3aIT Blog

A new feature that may be of interest to the billions that use Meta's messaging service is now coming out of beta testing and is rolling out via the usual update process. You will now be able to share a view of your screen or a specific app you've got open with everyone else on the call.

Ubiquitous messaging app WhatsApp recently added a feature to allow you to connect to the same account from multiple devices without having to have the primary phone powered on and connected to the internet. This was largely limited to desktops and laptops running the app or via web mode. A new feature in beta will extend this to tablets and additional phones.

Last week saw the launch of the 8th major version of Google's Android operating system (codenamed "Oreo"). Android recently overtook Windows as the most popular operating system, so news of a new version should be a major event. However phone operators are often very reluctant to push out the latest version of the operating system, preferring instead that you buy a brand new phone.

Evidence of a massive change in the technology we use was released the other day. For the first time in measured history, something other than Microsoft's Windows operating system registered as the most popular operating system used to access the internet.

The 7th major version of Google's Android operating system (codenamed "Nougat") has now been released. Android powers about 80% of the world's smartphones, as well as various other devices from tablets to TVs.

Microsoft have now made free versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint available to install on Android devices. While these have been available for Apple devices for some time, this marks the first time these venerable applications have made an appearance on Android (by far the more widely-installed operating system).

Google have announced that the next version of their Android mobile operating system will be released shortly. It's likely it will be made available in or around September. Google haven't assigned it the traditional "sweet" codename yet (a la Lollipop, KitKat, Ice Cream Sandwich etc). As far as numbered versioning is concerned, it's not currently clear if this will be version 5.2 or version 6.