Fedora 28 has been released, with three fresh variants of the Linux distro – Workstation, Server and Atomic Host – having emerged.
Fedora is the free community-supported version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and as you’d expect, Fedora 28 brings a raft of bug fixes across the board, not to mention a boost on the performance front.
Fedora 28 Workstation, the desktop-targeted spin of the distro, is graced with a number of new tools for the average user and developers alike, with Gnome 3.28 now incorporated, giving improved organizational abilities in terms of marking favorite files, folders or contacts.
And Usage is a fresh app which is included in order to better diagnose and solve performance issues. Gnome Photos is also now on board as the default photo management app, for a more streamlined image organization workflow.
Thunderbolt 3 connectors are now supported, and the new power saving features should provide extended longevity for your notebook’s battery. There’s also more wide-ranging emoji support to boot.
Servers you right
As for major new features with Fedora 28 Server, the main move is a new modular repository, designed to deliver software and updates with alternative versions other than those provided with the default release of the OS.
Basically this means users can pick and choose what they want, and update specific elements at the speed they require. Fedora 28 Server has also gained support for 64-bit ARM as a primary architecture, expanding options on the hardware front.
Finally, when it comes to Fedora 28 Atomic Host, the big introduction is the incorporation of Kubernetes 1.9, delivering fresh features for managing container-native workloads.
People in 23 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, can go on the site and purchase the standalone headset right now.
Shoppers in the US can also find Oculus Go on sale at Amazon, Best Buy and NewEgg as well as at Best Buy retail stores today.
On stage, Zuckerberg called the Oculus Go the “first really affordable” VR headset on the market, and claimed it has the “highest quality lenses and optics that we have ever built into a VR device”, including the latest Oculus Rift.
The base 32GB model costs $199 / £199 / AU$299, while the 64GB version sells for $249 / £249 / AU$369. And over 1,000 Oculus Go games and apps are available to play right now.
2. Dating profiles are coming to Facebook
Facebook doesn’t just want to be the place to chat with family members and old school friends anymore.
Soon, you’l’ be able to build a Facebook dating profile and connect with other singles in your area—in a part of the app that your regular Facebook friends can’t see.
If you opt into the feature, you’ll be able to set up a dating profile, then search your area for Events and Groups where you’re likely to meet potential daters.
Select a group, and you’ll be able to click on members’ profiles and see their photos and stated interests. You can then click on one of their photos as a “conversation starter” and initiate individual chat chains with other users, which will be text-only (no chance for unsolicited photos).
Facebook will also recommend potential matches “based on dating preferences, things in common, and mutual friends”, but Zuckerberg emphasized that it won’t pair you up with any actual Facebook friends.
“This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships, okay? Not just hookups!” Zuckerberg said, to laughs from the crowd.
Zuckerberg implied that this will be available through the Facebook app, but Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox mentioned that dating profiles could be available as a separate app, because focus groups wanted to keep their dating profiles separate from their regular profiles.
Beta testing of the dating features will begin “later this year”.
3. Facebook Messenger is getting a redesign
Sneak peek of the new Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger may be getting new features like 4K photos, AR effects and AI translation tech, but the platform’s upcoming interface revamp will clear away a lot of the clutter.
VP of Messaging David Marcus showed off a quick glance at the new look on stage some time after Zuckerberg also said Messenger was due to get a simpler, cleaner look.
Facebook plans to remove the games and camera tabs on the bottom, shrinking the friend bubbles a bit, and even adding what looks like a night mode option.
Marcus hinted that this simpler, cleaner new interface will be coming out “very soon”.
4. Clear History will wipe what you’ve been browsing
Thinking about deleting Facebook to protect your data privacy? Facebook wants to give you a less drastic option to keep your business: clearing cookies and deleting browser history.
In a few months, Facebook will roll out a “Clear History” option, which will let you turn off Facebook’s ability to store data on you.
Normally, Facebook Analytics collects data on your browsing history and “Likes”, and uses this information to curate suggestions and ads for your feed.
