it abundantly clear that it wants the Play Store to be the only app store in town, but it doesn't mean it deserves its crown.
Microsoft wants Xbox on mobile as it seeks partners for a new gaming store
Microsoft may soon attempt to break into the mobile gaming space
Microsoft has taken notice of the ongoing drama surrounding Apple's and Google's app store practices. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, famously brought attention to the possibility of monopolistic patterns in two different lawsuits against the tech giants. In the wake of significant investments in its gaming division, including the recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has recently hinted at an Xbox mobile store that would clearly compete with Google and Apple.
Microsoft Phone Link could soon turn your Android phone into a webcam
Phone Link for Windows is about to get much better
Google has long been working on its Continuity Camera clone for Android, enabling you to turn your phone into a webcam. While the feature did not debut with Android 14, it should go live with the December 2023 Feature Drop. Sadly, our hands-on experience with the feature has not been positive, with Google's implementation having some frustrating limitations. Microsoft could offer a viable alternative to Google's Continuity Camera feature, with the company working on adding the ability to use an Android phone as a webcam to its Phone Link app.
Microsoft abandoning smartphone development made sense at the time, but was it a mistake?
What would the mobile landscape look like if Microsoft hadn't called it quits?
Microsoft's spirited sojourns into mobile development haven't exactly been slam dunks, bogged down with middling design choices and failure to adapt in a competitive market. It wasn't exactly a fair fight; Google and Apple are (for the most part) completely dedicated to mobile development and can, therefore, devote the necessary time and resources. Microsoft was in the opposite position, a front-runner in PC development that was also busy co-running the console gaming industry with the Xbox. How on earth could the company possibly keep up with the high-pressure mobile industry on top of everything else?
Microsoft Teams wants to be a virtual Marie Kondo for your office space
These new AI tricks should certainly spark joy
Thanks to the pandemic's video call boom, your favorite video chat apps now have fancy features like background blurring or swapping, turning our homes into anything from serene beaches to bustling cityscapes. Microsoft, in particular, went all out for Teams, offering a smorgasbord of imaginative backgrounds for every imaginable situation. But let's face it, those virtual backgrounds often look as fake as they are. Enter Microsoft's new AI-powered background makeover tool, which ditches the tacky virtual backgrounds and uses AI to spruce up your actual surroundings, however messy they look.
The push for hybrid workspaces has remained at the forefront since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Today, challenges still arise for fully remote and hybrid arrangements. Employers have concerns about how to integrate collaboration into team projects when working virtually. Historically, the office has been more than setting up a workspace. It has become a place to meet up, collaborate, and innovate. But as technology has transformed, more people have depended on their portable Chromebooks and in-home offices to get work done.