Xamarin, which allows C# and .NET developers to built native Android and iOS apps, is now bundled with all versions of Visual Studio. Yes, that includes the free Community Edition — and Microsoft announced a Community Edition will be available on OS X, too.
The move, announced at Microsoft’s Build developer’s conference in San Francisco, happens just one month after Microsoft bought Xamarin. It means developers can in theory build Windows, Android, and iOS apps using the same codebase.
This announcement also shores up an apparent hole in Microsoft’s development plan that appeared since last BUILD. In 2015, the company announced plans for an Android development bridge (code named “Project Astoria”), but it never materialized.
Xamarin, before the Microsoft buyout, offered a free version of its software, but the free version was limited to small executables. Most developers needed to buy an expensive license to seriously use the software, meaning Microsoft’s announcement today is a big deal for developers. The company is even open sourcing the entire Xamarin SDK in the coming months, with code available on GitHub for the runtime, libraries, and build tools.
That’s not to say that everything is free: some enterprise features will require a Visual Studio Enterprise subscription.
Visual Studio is a developer environment beloved by Windows developers that, until recently, was almost entirely for developing Windows applications. The inclusion of Xamarin by default means Visual Studio can be used to develop Windows, Android, and iOS apps all in one place (though publishing iOS apps will still require access to a computer running OS X).
What does this mean for users? Probably not much in the short term, but in the long term it could be a very valuable tool for independent developers who prefer doing their work in Visual Studio. Xamarin’s software makes developing simultaneous Android, iOS, and Windows apps a lot easier, but was too expensive for most developers to afford.
Users can look forward to more apps releasing on Windows, Android, and iOS at the same time, meaning they’ll waste less time being jealous of that cool app a friend has that’s not available. At least, we hope so — stay tuned.
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.