With Clear History, you’ll be able to wipe all of Facebook Analytics’ collected information about you.
Zuckerberg made it a point on stage to emphasize that the Facebook experience will be degraded if users opt to Clear History. Deleting cookies from a browser, he said, “can make parts of your experience worse. Your Facebook won’t be quite as good while it relearns your preferences”.
In other words, Zuckerberg believes that Facebook needs data on your interests to properly function, and that after users delete their “Off-Facebook History”, they’ll realize they should trust Facebook with data again.
In a separate statement, Erin Egan, Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer, revealed that clearing your history won’t technically “delete” your data. If you do use this setting, she said, “We’ll still provide apps and websites with aggregated analytics… We can do this without storing the information in a way that’s associated with your account, and as always, we don’t tell advertisers who you are.”
So, by using Facebook, you’ll still be giving the company a means to monetize your data for advertisers. Facebook will just be making that data more generalized, so no one can easily obtain individual ad profiles on users.
Zuckerberg also announced that it plans to hire 20,000 security and content reviewers by October 2018 to fight against fake news during election seasons.
5. New social-focused VR apps
Oculus Rooms
Oculus is pulling out all of the stops to ensure that Oculus Go owners have plenty of new, exclusive VR content to try out within their first month of purchase. Facebook, which owns Oculus, outlined the new and significantly updated apps coming to the platform.
The first app, Oculus Rooms, has been around for awhile, but now it’s redesigned and all about making it easier than ever to hang out with friends in a virtual space to play games, watch movies, or otherwise catch up. It’ll be available for Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR for now.
Oculus TV, an Oculus Go-exclusive app, puts you inside of a virtual theater, where you can start a virtual “Watch Party” with up to four friends, and check out both 2D and 3D content, either live or on-demand.
When it launches in May, you’ll be able to watch Netflix, Hulu, Showtime and Facebook Video, and other apps like ESPN+ will be added later this year. Facebook’s VP of VR, Hugo Barra, claimed that the TV screen inside the app can be set as large as 180 inches wide.
You’ll also have access to live events through Oculus Venues, an app for virtually attending ticketed events like concerts, sporting events and theater shows. When it releases later this month for Go and Gear VR, Oculus Venues will debut live concerts, MLB and NBA games, and standup comedy shows.
Finally, Oculus Gallery will let users easily share and view their own photos, video and other media inside virtual reality.
6. Instagram and Messenger add AR Camera Effects
At last year’s F8, Facebook showed off its new augmented reality (AR) technology, which lets you insert 3D animated creations into your photos and videos.
Now, the company has brought its AR Camera Effects suite directly into Instagram and Facebook Messenger, so you can add things like face filters, “world effects” or 3D objects into your feed.
Asus is an early AR Camera Effects on Messenger partner
Facebook has also given these AR tools to businesses that use chatbots as part of a closed beta. Early partners like Nike, Asus, Sephora and Kia, will use 3D visualizations of objects to their products so you can see what they’ll look like from the comfort of your home.
You’ll be able to put a makeup filter over your face to see what a certain shade looks like on you, for example, or check out how a Kia Stinger or pair of Nikes look in different colors.
7. Big updates to Instagram chat and WhatsApp calling
Confirming rumors from earlier this year, Zuckerberg announced that Instagram users can now use video chat to connect with people through the app.
Up to four people can join the chat at once, and you’ll be able to browse around inside the app while your friends sit in a thumbnail in the corner.
Part of that browsing will be in their revamped Explore mode, which places photo category buttons on the top of the window in a carousel, so you can quickly swipe through different options like “Animals” or “Architecture” and select one that strikes your fancy.
Zuckerberg claimed that people has been using the live video feature to “just hang out” with friends, and that video chat was a logical addition to the platform.
Facebook has also added a similar option to WhatsApp called Group Calling, which also allows up to four people onto one call.
