Technology - Google News

Windows 10 May 2020 update brings WSL 2, revamped Cortana assistant, and “Your Phone” calls to ARM devices - XDA Developers
The most powerful Raspberry Pi now has 8GB of RAM - The Verge
PS5 backwards compatibility will let you play "supported PS4 games with system update" - GamesRadar+

Windows 10 May 2020 update brings WSL 2, revamped Cortana assistant, and “Your Phone” calls to ARM devices - XDA Developers

Posted: 28 May 2020 04:31 AM PDT

per StatCounter, Windows commands a market share of 76.5%, meaning that every three out of four computers in the world run on Windows. While Windows did admittedly lose its dominant status as the OS across platforms to Android, it still presented itself as the go-to desktop option for many, many users. The latest version of Windows, Windows 10, is now receiving the May 2020 stable update, which brings several key features such as Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2, a revamped Cortana experience, Your Phone feature for Windows on ARM, and more.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 was first announced during Microsoft Build 2019, and is now being rolled out to all users under the stable Windows 10 branch. This update brings a full Linux kernel to the stable branch. As part of this update, WSL 2 is also now updateable through Windows Update, so users no longer need to rely on the command line only to update the kernel.

Microsoft did announce GPU acceleration and Linux GUI app support for WSL 2, at Microsoft Build 2020. But, these features are not yet available even for Windows Insiders, so there is bound to be further waiting for users on the stable branch.

Chat-based UI for Cortana

Another highlight of this Windows 10 version update is the new Cortana experience, which now takes the form of a chat with the digital assistant.

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Users can now interact with Microsoft's digital assistant in a chat-based user interface, via either text or by voice in natural language. You can resize, move, and dock the app window on your desktop to accommodate your preferred workflow. Cortana will be able to help you access information quicker, connect with people faster, and help you stay on track of your schedule. Specific tasks that Cortana can accomplish include calendar and schedule assistance, helping join meetings in Microsoft Teams, find out about people in the organization, make lists and set reminders, open apps and settings pages, get definitions and quick answers and get weather and news updates.

Your Phone on Windows 10 on ARM

The May 2020 update to Windows 10 brings the Your Phone app's calling feature to ARM supported PCs. The Your Phone app lets you place, receive, or text reply to incoming phone calls from your PC. Previously, this feature only worked if you had a supported Android device and an x86/x86-64 Windows 10 PC. However, with the May 2020 update to Windows 10, Microsoft is now enabling this functionality in the desktop Your Phone app for Windows 10 on ARM devices, like the Microsoft Surface Pro X and Samsung Galaxy Book S.

Price: Free

Other features

Other smaller features in this update include:

Faster Bluetooth pairing – devices can now be paired straight from the quick settings in notifications rather than opening Settings.
More kaomoji available within the Windows emoji keyboard.
Virtual desktops can now be named.
The Xbox Game Bar now supports third-party widgets, letting you customize the overlay experience to fit with the way you game.
Memory improvements in Microsoft Edge by taking advantage of segment heap capabilities.
The Calculator app can now float on top of other windows.
The Notepad app is getting updated with wrap-around find/replace, quick text zooming, and the ability to show when the file has unsaved changes by displaying an asterisk in the title bar.

Windows 10 May 2020 update is rolling out to desktops, though Microsoft is initially limiting availability to those devices running versions 1903 and 1909 who seek the update via Windows Update. If you wish to install the update, navigate to the Windows Update settings pane (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update), and select Check for updates. Once the update appears, you can choose to Download and Install. Note that the update may not be visible immediately as Microsoft will be ramping up roll out gradually.

Source: Windows Blog

XDA » News Brief » Windows 10 May 2020 update brings WSL 2, revamped Cortana assistant, and "Your Phone" calls to ARM devices

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The most powerful Raspberry Pi now has 8GB of RAM - The Verge

Posted: 28 May 2020 04:54 AM PDT

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has doubled the maximum amount of RAM available in the Raspberry Pi 4 to 8GB with a new device it's selling for $75. To take advantage of the RAM increase, the foundation is also releasing a new 64-bit version of its operating system in early beta. The new Raspberry Pi 4 is otherwise identical to the device that was announced in June last year, meaning it has the same ARM-based CPU, and HDMI, USB 3, and Ethernet ports.

8GB is a lot of RAM considering the Raspberry Pi's size and price. It's the same as many flagship smartphones released this year, and enough for an entry-level gaming PC. The Raspberry Pi Foundation says the additional memory should be useful for compiling large pieces of software, running heavy server workloads, or maybe just having more browser tabs open at once. We're sure that it won't take long for the community to come up with many interesting uses.

To take full advantage of the increased amounts of RAM, the foundation is also releasing a 64-bit version of its Raspbian operating system in early beta, renamed to Raspberry Pi OS. The Linux-based operating system currently uses a 32-bit kernel, which means it can't fully use 8GB of RAM. If you'd rather not run beta software, then there are other 64-bit OS's available for the Pi 4 like Ubuntu and Gentoo.

As well as the new 8GB model, the Raspberry Pi 4 is available with 4GB and 2GB of RAM for $55 and $35 respectively.

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PS5 backwards compatibility will let you play "supported PS4 games with system update" - GamesRadar+

Posted: 28 May 2020 03:29 AM PDT

The PS5 could support backwards compatibility for its library of PS4 games in the form of new updates following the launch of the console itself, according to a now deleted update on PlayStation Iceland's website.

As spotted via Reddit, the recently updated official PS5 page in Iceland originally stated that the upcoming next generation console will allow users to "Play a back catalog of supported PS4™ games with system update."

The sentence has now been deleted, but suggests that or Sony will be following Microsoft's approach to playing legacy titles on its new console, and continually expand the number of supported back-compat games with new updates every few weeks.

Alternatively, this could have just been a digital faux pas on PlayStation Iceland's part, and isn't a reliable indication of Sony's actual plans for its successor to the PS4. The company has already stated that over 4000 games will be supported by PS5 backwards compatibility, and with most of the top 100 confirmed to be playable at launch.

Relatedly, industry whispers are suggesting that PlayStation plans to host a digital PS5 event as early as next week, on June 3, in which more could be revealed about the PS5 price, PS5 specs, and slate of upcoming PS5 games. Be sure to stick to GamesRadar to find out more as soon as any news arrives.

For more, check out more upcoming PS4 games for 2020 and beyond, or watch our next gen episode of Dialogue Options below.

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