All articles tagged with #desktop
Googlebook adds a true ChromeOS desktop with app icons, folders, and drag‑and‑drop Android apps, plus Gemini‑powered, Create My Widget widgets for personalized dashboards, delivering a more capable, bridge between mobile and desktop workflows while keeping a minimalist option.
Google has rolled out a Gemini app for macOS that lets you summon a floating AI chat bubble from anywhere on your desktop (via Option+Space), grant it permission to access screen data, and have Gemini respond using what you’re viewing. The app can generate images, videos, and music, supports uploading files from Google Drive, and lets you revisit previous conversations, all aiming to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity on the desktop. It’s free to download and supports macOS 15.0 and up, with a Windows version released a day earlier.
AMD expands its 3D cache strategy with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, a 16-core/32-thread CPU that doubles on-die cache across two CCDs to boost both gaming and creator workloads, delivering a claimed 7–13% uplift in tasks like 3D rendering and Unreal Engine compile times, at a 200W TDP, slightly lower boost clock (5.6GHz) and a $700 price, launching April 22; real-world gains on non-creative apps remain unclear, and the move underscores AMD’s ongoing competition with Intel in the high-end desktop segment.
Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro and confirmed no future models will be developed, effectively ending the line. The Mac Pro’s last update was in 2023 with an M2 Ultra, but the chassis hasn’t been refreshed since 2019. Apple now positions the Mac Studio as its high-end pro desktop, with PCIe expansion limited compared to the Pro, signaling a shift to a smaller, silicon-based desktop lineup.
OpenAI is reportedly building a desktop 'superapp' that bundles ChatGPT, the Codex coding tool, and the Atlas browser into one app to reduce fragmentation and accelerate product quality, per a Wall Street Journal report citing Fidji Simo. The move aims to focus on core bets and avoid distractions, with mobile ChatGPT staying the same and competition from Anthropic ramping up.
Intel’s Core Ultra 200S Plus (Arrow Lake Refresh) adds more cores, higher clock speeds, faster memory support, and improved inter‑chip communication to boost gaming performance by about 15%. The lineup includes 24‑core 270K Plus/270KF Plus (8 P‑cores, 16 E‑cores) at $299 and 6 P‑cores/12 E‑cores 250K/250KF Plus at $199, with prices roughly aligned to predecessors. They use the LGA 1851 socket and 800‑series chipsets and arrive March 26. Intel also touts the Binary Optimization Tool to enhance performance for games not optimized for newer CPUs.
Google’s Desktop Camera on the Play Store hints at Android being tailored for desktop form factors, showing a simplified, desktop-friendly UI that resembles ChromeOS and signals Google’s push for native desktop utilities, though the app is currently incompatible with most devices.
System76 continues refining its Rust-based COSMIC desktop with Epoch 1 updates for Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS, adding features like rounded window corners for all windows, improved multi-monitor handling, default tab-to-click, audio auto-routing fixes, better icon handling in the Application Library, X11 window activation in the compositor, crash fixes, new Files settings including network path entry in the breadcrumb bar, and 2FA VPN support across COSMIC Settings.
Framework has raised RAM prices for its Desktop and Mainframe systems in response to higher supplier costs, adding about $40 to the 32GB and 64GB options and $460 to the 128GB configuration (new prices: $1,139 for 32GB, $1,639 for 64GB, $2,459 for 128GB). Existing pre-orders will keep the old pricing, and Framework says it will lower RAM prices again when market conditions calm, as RAM costs rise amid AI and data-center demand.
The Anker Nano Charger is a compact, powerful desktop charger with six ports (four USB-C and two USB-A) offering 130W total power, designed to reduce cable clutter and efficiently charge multiple devices simultaneously, though it lacks wireless charging and a display.
The Framework Desktop, despite being less modular than its laptop counterparts, offers a compact, powerful, and customizable small form factor PC suitable for gaming and content creation, with a unique design and no bloatware.
A user attempts to switch from Linux to FreeBSD, highlighting that FreeBSD, a UNIX derivative, offers a robust and easy-to-set-up desktop experience with features like a single package manager, ZFS, and VM support, though it faces some compatibility and refinement challenges compared to Linux.
Spotify has introduced a miniplayer for its desktop app, offering support for music, video, and podcasts. The feature, available for Spotify Premium users, allows for discreet control over content and can be resized to fit user preferences. It operates independently of the main desktop window and is designed to enhance the user experience while working.
Spotify has finally introduced a Miniplayer feature for its desktop app, allowing Premium subscribers to access quick playback controls in a resizable floating window. This long-requested feature enables users to change tracks, select playlists, and adjust volume while using other applications. The Miniplayer, available by clicking a square icon in the lower right corner of the app, offers a square aspect ratio for videos and a minimal bar for less intrusive control. This addition potentially eliminates the need for third-party apps and may eventually extend to free plan users.
Spotify has introduced a new miniplayer for its desktop app, allowing Premium subscribers to switch between video and audio-only formats and resize the player to better fit their desktop layout.