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Windows 10's 'Timeline' continuity tool arrives soon for Insiders
If you were bummed that this fall's Creators Update for Windows 10 didn't include Microsoft's version of Handoff, we feel you. But if you're a Windows Insider Program member, there's good news: Timeline will soon be available to folks in the Fast Ring. Cool, right?
Twitter’s ‘Happening Now’ feature groups tweets about ongoing events
Twitter is introducing a new feature to timelines that will keep you up to date on particular ongoing events. At the top of your timeline, you'll start to see a Happening Now label that will show you all of the events and current topics Twitter thinks you're interested in, which when clicked, will take you to tweets people have posted about them.
Windows 10's 'Timeline' feature won't arrive this fall
Microsoft's anticipated Timeline Windows feature won't be included in the Fall Creators Update. Timeline, revealed at Microsoft's Build developer conference in May, was expected to be a part of the update, but Microsoft VP Joe Belfiore said today that wouldn't be the case.
Windows 10 Timeline remembers everything you did on your PC
One of the more intriguing features Microsoft will include in this fall's Windows 10 Creators Update is Timeline. As the name suggests, it's a way for you to move backwards in time and see things you were working on in the past and resume what you were doing. Microsoft described it as a visual timeline of everything you were doing on your computer, and you can jump back into files, applications and websites where you left off.
Uber's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad 2017
Uber is believed to be the world's most valuable startup, with estimates pegging the company as being worth around $70 billion. Its business, and its CEO, have always garnered controversy, but to date, Uber has been able to survive whatever slings and arrows were thrown its way. 2017, however, may be the year that the company faces its reckoning as crisis upon crisis washes over it. Here's a timeline of some of the major events that have hit the service in the past four months.
Twitter's search results are now sorted by relevance
Earlier this year, Twitter started moving away from the reverse chronological timeline and started prioritizing algorithmically "relevant" tweets in order to keep users more engaged. Starting today, Twitter will now be ordering its search results the same way in hopes that more relevant results will improve the search experience as well.
BT is looking for the speaking clock's next voice
It's almost baffling to think that despite the many ways we can check the time, especially in our display-saturated era, BT's speaking clock still receives roughly 12 million calls each year. Dial 123 on most phones (at a cost of at least 45p!) and you'll hear the voice of Sara Mendes da Costa telling you what's what "at the third stroke..." Her almost decade-long tenure will come to an end this year, though, as BT has launched a competition to find the speaking clock's next and fifth "permanent" voice.
Facebook tests News Feed-only posts that avoid your Timeline
Being able to hide a Facebook update after it posts isn't entirely new, but the social network is testing a way to let users keep things from ever hitting their Timeline. A "Hide From Your Timeline" checkbox will allow you to only publish something in the News Feed, without the need to remove it afterwards. CNET reports that any post you keep off your Timeline will still show up in search results and they'll be listed alongside your other activity on the "Your Posts" page that only you can view. The feature appears to available for a select few on the web, and Facebook isn't saying when or if it'll be a permanent addition.
The collapse of Microsoft and Nokia's mobile business
Microsoft's smartphone business is in free fall, with the company selling just 2.3 million devices in the last three months. It's likely that you'll still be able to buy a Microsoft-branded smartphone, but it's probably not something the firm will devote a lot of time and energy to. After all, making phones is an expensive business, and if there's no chance to make any sort of profit, it's not worth the effort. If you've been watching Microsoft over the last five years, it'll come as no surprise that its smartphone plans have foundered. If you want to explore the evolution and collapse of Microsoft's mobile ambitions, check out our timeline.
Instagram says it's not changing your feed... yet
The internet flung into a panic today as users prepped for Instagram to change how images display in its feed. Earlier this month, the filter-driven photo app announced that it would switch from a chronological order of photos to an algorithm-based approach like Facebook does with the News Feed and Twitter's option for organizing Timelines. The idea is to push things the software thinks you'd like to see more to the top, but, of course, this means you're likely to miss out on some things, too. Based on the high level of panic and the service being inundated with posts begging followers to turn on notifications, Instagram took to Twitter to assure us that nothing is changing yet.
Don't like Twitter's new algorithmic feed? Then turn it off.
Remember the uproar that was #RIPTwitter from a few weeks back? Well, conserve your internet outrage because, love it or hate it, Twitter's new algorithmic timeline -- the one that surfaces "tweets you are likely to care about most" -- is now enabled by default. According to The Next Web, Twitter began rolling out the feature early this week and catching many users by surprise. The change comes after the company debuted the feature back in February as a then opt-in setting. Though, at the time, it did warn users this new feed would be automatically turned on as it rolled out. The good news is that you're not stuck with the setting which gives timeline priority to tweets from accounts you regularly interact with. You can easily head to settings to disable it. Or, if you're the lazy type, simply refresh your feed and you should see the good ol' reverse chronological timeline we all seem to cling to so fiercely. Image credit: Twitter
Twitter should make harassment, not algorithms, a priority
The rumors were true: Twitter confirmed today that it's rolling out -- horrors! -- an algorithmic newsfeed. Essentially a version of its "While You Were Away" feature, the new timeline lets you see the "most important tweets" you've missed. Thankfully, as soon as you refresh the page, the standard chronological list of tweets will return, and if you don't like it, it's pretty easy to deactivate in Settings. Which is a good thing, considering it's not a feature many users have asked for. In fact, many of Twitter's recent endeavors have very little at all to do with what its users want.
