Month: August 2024

Microsoft Teams has finally rolled out its combined app for work and home accounts.

Juggling multiple Microsoft Teams accounts for work and home use should now no longer be an issue after the company announced the official rollout of its combined app.

The video conferencing service has confirmed the launch of its new “unified” Microsoft Teams for users across Windows 11, Windows 10 and Mac.

First announced back in March 2024, the update will mean from now on users will all access the same app, whether on a work, school or personal Microsoft Teams account, doing away with previous requirements for multiple versions for different use cases.

Unified Microsoft Teams app

(Image credit: Microsoft)

“Microsoft Teams has transformed the way we connect and collaborate at work and in our lives,” Microsoft vice president of product Amit Fulay wrote in a blog post announcing the news.

“We’re thrilled to share that today the unified Teams app is now available on Windows 11, Windows 10, and Mac. This update brings work, personal, and education accounts into a single Teams app.”

As shown in the above image, users will be able to switch between accounts, or add new ones, by selecting their profile picture in the upper right corner when signed into Microsoft Teams.

For those with multiple Teams accounts, there is also an option to select their preferred account when joining a meeting, as well as the option to join as a guest, without the need to sign in to the platform at all.

Microsoft says the update is rolling out now, with desktop users being automatically upgraded.

Previously, users had to choose between a “Teams for home” and a “Teams for work or school” – or install both, raising possible confusion.

The news is the latest in a series of major recent upgrades for Teams, coming not long after the platform announced a new feature which will allow admins to permanently block a user from a workspace or organization.

Along with acting as a useful cybersecurity tool, the new addition could also help stamp out anyone mis-using the platform, or block those who have left an organization and may still be seeking access for nefarious purposes.

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I’m a big videogame fan – and Prime Video’s new animated anthology series looks like it’ll push my buttons for the right reasons.

I’m a big fan of Netflix‘s Love, Death and Robots. I’m also a big fan of videogames. So, when a new Prime Video anthology series, based on some of the world’s most famous gaming franchises, was announced at gamescom last night (August 20), it not only had my curiosity, but also my attention.

Step forward Secret Level, the latest adult animated anthology show from Tim Miller and his production company Blur Studio that’s set to debut on Amazon’s primary streaming service on December 10. It’ll comprise 15 episodes, with each installment telling an original short story set in a variety of iconic videogame universes, including God of War and Pac-Man. Oh, and we were also treated to a first look at the various art and animation styles that’ll be on display in the series via Secret Level‘s official trailer, which premiered at last night’s gamescom Opening Night Live event.

Miller, who co-created Love, Death and Robots with famed film auteur David Fincher, and Blur Studio have led development on the series alongside supervising director Dave Wilson. In a Prime Video press release, Amazon MGM Studios’ Head of Television Vernon Sanders explained why Prime Video’s creative team were so eager to work with Miller, Wilson, and Blur to create a show inspired by some of gaming’s most noteworthy franchises.

“Secret Level weaves a tapestry of iconic games across multiple mediums, to tell a series of unique and captivating stories,” he gushed. “Created and led by Tim Miller, Blur Studio, and Supervising Director Dave Wilson, each episode will take our global Prime Video customers on a brand new journey with breath-taking animation and imaginative storytelling.”

Secret Level won’t focus solely on legendary videogame series, mind you. Indeed, it’ll also contain tales that take place in relatively new game franchises, such as the brand-new team-based shooter Concord, which is available on PlayStation 5 and PC. Here’s the full list of games that’ll be part of Secret Level’s 15-strong haul:

Armored CoreConcordCrossfireDungeons and DragonsExodusGod of WarHonor of KingsMega ManNew World: AeternumThe Outer Worlds 2Pac-ManSifuSpelunkyUnreal TournamentWarhammer 40K

Pushing the right buttons

Secret Level‘s announcement has been well received, apart from a few disapproving voices. (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios/Blur Studio)

In the wake of Secret Level‘s announcement, I’ve seen all kinds of reactions to the R-rated animated anthology series’ reveal across social media. Indeed, some people are clearly excited to watch new stories set in their favorite game universes, while other bemused observers have wondered why Prime Video, aka one of the world’s best streaming services, has created what’s essentially a show based around glorified videogame cutscenes.

