Last month, developers (and those prepared to be Google guinea pigs) got their first taste of Android 16 with the first beta. Now, just under a month after release, the second beta is here, complete with bug fixes and some nice new features to enjoy.

Google outlines all the changes in a post on the Developer’s Blog and while many aren’t user-facing and will thus go largely unnoticed, there are some promising developments that you will spot straight away.

Firstly, Google is making changes to the camera. The most exciting of these is a new hybrid auto-exposure system, which aims to combine the simplicity of the auto mode with the useful functionality of the somewhat cluttered Pro version.

The hybrid system aims to offer the best of both worlds to casual users, with options to finetune ISO levels and exposure times while leaving auto-exposure and other more advanced tweaks to the algorithm. The upshot of this is that you should be able to easily get more artistic shots without getting lost in the myriad of options that Pro users revel in.

You’ll also be able to adjust frame temperature and tint levels via a color correction system. This will let you adjust for irregularities in the lighting of your shots, as well as allowing you to play with more arty styles.

Additionally, there’s added support for capturing motion photos — pictures that capture a bit of movement before freezing in their final position, like this:

Finally, there’s support for the HEIC file format, which promises high-quality images without taking up as much space. Google says that AVIF and UltraHDR support is also on the way.

Away from the camera improvements, and unmentioned in the Developer Blog post is something that will delight those who have a device they split between work and home use. Android Authority has spotted the introduction of a new widget for switching accounts, saving you from diving into the Quick Settings panel.

And users of Google Wallet can make it easier to access too, as 9to5Google has spotted that opening it up can be bound to the power button. Simply open the Settings app and head to the Gestures page, and you’ll be able to tie it to Google Wallet with two taps of the power button (just make sure the double press function is enabled).

Beyond these changes, you can expect some bug fixes too. The most prominent of these mends one that caused a crash when interacting with certain elements in webview. Another bug which crashed Google Home has also been resolved, and if you found your phone randomly restarting during phone calls, you’ll be pleased to hear that one has been fixed too.

The Android 16 Beta 2 is, like the previous version, only open to Pixel devices — specifically the Pixel 6 and newer, or the Pixel Tablet. If eligible, you can enrol in the Android 16 Beta program here, and then apply the update by heading to Settings > System > Software update.

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Google will soon offer a brand new way to completely customize Chrome, so that the browser window on your desktop or laptop looks entirely different from everyone else’s.

Themes have been a part of the search giant’s browser since its launch more than a decade ago and today, you can download hundreds of them right from the Chrome Web Store. However, earlier this year, Google rolled out a brand new way to customize Chrome using the browser’s side panel. 

Now though, as reported by 9To5Google, in addition to letting you change your theme and preferred colors, Google is bringing a new AI generator to Chrome just for browser themes. Once it rolls out, you’ll be able to create an entirely custom theme for your browser by using the company’s generative AI to create unique backgrounds.

In a recent post on X, Leopeva 64 revealed that this new feature will be called “Create Theme with AI” and it will appear alongside Chrome’s other themes when it becomes generally available. For now though, it’s being tested in Chrome Canary but is not enabled by default.

To get started using it, you first need to open a new tab, and click on the Customize Chrome button in the bottom right corner of your browser. Alongside Chrome’s existing themes, you’ll see a new option that reads Create theme with AI. Clicking on it will let you select a Subject with options like landscapes, buildings, food, nature, etc. 

You can also add other optional details like Style and Mood, and even select a color for your theme. You will likely be able to create and save several AI themes for Chrome which will all be stored in your Google Account.

As Google points out at the bottom of its Create theme with AI box in Chrome’s sidebar, this is an experimental AI feature. As such, it could change before it’s officially released or even afterwards.

More AI-powered upgrades are coming to Chrome

Just like Microsoft and other tech giants, Google is going all in on generative AI and creating unique themes won’t be the only use of this emerging technology in the company’s browser.

In addition to custom themes, the search giant also plans to roll out a “Help me write” feature in Chrome for desktop. This has already shown up in Gmail, Docs, Keep and other Google Workspace products, so it makes sense that Chrome will get this upgrade as well. 

Based on 9To5Google’s previous reporting on this feature, it will appear in Chrome’s autofill popup when you’re typing text online but you will also be able to access it from the right-click menu. While you can use prompts to have Google write for you, this tool also looks at the entirety of the webpage you’re using it on to gain additional context.

The sky is really the limit when it comes to how generative AI like Google Bard, and the company’s other AI tools will make their way into Chrome. We’ll likely see even more AI features come to the search giant’s browser in the future.

