Microsoft could finally fix Windows 11’s strangest design choice

Windows 11 might finally allow users to shift the taskbar to different orientations on the desktop – as you can do with Windows 10 – rather than having it locked to the bottom of the screen, if a new clue spotted in preview is anything to go by.

Well-known Microsoft leaker Albacore posted on Twitter to show that with Windows 11 preview build 25309 it’s possible to do a bit of tweaking and get the taskbar to appear at the top of the screen.

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As the clip in the tweet shows, though, you end up with a broken implementation of the taskbar. Yes, it’s at the top, but when you click on icons in the bar, their respective functions appear floating at the bottom of the screen (where they’d normally be with the taskbar in its default position at the bottom).

In short, it looks like Microsoft is putting in the initial groundwork for a movable taskbar in preview right now, but it is very early stages indeed. Whether anything will come of this, well, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled and fingers crossed – or those who want the ability to shift the taskbar around will, at any rate.


Analysis: A challenging change for Microsoft?

There might be people out there shouting at their monitors – why on earth would you want the taskbar at the top? However, this has actually been a very commonly requested feature addition for Windows 11, with plenty of users voting for the functionality to be brought to the desktop.

And choice is never a bad thing – some folks want a vertical taskbar, that runs down the side of the screen, too, as well as the potential to sling the bar up top. It’s really down to allowing for more customization of the core desktop UI, and keeping the same features as offered by Windows 10, which allows the bar to be shifted about if you wish.

As MS Power User – which spotted Albacore’s tweet – observes, though, this is something Microsoft has indicated it won’t pursue. Despite the clamor for a more mobile taskbar, Microsoft has said there are a “number of challenges” wrapped up in its implementation, and that the percentage of users wanting this change is small compared to other features. The latter assertion is certainly arguable from what we’ve seen, but there you go…

The long and short of previous statements, then, seems to be that Microsoft thinks it’d be a lot of effort for not much return – but the sighting of the ability to move the taskbar to the top, in however rudimentary a fashion, certainly gives hope to the idea that a movable taskbar is coming.

Until then, if you really want to mess around with the Windows 11 environment in this kind of way, you’ll need to resort to a third-party customization app. (It’s worth bearing in mind, though, that these apps have been causing serious trouble with the latest big Windows update, ‘Moment 2’).

Meanwhile, Microsoft recently introduced a nifty ability to the taskbar (in testing), namely the ability to kill a process right there on the bar (rather than having to mess around taking a trip to Task Manager).

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“It’s important to give people choice”: Instagram explains why it brought back chronological feeds

Instagram has finally confirmed that the option to use a chronological feed is rolling out to all users on iOS and Android from today, March 23.

The rolling feed of images and video had changed in 2016 to one that was instead judged by algorithms. Instagram thought that users would prefer to be shown what they might like, rather than showing the latest images, with no ability to switch between modes.

However, users have been clamoring to scroll through a feed from newest to oldest, and Instagram has finally relented. Eventually, you will be given two options on your feed – Following and Favorites, which can then be set to show your posts chronologically.

TechRadar spoke to the company to find out why this change has occurred now, and whether this applies to Instagram's other features.

A logical choice, at last

This is an update that won't require you to go to the App Store or Google Play Store to update – it should appear on your feed soon.

It's a welcome change, and many had been wishing for the company to revert back to a chronological feed since it changed back in 2016. So much so, Instagram commented on this at the end of 2021 through a series of tweets.

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In the meantime, we asked an Instagram spokesperson as to why it decided to make the change. “For some time now, we’ve been working on different ways to give people more control over their experience. This is one of the many things we’re doing to give people more choice,” the spokesperson explains. “We moved away from a full chronological feed because we learned that many people were missing posts. That said, we think it’s important to give people choice – so we’re providing them with more options in Feed to tailor their experience.”

There is a small caveat to the return of the chronological feed; you can't currently set it as the default option, compared to what you can do with Twitter's two feeds. We asked if this was something that the company would consider in the future. “We’re giving new options within your Feed to give people more control and choice,” Instagram's spokesperson clarifies. “The Home Feed will remain a mix of content that you see today, including ranked content from people you follow, recommended content you may like, and more.”

Instagram Desktop creation on the web

(Image credit: Instagram)

Six years is a long time in technology, especially when it comes to social media. Since then, we've seen Instagram Stories and Reels arrive, alongside being able to access the platform on the web. We asked whether the chronological feed would also apply here as well, with some bad news, confirming just two platforms again to us. “This feature is currently only available on iOS and Android.”

Finally, with Reels attempting to take on TikTok in its rolling video, we wondered whether this would also reap the benefit of an organized feed. “Currently, Favourites only applies to posts that appear in Feed.”

For now at least, the first steps of a chronological feed have arrived. And while you can't make it the default view for your feed, alongside being able to apply it to your Reels or hashtag feeds, it's a start.

But with more users accessing the platform through iPads and web browsers on their Windows PCs, it's now a matter of when, not if, the chronological feed will also appear there as well.

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“It’s important to give people choice”: Instagram explains why it brought back chronological feeds

Instagram has finally confirmed that the option to use a chronological feed is rolling out to all users on iOS and Android from today, March 23.

The rolling feed of images and video had changed in 2016 to one that was instead judged by algorithms. Instagram thought that users would prefer to be shown what they might like, rather than showing the latest images, with no ability to switch between modes.

However, users have been clamoring to scroll through a feed from newest to oldest, and Instagram has finally relented. Eventually, you will be given two options on your feed – Following and Favorites, which can then be set to show your posts chronologically.