Zuckerberg said that people already make “2 billion minutes of voice and video calls on WhatsApp” every day, and this new addition could add to that number.
The iOS 12 release date is next month, at least in beta form, giving developers and early testers the first crack at Apple’s next big update for your iPhone and iPad.
We expect iOS 12 to debut on June 4 at WWDC 2018. And, by now, that shouldn’t surprise you – Apple launches its new iOS update at the same time every year.
Its new software features, however, are always filled with some unexpected and exciting news. We anticipate groundbreaking ideas, but also a healthy dose fixes given our many, many ongoing iOS 11 problems.
With the launch of iPhone X last year, the theoretical iPhone X2 and iPhone 9 release date happening later in 2018 and, in between, the Pencil-compatible new iPad 2018 launching into more hands, Apple seems poised to make more big changes.
Here’s our list of what we expect from iOS 12 beta, given leaks and rumors about the next big mobile operating system update for the iPhone and iPad.
Cut to the chase
What is iOS 12? Apple’s next big iPhone and iPad software update
When is the iOS 12 release date? Announcement on June 4 with a subsequent beta, September launch
How much will iOS 12 cost? Nothing. iOS 12 will remain free.
iOS 12 release date
The iOS 12 release date is June 4, 2018. At least, that’s when we expect to see the changes Apple is making to its mobile software during its WWDC 2018 keynote.
That’s next month. Apple typically announces its new iOS update during its WorldWide Developers Conference and issues the first developer beta within the next week. It also issues a public beta, previously also launched in June, for every non-developer willing to test it out.
Apple needs these betas more than ever for iOS 12, as it’s been plagued with so many iOS 11 problems. The company is likely to continue with the same beta rollout schedule since it values this feedback and diagnostic analysis from so many users.
The actual final iOS 12 release date is September for everyone else, if we’re going by Apple’s release date history. And it may be right alongside an iPhone X2 and an iPhone 9 that’s supposed to be a cheaper take on the iPhone X with an LCD screen.
iOS 12 to focus on reliability over big changes
“iOS 12 just works,” may be Apple’s big message about its next iPhone update, as it’s reportedly focusing on reliability and shelving many exciting features.
This is both good and bad news if you were looking forward to iOS 12 with a brand new look and feel. There may be fewer front-facing features, but your iPhone may reset less. It’s hard to argue with that.
That planned home screen redesign and refreshes to the Camera, Mail and Photos app may have to wait until iOS 13, if you are to believe the rumors about the Apple teams new mission. It’s all in an effort to make iOS 12 stabilization impeccable.
Will iOS 12 and macOS cross-platform apps happen?
Apple was thought to be bringing first and third-party iOS apps to your Mac, making one of the biggest iOS 12 features for your computer instead of your phone.
It’s a long-overdue upgrade. We’ve always asked: Why can’t you control your smart home with the Home app via that all-powerful iMac Pro? It’s a ridiculous notion.
Apple is rumored to be allowing developers to expand their app ecosystem to the forthcoming macOS 10.14 update. Apple’s own apps, like Home, are also said to be finally making the jump, according to recent reports.
Don’t get too excited. This feature may also be saved for iOS 13 and macOS 11.5 in 2019, says a new report. It’s supposedly being worked on, but how quickly it comes to the table may leaving you waiting for a while.
More Animojis in more places (like iPad)
Whether you demanded it or vehemently opposed it, Apple is due to bring more Animojis to iOS 12 for use with the iPhone X Face ID camera. iOS 11.3 just gave us four new Animoji faces to play with, but why stop there?
The navigation of these animated character masks should get easier too, according to Bloomberg. That’s important, because to get better use, they need to break out of their Apple Messages confines, where Animoji are currently buried.
Apple’s Animoji character may make two jumps in 2018. First, the natural jump to FaceTime for video chats behind a virtual panda, robot, and poop mask. Second to what may be a new iPad Pro 2018 with a Face ID camera. We’ve seen some evidence of an updated iPad recently, beyond the cheap new iPad 2018.