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Even though I had originally decided not to pick up an Echo Show 15, it fell to its lowest price ever on Black Friday and I just couldn’t help myself. Not only is it one of the best smart displays overall, it’s also the only one you can easily mount on the wall without any additional hardware. In fact, being able to mount it on the wall is what finally pushed me over the edge. 

When I first moved into my house, there was an alarm control panel mounted in the exact same spot where my Echo Show 15 now resides. I considered reactivating the security system since it was already there, but the high monthly cost and the fact that I would need all-new equipment held me back, so I installed some of the best home security cameras instead.

The deactivated alarm control panel remained on the wall in my kitchen until one day, it started beeping for no reason. I tried unplugging it and that worked for a while but eventually, the beeping returned. Fed up and frustrated after it woke me up early on a Saturday morning, I ripped it off the wall and finally got rid of it. Although I patched the holes and cleaned things up as best I could, it was obvious that there used to be something there.

Sometime between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I was walking through my kitchen and it hit me. The Echo Show 15 was the perfect size – or at least close enough – to cover the spot on my wall where my alarm control panel used to be. 

For the past two weeks, I’ve been digging deep into the menus and options available on the Echo Show 15 in an attempt to make it my own. Despite its larger 15.6-inch screen and unique user interface, it just isn’t nearly as customizable as I had hoped — even though it just hit its one year anniversary.

Where are the widgets?

At the time of writing, there are only 31 widgets available for the Echo Show 15. This is certainly more than the 14 widgets that were available at launch. However, Amazon has now had a year to develop more first-party widgets and approve new ones made by third-party developers.  

Of these 31 widgets, 21 of them are first-party and were developed by Amazon and the remaining 10 were created by just five other developers including Sleep Jar, Philosophical Creations, Cookpad, Shazam Design LLC and surprisingly, Comedy Central. Seeing Trevor Noah prominently featured among the Echo Show 15’s widgets does seem kind of strange, especially since he actually left The Daily Show earlier this week.

I understand that Amazon doesn’t want its competitors building widgets for the Echo Show 15 but there are plenty of third-party developers that could add useful new features to its flagship smart display. Alternatively, the company could also devise a way for customers to make their own widgets either in a browser or on one of the best Amazon Fire tablets.

While the original iPhone won everyone over with its design and functionality, the launch of the App Store a year later gave the device real staying power. Amazon could follow suit by creating its own widget store for the Echo Show 15 or at least expanding the existing Widget Gallery. It doesn’t need to be as comprehensive as the Amazon Appstore but more widget choices would likely be a welcome addition by Echo Show 15 users.

Although too many widgets might slow down the device, it does ship with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Another possibility is that Amazon was so busy working on the Fire TV update for the Echo Show 15 that it wasn’t prioritizing widgets.

A limited layout

In landscape mode on the Echo Show 15, widgets take up about 40% of the screen while the remaining 60 percent is dedicated to the device’s Display Cards. By switching to portrait mode though, these percentages are reversed and you have a lot more space for widgets.

There are still some limitations and you can only have one large widget and three smaller widgets on display at the same time. You can add more but you have to scroll up to access them ,which isn’t that helpful if you’re mainly using the Echo Show 15 to have glanceable information at the ready.

Even though the Display Cards are a mainstay of both the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8, the widgets were one of the selling points of the Echo Show 15 – at least until its Fire TV functionality was announced. An all-widget mode would be a nice way to help this larger smart display stand out or Amazon could even make the device’s Display Cards into their own widget so that users could choose to remove them if they want.

Silk browser almost saved the day

Since I was a bit disappointed by the number of widgets and not having full control over resizing them, I turned to Amazon’s Silk browser as a means of customizing my Echo Show 15 further. 

If you didn’t know, the Silk browser is available on every model of Echo Show and Fire TV Stick and you just need to ask Alexa to “open Silk” to use it. Silk is a Chromium-based browser that works just like any other web browser and with it, you can add bookmarks, search the web and more. 

For this reason, I figured I could use it to bring up the digital dashboard I set up earlier this year using DakBoard to have more information – like the Tom’s Guide RSS feed – available at a glance on the Echo Show 15’s display. Since DakBoard works in any browser, I knew I could plug my custom URL into Silk and have my personalized dashboard show up on the Echo Show 15.

Unfortunately, Silk times out and returns to the home screen after 45 seconds and there currently isn’t a way to have the browser run in full screen on the Echo Show 15. I considered trying Firefox instead but Mozilla ended support for Echo Show devices in April of last year.

