Operating system families

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends The Steam Deck has grown into a certified smash success. With multiple millions of units sold, the device has changed the way we think about PC gaming, spawned numerous clones, and secured a future for handheld gaming devices. With the backing of a multibillion-dollar corporation, that might not come as much of a surprise. But there’s an untold story behind what has made the Steam Deck tick — a kernel of engineering passion that unlocked the puzzle of making Linux gaming work at this…

One of the first things you'll notice about Windows 11 is that its taskbar centers its icons (including the Start menu) in the middle of itself. Users of macOS might appreciate this resemblance to their Macs' operating system, but longtime Windows users might not like it and would probably prefer to see their Start menu icon back in the lower left corner, where it had been for so many versions of Windows in the past. If you can't stand to have those icons in the middle of your Windows 11 taskbar, you can breathe a…

Digital Trends Apple’s iMessage is a widely used messaging app with over 1 billion active users. It was launched in 2011 and is deeply integrated into Apple devices, allowing iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to exchange text messages, photos, videos, and more seamlessly across platforms. Over the years, Apple has introduced many new features to the Messages app. You probably use some of them every day, but others are easy to overlook and forget about it. Below are a few of our favorite hidden iMessage features — and ones…

Alex Blake / Digital Trends Switching apps is something I do countless times every day on my Mac, so much so that I don’t ever think anything of it. That is until recently, when I discovered a new app that has me flipping windows in a new (and much-improved) way. That app is called Quick Tab, and it’s designed to make app switching a little more painless. Now, I’ll admit that I’ve never thought of the traditional Command-Tab key combination as all that painful, but Quick Tab has swiftly shown me what I’ve been…

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends If you’re planning to buy a foldable smartphone, here’s an offer from Motorola that may be hard to refuse — the Motorola Razr 2023 for a discounted price of $500, for savings of $200 on its original price of $700. Folding phones rarely appear in phone deals, and they get sold out quickly when they do. We expect the same thing to happen with this bargain, so if you’re interested in taking advantage of it, you should proceed with completing your purchase as soon as you can. Why you should…

There's no print screen button on your iPhone, but you can take a screenshot on an iPhone with just a couple of button presses. It doesn't matter if you have the iPhone 8, iPhone 15, or any other model of iPhone — they can all do this. Using screenshots is a perfect way to share problems with smartphone updates, funny things you see on websites, or that weird text you just got. All you need to know is what the right buttons are, which we'll cover here, alongside a few techniques to spruce up your iPhone…

One of the best things about owning an Android phone is being able to change your default apps. If you’ve ever opened a file or an internet link with a certain app, and you chose Always when prompted, then that type of file will be opened with that app every time, saving you from tapping that app every time, and reclaiming some precious time. But what happens if you’re the indecisive type or if you suddenly find a better app you’d like to use as your default? It’s easy enough to go change. Stock Android “Stock…

Joe Maring / Digital Trends Android fans, it’s time to start your hype engines. Google just released the first developer preview for Android 15 — kicking off the release of the next big Android update. This is just the first step in a months-long process of Android 15’s rollout, which will see numerous developer previews and betas before the final release later this year. So, what’s new, when is Android 15 officially releasing, and should you download it? Here’s everything you need to know. What’s new in Android 15…

Joe Maring / Digital Trends Google has announced Android 15, the next major evolution for its mobile operating system. As usual, the development and release cycle will follow a three-phase strategy. February 16, 2024, marks the start of the first phase, which squarely targets developers and phone makers, providing them a look at the changes so that they can get familiar with the new software. The first build of Android 15 is marked as Developer Preview 1, and it is going to be followed by a Beta release. This is the…

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends The date is set for the arrival of Nothing’s next phone. The British upstart’s upcoming flashy gizmo — the Nothing Phone 2a — will arrive on March 5, right after the Mobile World Congress 2024 consumer tech fest concludes. In a short hype film that dropped earlier today, Nothing teased that the device could be cheaper than the Nothing Phone 2, which chased flagship credentials. Once again, a standout design will be the key selling point, but the looks will be married to meaningful tricks.…