Way better autocorrect
Maybe we could have lumped this iOS 12 change under fixes, but it deserves its own mention. Everyone wants better autocorrect from the built-in iOS keyboard.
Currently, it can be downright terrible. Why? It may be due to Apple’s commendable stance on privacy, with all of the smarts happening on the device itself or masked so that individuals aren’t identifiable.
Apple says it’s not mining your data like you may find on some Android phones. But we also want a smarter keyboard that doesn’t autocap and autocorrect randomly. iOS 12 is Apple’s perfect opportunity to balance differential privacy with our typings needs. With the focus on reliability this should be near the very top of the list.
More iOS 12 features we want to see
While nothing is known about iOS 12 yet we have a clear idea of some of the things we want to see, such as the following.
System-wide password manager
We’d also like to see a system-wide password manager built into iOS 12, not just username and password saving in Safari. That’s not helpful if you apps on iOS.
With Face Unlock and Touch ID securing our phones, there’s little fear in relying on a password manager on mobile devices. And remembering passwords to so many different apps seems like a wasteful second layer of security.
Always-on display hints?
Look out for tiny always-on display hints in iOS 12, as Apple could easily squeeze this useful feature into the iPhone X2 OLED screen in September. The software may have hidden hooks for an always-on screen in the iOS 12 beta code.
OLED essentially ‘turns off’ black parts of the screen in an effort not display the bare minimum without eating up battery life. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S9, the Google Pixel 2 and even the rumored LG G7 have shown off this idea to great effect.
Apple does have a raise-to-wake feature that’s been a big hit among new iPhones. But a true always-on display would help differentiate the iPhone X2 OLED from the rumored iPhone 9 LCD.
New iOS 12 wallpaper
Every new version of iOS seems to get new wallpaper, and we expect iOS 12 to be no different in 2018. It should allow Apple to further exhibit its iPhone X OLED screen.
Specifically, we could see more dynamic wallpapers from Apple. iOS 12 needs more moving backgrounds besides a bunch of moving bubbles in various colors.
New iOS 12 concept videos show the iconic Earth wallpaper spinning, for example. Right now, that’s a flat image, and that doesn’t put OLEDs to full use at all.
Grouped notifications
iOS 12 may finally bring a fix to having so many notifications in chronological order. Every morning, our iPhone is littered with so many ungrouped alerts.
Grouping notifications together would make life easier, as long as it’s not differently than what we had in iOS 9 with lots of spacing between important alerts. Android Oreo does this nicely, and iOS 12 could easily lift this feature.
We’ve seen iOS 12 concepts include grouped notifications and also small notification icons on the lockscreen for things like weather and activity ring progress. That would take up less space and provide data at a glance right under the time and date.
Group FaceTime
Speaking of grouped things, we’re keen on opening up the FaceTime party to more than just 1:1 chats. iOS 12 should welcome group FaceTime to iPhones and iPads.
We’ve had 1:1 video chats long enough
Conference call software, from Hangouts to Skype, can already do this, so it’s natural to expect Apple to open up FaceTime to groups eventually. iOS 12 may be it.
Sound familiar? This was supposed to already be a feature in the current version of iOS, but it didn’t actually happen last year. Either that rumor was wrong or was shelved until iOS 12. We’ll find out more in June.
Camera controls in the camera app
File this under: Why is this still a problem? Apple’s camera app is very barebones compared to its competitions, to the point that you can’t change video resolutions within the camera app. It has to be done through Settings > Photo & Camera > Record Video. All of this requires exiting the camera app. That’s very unhelpful.
We’d also like to see other settings become easier to use. Android phones do a good job at letting you switch between the rear- and front-facing camera with a swipe up or down on the screen, and the white Timer numbers (3s, 10s) can be hard to see in landscape mode when you’re focusing on a subject that’s white.
While some app redesigned have been shelved for iOS 13, we’re hoping these small tweaks make it into the iOS 12 beta in a few weeks.
