Items tagged with Beta
We are inching closer to the universal availability of high-speed Internet. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently announced that there will soon be a larger Starlink broadband public beta. SpaceX is currently waiting for its sixty recently launched satellites to reach their “target positions” before the company can launch the expanded beta. The satellites were launched earlier this week after being delayed four times due to inclement weather and other issues. Astrophysicists estimate that all the satellites will fully reach their target positions by the middle of February 2021. The larger public beta will reportedly be available in the “northern US and possibly southern Canada.”...
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Back in early July, Apple released the first public beta for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. What was conspicuously missing, however, was any sign of the first public beta for macOS Big Sur. Well, a month later, after Apple has already released four developer betas of Big Sur, the company is ready to move forward with its first public beta of Big Sur. Like the iOS and iPadOS betas, Apple makes it relatively simple for you to install the public beta of Big Sur onto your Mac. The first step, of course, is to visit the Apple Beta Software Program website. If you haven’t already registered as a tester, you can use the site to do so. Once registered, you’ll need to...
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Twitch launched a closed beta for Twitch Studio a few months ago. The beta was a new streaming app, and Twitch says that "tons" of streamers that signed up to try it. After taking all the feedback from the streamers who tried Twitch Studio beta, the beta is now open to everyone who wants to try it out. Twitch Studio Beta is available for anyone on Windows 7 or newer operating system. To talk streamers into trying the open beta for the new Studio, Twitch is running down some of the best features of the beta software. The setup is guided, making it easy to detect your mic, webcam, monitor resolution, bitrate, and more to help the stream look and sound great. The beta offers customizable templates...
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Steam has announced a new feature is now available for gamers to check out. The new feature is called Remote Play Together, and it gives players a way to play compatible games with up to four friends in split-screen. Steam notes that under ideal circumstances, more than four people can play at the same time. The coolest part is that only the host needs to own and install the gam; other players connect through Steam Remote Play streaming tech. The steps to joining the beta required to try out the new remote play feature include registering for the Steam beta. There are instructions on signing up for and downloading the Steam beta client can be found here. Once registered, players can invite friends...
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Sometimes making it into a beta test for a new service seems as unlikely as hitting the lottery. Some folks may have thought when Google announced Project Stream earlier this month and invited people to sign up for a chance at the beta test for the service, the odds of getting in on a Google beta for a completely new service were slim. As it turns out, it appears that Google invited everyone who signed up for the beta. If you signed up, check your email because you probably have an invite sitting there. Inside the welcome email is a setup code unique to each user. To play you go to the Project Stream website, where you enter your setup code, agree that you are 17-years old or older, and agree...
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Apple has rolled out the very first public beta of its upcoming iOS 12 software for iPads and iPhones. This marks the first time that people outside the Apple developers community have had access to iOS 12. Apple fans can download the new software and use it now. Naturally, with the word "beta" attached to the software, there are caveats to it with the big one being that there will be plenty of bugs present. That is the purpose of a beta; to let users find bugs that Apple can squash. Among known bugs in iOS 12 as a beta product are incorrect data in Map and other apps, CarPlay crashes when side and backup cameras are used, and dropped calls can occur in FaceTime if you are multitasking. If you...
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Google released the first developer preview for Android Pback in early March, but at the time, we didn't know what Google would call the mobile operating system. Well, today at Google I/O, the tech giant spilled the beans on some of the new features that will be included in the operating system, but we still don't have an official name yet... bummer. Google isn't attempting to reinvent the wheel with Android P, but it is making a big push for artificial intelligence (AI) on the platform. By allowing more processing to take place on-device, you don't have to rely so much on the cloud, and your data stays secure on your smartphone. The company worked with its DeepMind division to use...
