Outside of Chrome, Drive, and Quick Share, Google rarely makes native desktop apps with everything usually being based in the browser. That’s changing today with a new experimental “Google app for Windows.”
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Microsoft appears to be working to add clipboard sync between Windows 11 and Android through its Phone Link system, and it works with Gboard too.
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Back in 2021, Microsoft announced Windows 11 SE as a lightweight platform to rival Google’s ChromeOS, but now, the company is pulling the plug on the offshoot.
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Like on Android phones, Samsung will be responsible for the Quick Share experience on its Windows PCs.
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If you’re seeing issues installing Google Chrome on Windows right now, you’re not alone, as Google has seemingly broken downloads due to a faulty install tool that “can’t run” on most Windows PCs.
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In a minor change, the “Quick Share from Google” Windows app has been “renamed and rebranded” to just Quick Share.
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The launch of the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus last year brought a new importance to making Windows apps for Arm-powered PCs, and one notable omission was Google Drive. After launching in beta last year, the Google Drive app for Windows is now widely available for Snapdragon and Arm-powered machines.
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Google is rolling out a new update for the Quick Share app on Windows which improves how you can change visibility settings among other changes and fixes.
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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips have brought significantly better battery life to Windows laptops, but at a cost. Apparently, though, Qualcomm has plans for an even cheaper “entry-level” Snapdragon X chip that could be in “$600+” machines.
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Following the arrival of new Snapdragon-powered laptops based on ARM, the Google Drive app for Windows is gaining support for these machines via a new beta release.
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Windows already allows Android phone connection in Phone Link, though it’s limited to photo access and a couple of other features. Through a system integration with File Explorer, Windows may soon allow users to view and edit Android phone files through PCs.
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Microsoft has just made a host of big Copilot announcements including new AI features for Windows, updated branding and designs, and more.
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The second wave of Snapdragon-powered laptops is coming, and for a more affordable cost too. Lenovo has just launched its first IdeaPad laptop with Snapdragon X Plus at IFA this week, and for hundreds less than its previous Snapdragon model.
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A few months after Snapdragon X laptops hit the market, Google has confirmed plans for the Drive app to support ARM chips.
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Google Essentials is a “new app that makes it easier for you to discover and install” Google’s first-party services on Windows.
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After initially being put on hold, Microsoft today announced that Recall, an AI feature that takes screenshots of everything you do in Windows, will launch in October.
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Utilizing the existing connection between Android phones and Windows with the Phone Link app, Microsoft is now baking Nearby Share into PCs, starting with the Preview Channel and making its way to public versions of Windows.
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One of the big perks of using a Samsung Galaxy smartphone alongside a Windows laptop is the ability to stream Android apps from your phone to Windows, but it can be a little messy. With One UI 6.1.1, though, Samsung has made a small, but impactful tweak.
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Microsoft is preparing more and more new features for Phone Link, its connection between Windows and Android. That includes, soon, putting Phone Link directly into the Windows 11 Start Menu.
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Microsoft is using Copilot as a pillar for the future of Windows, but the Copilot experience sees a huge downgrade with the debut of “Copilot+ PCs,” as it’s now just a simple web app.
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The Snapdragon X Elite has finally arrived and, with it, Windows laptops that might be able to stand up to the MacBook in areas they’ve fallen well behind in. After a day with Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptop, I’m excited for this new future.
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Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 will soon integrate your Android phone device into the share menu in coming updates.
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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Plus are helping to usher in a new wave of Arm-powered Windows laptops and, apparently, MediaTek will join the fun next year.
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Through its Phone Link app, Microsoft has been making it easier to have a connected experience between Android and Windows and, soon, that might include accessing your phone’s file directly from File Explorer.
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