TechRadar spoke to the company to find out why this change has occurred now, and whether this applies to Instagram's other features.

A logical choice, at last

This is an update that won't require you to go to the App Store or Google Play Store to update – it should appear on your feed soon.

It's a welcome change, and many had been wishing for the company to revert back to a chronological feed since it changed back in 2016. So much so, Instagram commented on this at the end of 2021 through a series of tweets.

See more

In the meantime, we asked an Instagram spokesperson as to why it decided to make the change. “For some time now, we’ve been working on different ways to give people more control over their experience. This is one of the many things we’re doing to give people more choice,” the spokesperson explains. “We moved away from a full chronological feed because we learned that many people were missing posts. That said, we think it’s important to give people choice – so we’re providing them with more options in Feed to tailor their experience.”

There is a small caveat to the return of the chronological feed; you can't currently set it as the default option, compared to what you can do with Twitter's two feeds. We asked if this was something that the company would consider in the future. “We’re giving new options within your Feed to give people more control and choice,” Instagram's spokesperson clarifies. “The Home Feed will remain a mix of content that you see today, including ranked content from people you follow, recommended content you may like, and more.”

Instagram Desktop creation on the web

(Image credit: Instagram)

Six years is a long time in technology, especially when it comes to social media. Since then, we've seen Instagram Stories and Reels arrive, alongside being able to access the platform on the web. We asked whether the chronological feed would also apply here as well, with some bad news, confirming just two platforms again to us. “This feature is currently only available on iOS and Android.”

Finally, with Reels attempting to take on TikTok in its rolling video, we wondered whether this would also reap the benefit of an organized feed. “Currently, Favourites only applies to posts that appear in Feed.”

For now at least, the first steps of a chronological feed have arrived. And while you can't make it the default view for your feed, alongside being able to apply it to your Reels or hashtag feeds, it's a start.

But with more users accessing the platform through iPads and web browsers on their Windows PCs, it's now a matter of when, not if, the chronological feed will also appear there as well.

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OPPO F15: A brilliant choice for tech-savvy millennials

In this era of convergence of technology, the smartphone industry has been witnessing a boom, as we are rarely out of something new in terms of hardware and software. There are numerous players in the market, but only a few have managed to maintain a perfect balance between top-end hardware tuned to support a smooth software experience, and OPPO is one of the major manufacturers that have been reasonably consistent with the design, experience, and pricing of their product.

OPPO recently launched F15 in India, which is also the first phone from the company in 2020. The OPPO F15 makes up for a tempting option for its price, more so, because it ticks all the checkboxes that a youngster looks for in a phone. 

The first thing that makes it an alluring device for the youth is its beautiful 7.9mm sleek and lightweight. While it’s slim, it weighs just 172 grams making it very comfortable to grab in your palm. Even if you’re wearing a fitted trouser, this won’t add much bulge to your pockets. Not just that, it looks stunning and feels very comfortable to use with one hand. Its back panel has a gradient finish and the color shift looks very elegant. 

OPPO F15 has a 6.4-inch full FHD + AMOLED screen with 2340 x 1080p resolution. The display comes with an aspect ratio of 20:9 that has 90.7% screen to body ratio. It is Widevine certified as well, which means users can watch HD content on OTT apps like Netflix on that immersive front. 

OPPO F15 also takes care of your eyes. It has the technology of DC screen dimming 2.0 certified by TÜV Rheinland which protects your eyes even in low light.

If you’re concerned about photography, OPPO F15's 48 MP AI quad-camera setup won’t disappoint you. Its 48MP camera with an ultra-wide-angle macro lens is fully capable of getting closer to the subject without losing details. The 48MP rear sensor is designed in such a way that it can capture sharp and high-quality images with clarity and ample detail.

OPPO F15 also makes the experience of taking large area or group photos great. Its 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens allows you to capture images at 119 degrees and take good portrait shots with bokeh effect to capture breath-taking images. Moreover, you can adjust the bokeh effect after a picture is clicked.

The cameras aren’t just impressive, OPPO F15 clicks very good low-light pictures, making it a perfect companion to those who like to go out and explore the bright side of the night.

OPPO F15 comes with AI (Artificial Intelligence) based smart beautification that helps in identifying the gender and age and enhances the photos accordingly.

Apart from still photography, OPPO has also improved video capabilities on this one as it comes with a special anti-shake video feature that allows smartphone users to get professional-grade video results. 

OPPO F15 also packs 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage and is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 processor, which is known for fast operations and multitasking.

Another impressive feature of this phone is its in-display fingerprint 3.0 sensor which unlocks the phone in just 0.32 seconds.

OPPO F15 has a 4,000mAh battery that can sail you throughout the day on a single charge. For super fast charging, it has the support of VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 which charges your phone in a jiffy with proper safety. A feature custom made for the faster generation that likes to do everything on the go.

OPPO F15 runs Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6.1.2. The operating system has been upgraded to several smart features. These features will improve the overall user experience of the phone. The company has done some major tweaking to make it feel smoother and convenient for all kinds of users.

Those were some of the reasons why OPPO F15 is a real problem solver for not just Gen Z or Millennials, but for everyone who looks to invest in a value-for-money product. OPPO F15 is already available on Amazon & Flipkart for just Rs. 19,990 and it has also brought huge offers to make this deal even more valuable. These offers include 10% cashback from HDFC and 5% from ICICI and Yes Bank credit card/debit card. You can also avail zero down payment option from Bajaj Finserv along with interesting EMI options from IDFC First Bank, HDB Financial Services and Home Credit plus additional100% data on Reliance Jio till 31st January.

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