The latter opinion is certainly a valid one, but this isn’t the first time that the entertainment industry has looked to its gaming cousin for narrative and creative inspiration. It hasn’t shied away from adapting some of the world’s most popular game franchises for the big and small screens, either. Just look at the recent explosion of critically-acclaimed and/or money-spinning movie and TV adaptations, including The Last of Us, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Fallout, and Sonic the Hedgehog for proof of that. 

Heck, videogame studios, such as Riot Games, have even created their own animated short stories that take place in their own franchises. Indeed, its most successful videogame property League of Legends has not only received a number of animated tie-ins – music videos and shorts centered around some of its most famous characters – but also spawned its own original series Arcane, whose first season is available on Netflix. Arcane season 2 is also set to land on the streamer in November, too.

Why, then, should eyebrows be raised at Amazon for creating an anthology series influenced by other popular games? As long as they don’t contradict the narratives, franchise canon, and/or specific lore in their source material, I don’t see the problem. And, frankly, if any or all of Secret Level‘s episodes introduce their game series to a wider audience, that can only be a good thing. We’ve already seen Amazon’s Fallout TV show significantly increase interest in Bethesda’s role-playing first-person shooter games of the same name. I, for one, expect Secret Level to do likewise with some of its lesser-known titles in due course.

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If you’re moving over from an old phone, you’ll get more flexibility when it comes to moving backups over.

It’s now been more than a week since the Google Pixel 9 series was revealed, but as these devices are finding their way to more and more people, we’re getting new revelations about previously unannounced features – including one related to Android upgrades.

As spotted by Android Authority, the Pixel 9 phones change upgrades in one important way. Before now, if you wanted to bring over data such as text messages and installed apps from an older Android phone, you had to do it right at the start of the setup process – there was no way to do it later on.

Now, that’s changed: even if you don’t transfer everything over while you’re setting up your new phone, you can go back and do it afterwards. It’s made possible through a new ‘Back up or copy data’ option that appears in Settings on the Pixel 9 series.

There’s one caveat in that no one has been able to test this just yet – but this very much looks like a tweak Google has made. It’s going to give users a lot more flexibility when it comes to moving between Android phones when it’s time to upgrade.

Something old, something new

Samsung Galaxy phones feature a similar feature called Smart Switch (Image credit: Future | Roland Moore-Colyer)

To some extent, transferring data over from an older Android phone isn’t necessary when you upgrade: as soon as you sign into apps like Gmail and Google Photos with your Google account, everything will be synced over.

However, it can also be useful to move over app configurations, phone settings, text messages, and other data that isn’t automatically synced across the cloud. This can be done via a backup stored in Google Drive, or directly from an older phone if it’s nearby (which gets the data shifted over faster).

Taking this route means your new phone is essentially a clone of your old one, down to the home screens and wallpaper, and it’s the option to take for the smoothest upgrade. Now, it seems you’ll soon be able to do this any time you like.

Whether or not this feature will roll out to older Pixel phones remains to be seen – we’re still waiting for Android 15 to arrive in full – but it’s something that’s already available on other Android phones, including Samsung Galaxy devices.

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Syncing passwords, tabs, and browsing history is coming soon to Chrome on Android and desktop.

Google is set to introduce a new feature allowing full synchronization of all your Google Account data across all your Android and Desktop devices.

The move, which follows a similar announcement for iOS in October 2024, will give users access to stored passwords and addresses, as well as sharing tabs and browsing activity between your devices.

Essentially, Chrome will act as a single unified browser across all iOS, Android, and your desktop – but only if you want it to.

Chrome Sync is about to get better

When logging into most of your accounts these days, you expect access to your data across whatever device you were using, with cloud backup and synchronization becoming an expected part of day to day life.

“From the point of signing in to Chrome you’ll get access to your saved passwords, addresses, and other data from your Google Account. Where relevant, we’ll offer you the choice to sign into Chrome for a customized browsing experience on any device,” the company announced in a Chromium blog post.

“For example, you can sign in and start to plan a trip on your phone during your commute, and then seamlessly finish it up on any device. Send tabs between your devices, find your bookmarks and use autogenerated passwords with ease.”

The account synchronization for open tabs and browsing history is an opt-in feature. No announcement was made on when Android and Desktop users can expect to take advantage of this feature, only that it will be “soon.”

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