Software and Services - News

Spotify will roll out CD-quality audio streams later this year

Spotify HiFi will arrive next year in “select markets,” although there’s no word on how much the new audio tier will cost yet.

Amazon’s new Echo Show 10 and its rotating display will finally ship on Feburary 25

Better late than never, the third version of Amazon’s biggest smart display has a 10-inch screen that follows you around the room.

Google adds a privacy-oriented Guest Mode to its Home and Nest smart speakers and displays

Want to have an off-the-record chat with Google Assistant on your smart speaker? Now you can, thanks to Google’s just-launched Guest Mode.

Zoom update for Apple silicon Macs now available

App for virtual meeting now runs natively on the M1 SoC.

Microsoft Office 365 apps now run natively on Apple silicon Macs

The core apps of Office 365 - Excel, Outlook, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word - are now Universal apps that run natively on either Intel or Apple silicon.

Google smart displays get sticky notes for family members

Now you can ask Google Assistant to leave “Family Notes” on your Google display. Also: Google Assistant gets a “find my family” feature.

Google releases Chrome 87 with support for Apple silicon Macs

Apple’s built-in Safari browser may be the most popular among Mac users, but Google’s nearly ubiquitous Chrome is not far behind.

Microsoft updates trackpad and mouse support, start screens and Ribbon in Office for iPad

UI updates for Excel, Powerpoint, and Word on iPad.

New software program runs Windows directly on Chromebooks

Parallels claims its newly-launched Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise is the world’s first software that runs Windows directly on enterprise Chromebooks.

Optus to take the lag out of gaming

Optus wants Australian PC gamers to have a better experience so it’s introduced Game Path, designed to improve the gaming experience for serious PC gamers that is designed to reduce lag in video game play by 30% on average, according to the telco.

Echo family reimagined, inside and out

There’s a new-look Echo family for fans of the Amazon devices, featuring enhanced audio, more powerful hardware, and experiences that make Alexa smarter, more engaging, and helpful.