At the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona on Monday, Microsoft revealed key details of the Windows 10 app platform for the first time. The company announced that Windows 10 will now allow developers to publish web apps through its store. This could help the company bolster its selection, which still lags other app store platforms.
Developers will be able to run their apps remotely from their existing Web infrastructure without having to make any modifications. In addition, Microsoft will providing a way for these web apps to work outside the “browser sandbox” that a web app is normally contained in. A web app installed through the Store will have special permissions that other web apps lack. These permissions include the ability to access and present Windows notifications, launch a full-screen mode, and integrate with Cortana.
Related: Five reasons why the Windows Store is a complete mess
This move should drastically lower the barrier to entry for web app developers. Previously, developing for the Store meant creating a whole new Windows application, but this move will make only minimal changes necessary to gain a place in the storefront. Large organizations may also find this new approach appealing because many use web apps as part of their internal platforms, and this change could make it easier for employees to find and install appropriate software.
Microsoft’s Build conference, slated to begin on April 29 in San Francisco, will provide more answers to questions surrounding Windows 10. Until then, Gallo ends his blog post by encouraging web developers to utilize the Windows platform to create universal apps.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.