Microsoft’s Build developer conference is taking place this week, and Microsoft has already announced a bunch of new and upcoming software and service updates coming for developers and end users. One of the most intriguing is ARM-native versions of the company’s developer tools, plus a new ARM-based PC for developers set to launch later this year with support for hardware-accelerated AI features.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Microsoft has also announced that developers will be able to create 3rd-party widgets for Windows 11 (which currently only supports a handful of Microsoft-made widgets), submit Win32 apps to the Microsoft Store without joining a waitlist first, and that users will eventually be able to restore previously-installed Microsoft Store apps on a new computer, which could make switching to a new PC as seamless as switching to a new iPhone or Android device… assuming you ever actually bother to download anything from the Microsoft Store in the first place.
Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.
Developers can now submit Win32 apps for inclusion in the Microsoft Store without first joining a waitlist. The Amazon Appstore and Windows Subsystem for Android (which lets you run Android apps) is also coming to 5 more countries this year. https://t.co/cC4JBW2eiO pic.twitter.com/lmR9W0Y3E0
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) May 24, 2022
Windows 11 brought widgets back to Microsoft’s desktop OS, but so far the only widgets available are made by Microsoft, but the company says developers will be able to create their own later this year as companions to PWA and Win32 apps. https://t.co/cC4JBW2eiO pic.twitter.com/bHz0omghM6
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) May 24, 2022
Microsoft will test a feature later this year letting you “restore” apps that have previously been downloaded from the Microsoft Store, much the way you can on iOS or Android devices. This could make setting up a new PC easier (if you use MS Store apps). https://t.co/yERTB32LxH pic.twitter.com/DPSNJytfDH
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) May 24, 2022
Windows Terminal Preview 1.14 brings support for a single background image spanning across multiple pans, Ctrl+Shift+A to select all text in the buffer, and other improvements and bug fixes. https://t.co/IlEwAkttmw
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) May 24, 2022
Logitech’s new MX Mechanical and MX Mechanical Mini are keyboards with mechanical switches but a business (rather than gaming) aesthetic and sound dampening. They join a new MX Master 3S wireless mouse with 2X the DPI of the MX Master 3. https://t.co/xBAIvCkXsF
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) May 24, 2022
The Asus ROG Swift 500hz is a 24.1 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel display that’s the first gaming monitor with a 500 Hz refresh rate. It also supports NVIDIA G-Sync. https://t.co/ZOb5JatA1X
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) May 24, 2022
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