Tag: taskbar

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Mobile Syrup

Windows 11 update adds animated widget notifications to the taskbar

Microsoft is rolling out a taskbar update to Windows 11, and no, it doesn’t bring back the ability to move the taskbar to another edge of the screen. Instead, this update adds live animations to taskbar widgets.

As detailed by The Verge, all Windows 11 users will soon see new widget notifications appear over the coming days and weeks as part of an update to the ‘Windows Web Experience Pack,’ a bundle of Windows 11 software that can be updated through the Microsoft Store. The Web Experience Pack powers the widgets feature in Windows 11 and includes the widget animations update.

Microsoft says that the update will now show an “announcement” in the taskbar when something important happens related to a widget. The company describes these announcements as “quick and glanceable,” and notes they’ll go away if users don’t interact with them.

For example, if there’s a weather alert for your area, you might see the weather taskbar widget turn into a storm warning icon. Along with the weather, there will also be alerts for stocks.

Left: Windows 11 weather widget. Right: Weather widget with storm warning. | Image credit: The Verge

The Verge’s Tom Warren says he’s had the widgets on his Windows 11 PC for a few days and describes the new announcements as “rather distracting,” especially the stock alerts. Weather alerts, however, can be useful.

Moreover, Warren says it appears Microsoft doesn’t have an easy way to disable or customize these notifications at the moment. I can see this being a problem for people who find the animations distracting and want to disable them — hopefully, Microsoft adds a way to fine-tune these widgets.

Overall, the widget update is a small change in comparison to the big Windows 11 update expected to come in September. The update is expected to bring folders to the Start menu, drag-and-drop on the taskbar, and more.

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

First major Windows 11 update brings improved apps, taskbar changes

The first big Windows 11 update is now rolling out to users with several new features, including Android apps (in preview), new Notepad and Media Player apps, and more.

As reported by The Verge, the Android apps public preview is available in the U.S. – bad news for any Canadian Windows 11 users eager to start installing Android apps on their PC. The preview will allow users to install apps from Amazon’s Appstore, which is far more limited than the Google Play Store. However, there are unofficial ways to get the Play Store up and running for those who want to.

Next, Microsoft’s redesigned Media Player and Notepad apps arrive with this update. We’ve covered the Media Player changes before (check that out here). As for Notepad, the updated app now supports multi-step undo, has an improved search interface, and supports dark mode.

The Verge highlighted several improvements coming to the taskbar. The Windows 11 taskbar has been a sore point for many since it dropped several basic (yet arguably integral) features for a frankly modest design update.

Taskbar improvements include making the time and date available on multiple monitors, a return of the weather widget, and a new mute/unmute feature available for Microsoft Teams calls. Teams will also get a new, integrated button to share specific apps or windows directly from the taskbar.

For all the improvements, other basic features are still missing. For one, the ability to pin the taskbar to the left, right, or top of your display (a particular sour point for me). Hopefully, future updates will restore these features.

Speaking of future updates, it’s worth noting that Microsoft moved both Windows 11 and 10 to an annual update cycle, but this first big Windows 11 update won’t be the last one for the year. And, despite the change to the update cycle, Microsoft plans to add new features to Windows 11 more frequently.

On the surface, it sounds confusing – an annual update schedule with more frequent feature updates seems counterintuitive – but I understand it to be more like Google’s Pixel Feature Drops. In other words, one big annual update (like Android 12 or 13, but for Windows) and smaller updates with new features dropping regularly.

Still, given how often Windows updates seem to break things, I’m curious to see if this new approach to updates works out or causes Microsoft more problems in the long run.

Source: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

First major Windows 11 update brings improved apps, taskbar changes

The first big Windows 11 update is now rolling out to users with several new features, including Android apps (in preview), new Notepad and Media Player apps, and more.

As reported by The Verge, the Android apps public preview is available in the U.S. – bad news for any Canadian Windows 11 users eager to start installing Android apps on their PC. The preview will allow users to install apps from Amazon’s Appstore, which is far more limited than the Google Play Store. However, there are unofficial ways to get the Play Store up and running for those who want to.

Next, Microsoft’s redesigned Media Player and Notepad apps arrive with this update. We’ve covered the Media Player changes before (check that out here). As for Notepad, the updated app now supports multi-step undo, has an improved search interface, and supports dark mode.

The Verge highlighted several improvements coming to the taskbar. The Windows 11 taskbar has been a sore point for many since it dropped several basic (yet arguably integral) features for a frankly modest design update.

Taskbar improvements include making the time and date available on multiple monitors, a return of the weather widget, and a new mute/unmute feature available for Microsoft Teams calls. Teams will also get a new, integrated button to share specific apps or windows directly from the taskbar.

For all the improvements, other basic features are still missing. For one, the ability to pin the taskbar to the left, right, or top of your display (a particular sour point for me). Hopefully, future updates will restore these features.

Speaking of future updates, it’s worth noting that Microsoft moved both Windows 11 and 10 to an annual update cycle, but this first big Windows 11 update won’t be the last one for the year. And, despite the change to the update cycle, Microsoft plans to add new features to Windows 11 more frequently.

On the surface, it sounds confusing – an annual update schedule with more frequent feature updates seems counterintuitive – but I understand it to be more like Google’s Pixel Feature Drops. In other words, one big annual update (like Android 12 or 13, but for Windows) and smaller updates with new features dropping regularly.

Still, given how often Windows updates seem to break things, I’m curious to see if this new approach to updates works out or causes Microsoft more problems in the long run.

Source: The Verge