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PUBG gamers have a new map to look forward to that is in testing right now. That new PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds map is called Codename: Savage and it is notably different in setting and size than other maps available for the game. The Savage map is much smaller than other maps measuring in at 4km x 4km compared to the 8km x 8 km size of other maps in the game. It's also set in a tropical jungle location. PlayerUnknown himself, Brendan Greene, has said that the smaller map will give gamers a "much more intense and faster paced Battle Royale experience." The test of the map is running on a server right now that requires a key to try, but PUBG has said that hundreds of thousands of more keys are...
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It might be time to look at a different web browser if you have been set in your ways with how you navigate the internet. A brand new beta version of Firefox has just landed and while technically it would be Firefox 57, the changes are so big that it's getting new branding and is called Firefox Quantum. Nick Nguyen from Mozilla wrote, "Engines are important, both in cars and in browsers. That’s why we’re so revved up this morning – we’re releasing the Beta of a whole new Firefox, one that’s powered by a completely reinvented, modernized engine. Since the version number – 57 – can’t really convey the magnitude of the changes we’ve made, and how much faster this new Firefox is, we’re calling this...
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Battlefield 1 opened to public beta testers back on August 31st, and it’s been a whirlwind ride for gamers, developer DICE, and publisher Electronic Arts. The reviews for the beta have been overwhelmingly positive, with many saying that it harks back to the original Battlefield 1942 title, and first and foremost emphasizes having fun over managing intricate weapon load outs or battling it out in future dystopian lands. The back to basics approach has paid off, as DICE says that the Battlefield 1 beta was the “biggest beta in EA’s history”. A number of impressive stats were tossed out via an infographic including that over 13.2 million gamers took part in the beta. The most popular class during...
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Hardworking iOS app developers are finally getting a reprieve from busybody app reviewers thanks to a policy update from Apple. Up until this week, users running beta versions of iOS software have been able to leave reviews for apps in the App Store with reckless abandon. It doesn’t take long to see why this has been a problem. Developers that have created apps for an existing, stable platform (i.e., iOS 8) have been penalized by beta testers leaving negative reviews for their apps running on beta versions of the operating system (i.e., iOS 9). It’s common sense that beta testers might experience app irregularities, crashes, and general wonkiness when running beta software, but developers shouldn’t...
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When Apple announced OS X El Capitan and iOS 9 at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in early June, it promised to make available public betas of both operating systems this summer. True to its word, Apple opened the floodgates today by giving everyday consumers a taste of test versions of both operating systems, which will be released this fall. Apple has offered a public beta of OS X Yosemite last year, but this the first time that the company has offered a wide-scale public beta of its iOS operating system. In order to take advantage of the public betas, you will first need to register via the Apple Beta Software Program website. In the case of the El Capitan beta, Apple suggests backing...
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Before the official retail release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite, Apple opened up a public beta, which gave customers an early preview of what was to come with the retail release (and gave Apple more data points to scour over when it came to bug reports). According to a new report from 9 to 5 Mac, it looks as though Apple will begin extending public betas to future releases of iOS. Given the recent reports of quality issues with OS X and iOS, Apple could definitely use some more eyes to watch out for glaring bugs or stability issues. According to 9 to 5 Mac, “Apple intends to release the upcoming iOS 8.3 as a public beta via the company’s existing AppleSeed program in mid-March… This release will match...
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Congratulations to those of you who've spent the weekend playing Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth -- it sure beats raking leaves or any other chores that are typically reserved for the end of the work week. Want to make your gaming experience even better? If you own an AMD graphics card with the Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, there's a beta driver available to enable the Mantle API in Beyond Earth. AMD Catalyst 14.9.2 is now available to download, and in addition to bringing Mantle to Beyond Earth, it also includes dual graphics optimizations for KritiKa an SheDiaoZeroe, and a Project Cars profile update. The rest of what's included in the driver package are a bunch of fixes for...
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Back in April, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto V would be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms. One thing many fans of highly anticipated games look forward to is the beta access. Getting the opportunity to play, test, and provide feedback on the game is one that many enjoy participating in. But, as usual, there are those that try to take advantage of a consumer’s enthusiasm and Rockstar Games is warning fans not to fall for any beta scams. Considering the popularity of GTA V, which was able to generate $800 million in sales within the first 24 hours of release, it is no surprise that scammers would try to capitalize on that success and anticipation of...
