This was a surprisingly busy week for tech news, with announcements for Google and Samsung’s next hardware events, and a whole lot of software updates. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.
The Big News
You Can Now Add Checkboxes in Microsoft Excel
Excel finally has a built-in option to use checkboxes in spreadsheet cells. Checkboxes will be useful in to-do lists, attendance sheets, and more.
Apple Loosens Its Grip on iPhone Replacement Parts
Third-party components will no longer disable True Tone or battery health.
Steam Can Now Screen Record Your Games
The Steam games client now has a built-in background screen recorder, and it even works on the Steam Deck.
Samsung’s New Foldables Are Coming July 10th
Samsung confirmed its next Unpacked event for July 10th, and we’re expecting new folding phones and other hardware.
Google Chrome Now Has Better Web Search and Sports Scores
Chrome on iPhone, iPad, and Android now has a few more features.
Finally, a Start menu change that makes sense.
The ChatGPT Desktop App Is Now Available to Free Users
The official ChatGPT desktop application doesn’t need a Plus subscription anymore, but the app is still limited to macOS.
Moto Tag Is an AirTag Clone for Android Users
It’s the first UWB tracker to support Google Find My Device.
Google’s Pixel 9 is Coming August 13th
Google’s next hardware event is nearing.
Paramount+ Is Raising Prices Again
The last Paramount+ price hike occurred in June of 2023, and now another one is happening.
The Other Stuff
The European Union announced its preliminary view earlier this week that Apple is violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), by charging fees for developers publishing apps outside the App Store and other anti-competitive practices. Apple was required to open up iPhones in the EU earlier this year to allow third-party app stores (or “digital marketplaces”), but iPhones in other parts of the world remain locked down.
In other news, the United States government has banned Kaspersky, the company best known for Kaspersky Antivirus, from selling its software in the US. Kaspersky is based in Russia, and the Biden administration is worried about its software committing espionage and distributing malware, since its antivirus software has elevated permissions on many computers. You’re probably fine with just Windows Defender, anyway.