Twitter's timeline option puts important tweets up top
Twitter is doing its best to make sure you see the best content in your timeline. At least that's what it's hoping it's doing with today's announcement of a new timeline option. The new feature drops what Twitter determines are the best tweets at the top of your timeline. Now before you lose your mind, the feature is opt-in for now. But in the coming weeks the company will slowly roll it out to everyone with a message in the app or online showing you how to use it and giving you the option to turn it off.
Twitter says your timeline isn't changing (update: details)
Were you panicking at the thought of Twitter messing with your timeline order? Were you declaring #RIPTwitter and getting ready to move to Peach? Relax. Twitter chief Jack Dorsey has piped up to say that there's no truth to the rumors of a Facebook-like feed arriving next week. It was "never planned," he says. In fact, Dorsey adds that the company hopes to make Twitter "feel more, not less, live" -- he knows full well that you want that steady stream of updates.
Twitter no longer crops the photos in your Timeline
A small change, but one that's welcome all the same. Starting today Twitter.com will no longer crop the photos in your timeline, saving you a click to see holiday snaps, selfies and anything else the people you follow have been posting. It also means that when you upload an image, especially anything in a square format, you don't have to worry about how it'll appear on the web. That's good news for shutterbugs and news organisations, although power users will probably be disappointed in the move, which ultimately sacrifices tweet volume for visual media.
Twitter clutters up iOS and Android timelines with 'Who to Follow'
Twitter really wants new users to stick around. Now that means helping them find interesting accounts by placing "Who to follow" in the timeline of its iOS and Android apps. So now when you load Twitter on your phone you can expect to see in your timeline: "While you were away" ( a collection of tweets from accounts you follow that were published while you were away), a sponsored tweet or two and now Who to follow. Fortunately when it does pop up in your timeline its anchored to where it appeared and doesn't clutter up your feed every time you load the app. Also you can tap on the tiny X in top right-hand corner to dismiss the feature so it doesn't disrupt the flow of your meticulously curated list of random thoughts from friends and brands.
Facebook lets you choose what appears in your News Feed
If you're a regular Facebook user, you'll know that the posts that appear in your News Feed are visible because of an algorithm. It's part of the company's mission to reduce post overload, but it can often mean that you'll miss updates from some of your friends. In May, Zuckerberg and co. began testing a new feature that let users choose what they see in their feeds, but it was only available to a select few. From today, however, the new set of controls are rolling out to all.
Pebble returns to Kickstarter for its next-gen color smartwatch
Three years ago, Pebble made crowdfunding history by raising over $10 million on Kickstarter for its simple e-ink smartwatch -- a whole two years before Android Wear even existed. The company has rolled out some new designs and features since then, but despite growing competition from the likes of Google and Apple, the Pebble watch itself hasn't really changed. Until today. Say hello to the Pebble Time, the next-generation Pebble smartwatch. It has a color display, a slimmer design, a microphone and a whole new operating system. And it's making its debut on the platform that got it all started: Kickstarter.
Twitter's 'while you were away' recaps are here
Concerned you're missing out a tweetstorm or two while doing annoying things like flying, sleeping, or having face to face conversations? Twitter is ready to fix that problem with its "while you were away" feature. Spotted a few weeks ago in a soft launch, the blog post announcing its official rollout suggests the screen will pop up more frequently if you usually take breaks between Twitter sessions -- it's possibly power users won't be seeing it much at all. The service believes it can strike a balance between "improving" the timeline without destroying the real-time response many users love -- we'll see if that's true. "While you were away" is rolling out for all Twitter users on iOS starting today, while Twitter.com and the Android app should see it soon. Update (2/23): And now it's on Android too.
The Borderlands timeline unfurled
With the recent release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Gearbox knows it may have some fans with questions on how the series' timeline is organized. That's understandable when your latest game is sub-titled "The Pre-Sequel." To bring order to the chaos, the series developer offered an "ultimate Borderlands timeline" on its blog late last week. The comic-style timeline divulges major plot points from before the original Borderlands through its direct sequel, Borderlands 2. Viewers beware: Gearbox didn't shy away from spoiling those major events in the timeline, including that of The Pre-Sequel. Our review of the latest game noted that the game is "missing just a bit of soul," but still "has the makings of a pretty great Borderlands game." The series' overarching story will continue with The Walking Dead developer Telltale's adventure game, Tales From the Borderlands, which is expected to launch this year. [Image: Gearbox Software]