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On Android, given that it's built by Google, consumers already have access to what is arguably the best routing/navigational app in the known universe: Google Maps. But if for some reason that doesn't appeal to you, there's another major player coming to Android at long last. The HERE team is announcing this week that a beta of its mapping app is now ready for Android users, so long as you're using a Samsung device. Thanks to a licensing agreement with Samsung, it'll be available for free, exclusively for Samsung Galaxy smartphones like the Galaxy S5. What makes HERE special is that it'll work without an Internet connection. If you have a solid GPS signal, you're in business, even when it comes...
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Leap Motion has making a bit of noise in the computer industry, snagging a partnership with ASUS to bundle its controller with PCs, getting it onto Best Buy shelves, and embedding its technology into some HP PCs, but the company is still building up to its July 22nd release, when it will bring a polished version of the controller to consumers. A host of compatible apps will accompany the release, it seems. Developers in the Leap Motion Controller beta program will be able to get busy working with the device for the next month or so. Leap Motion says that the number of developers is in the thousands, and they’ll be testing the controller and their software on Windows and Mac operating systems...
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It’s time to throw on your best hauberk and head to Tamriel. That’s right, The Elder Scrolls Online is taking names for a public Beta. Gamers who have been debating whether the online fantasy game will live up to the hype will finally have the chance to find out for themselves. What sets The Elder Scrolls Online apart from related Elder Scrolls game is that it’s an MMORPG, in the vein of World of Warcraft. Of course, The Elder Scrolls strives to be different than the MMORPGs already on the market, and it already has one clear structural difference: one server to rule them all. That’s right, all players will be playing in the same realm, which means that ZeniMax Studios...
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Great news for Android users: starting today, you can install Chrome Beta channel for phones and tablets on Android 4.0+ from Google Play. This release includes some of the biggest developer updates to Chrome for Android since its launch last year, bringing many features available on other Chrome versions to Android as well. Like what, you ask? Like these: With prefixed support for CSS Filters you can apply visual effects like grayscale, blur, and contrast adjustment to the mobile web; the new Flexible Box Layout Module simplifies the styling of complex layouts; the dynamic viewport units vw, vh, and vmin can now be used for responsive design; the <track> element for video provides...
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Back in January, HP pledged to open source the floundering webOS by September 2012, and wouldn’t you know it, the company delivered on its promise. The webOS beta is now available, and it includes 54 components (under the Apache 2.0 license) and two separate build environments--one is a desktop build, and the other is an OpenEmbedded build designed to be ported to various other devices and includes an ARM emulator, cross-compiling support for embedded platforms, and support for multiple hardware architectures. In addition to previously-released features including browser and browser server, platform portability layer, system policies, DB8 database service, Luna-service2, and more, the new...
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If you’ve ever dreamed of being a video game tester (don’t lie, you have), Microsoft wants to give you a little taste by opening up another round of calls for the 2012 Xbox LIVE Update Public Beta. According to a blog post by Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the interest in beta testing was sufficient back in July’s first round that another round was warranted, and although they’re accepting “for more” testers this time, space is limited--so you better get on it if you want in. Voice search is coming in certain areas Beta testers will get an update in a few days, after which time they’ll be able to check out new features including Internet Explorer...
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The wait for End of Nations is over. NVIDIA and HotHardware are inviting you lucky readers to join the global conflict in Trion's End of Nations closed beta weekend on August 10-12th. Wage sprawling 56-player battles in this year's most anticipated MMO real-time strategy game for three action-packed days, absolutely free! To get started, gear up with the ultimate weapon —an NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card—then comment here, shoot us a note at this e-mail address and we’ll respond with your game key! We’ve got 50 keys up for grabs! It’s first-come, first-served, so if you want a key, be sure to hit us up right away, before they’re all gone. In the...
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