Amazon Echo Show 15 bottom line

Even though the Echo Show 15 can’t be customized to my heart’s content, it’s still a great device and I don’t regret purchasing it. Not only did it help cover up where the alarm control panel used to be on my kitchen wall, it has proven to be quite useful. I can check the weather quickly before heading out and I’m also able to see how much traffic there is on my commute. 

Still, I wish Amazon would do more with its widgets since they were the Echo Show 15’s main differentiator before the Fire TV update rolled out. Hopefully it arrives on my device soon as I’m eager to see what it’s like controlling a smart display with a remote — something I never thought I’d be able to do. 

After a decade of living in small, cramped apartments, last year I finally bought a house that ended up being bigger than I originally intended. With all of the extra room, I had plenty of space to review a dozen of the best standing desks.

At the beginning it was great finally having a chance to use a proper standing desk, after years of making do with makeshift ones I either built or set up myself. Also, after a year of reviewing standing desks, I'd tested so many I've got one in nearly every room of my house.

While they all helped me stay more active while working from home, one in particular found a special place in my heart due to its features, design and endless customization options. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to a standing desk and don’t know where to start, I suggest you take a look at UPLIFT Desk’s products, especially the Uplift V2.

A standing desk you can customize to your heart’s content

Based in Austin, Texas, UPLIFT Desk has been making standing desks as well as other home office furniture since 2002. As the story goes, founder and CEO Jon Paulsen couldn’t find one to his liking, so he decided to make his own.

Although Vari and Flexispot both also make excellent standing desks, what sets UPLIFT Desk apart and especially the Uplift V2, is the number of configuration options available. Sure, you can buy a preconfigured standing desk and have a great experience, but since standing desks often don’t come cheap and UPLIFT Desk offers a 15-year warranty, why not customize one to your liking?

For instance, at the time of writing, the company offers 30 different Uplift V2 desktop styles to choose from. Although desktops made from rare types of wood can get expensive fast, there are seven different options made from laminate that are available at the base price. I chose a whiteboard desktop while configuring my review unit, since I'd never seen such a standing desk before. This way, I can take notes right on my desk, and it’s easy to clean.

The Uplift V2 is available in five different sizes and there are also four frames to pick from which are available in black, white, gray or an industrial color. Unlike with other standing desks, UPLIFT Desk has five different keypad options in three different colors to pick from as well as an optional wireless foot switch to adjust the height of your desk.

Grommets - small holes at the back of the desk - are another useful addition to the Uplift V2. These holes can be used to run cables from your PC to your monitor and vice versa. Although you can go for standard grommet covers like I did, you can also get power grommets that feature an AC plug or even a storage grommet that can be used to hold one of the best USB flash drives and other work accessories.

UPLIFT Desk rounds out the Uplift V2 package with something no other company (based on my experience) offers, a free cable management tray. Yes, it’s made of plastic, but other companies don’t include one at all and instead charge anywhere up to $50 for one. 

Tall or short – UPLIFT Desk has you covered 

To get the most out of your standing desk, you’re going to need to use it from both a seated and a standing position, if not you’d be better off with one of the best desks instead.

As the Uplift V2 features dual motors at the top of each leg, the desk raises to my preferred standing height in just under seven seconds. In addition to being powerful, its dual motors are also quiet unlike some of the desks with single motors I’ve tested. The Uplift V2 also passed my coffee test where I place a full cup of coffee on a standing desk and try raising and lowering it without spilling a drop.

Although I’m personally on the shorter side, the Uplift V2 caters to a variety of heights as it has a minimum height of 25.3” and a maximum height of 48.7”. At its lowest, even a child would be able to draw on its whiteboard desktop, though this also makes it easy to move to another location in your house. As someone who spent a year moving standing desks from room to room, this certainly helped.

On its website, UPLIFT Desk explains that the Uplift V2 works for most people between 5’4” to 6’9” tall but the company also gives a few tips for people who fall under or over this height range. Those 4’8” and shorter might want to consider adding a keyboard tray to “decrease the seated desktop work height by up to 5”” while those who are taller than 6’9” may want to “add desk casters or a keyboard tray” for an even taller desk.

The UPLIFT V2’s keyboard also allows you to set stop limits that are triggered before the desk reaches shelves or a windowsill above it or cabinets below. Even then, the anti-collision system prevents the desk from hitting anything and those with small children can lock the keypad to prevent them from fumbling with it.

Other standing desks worth considering

The Uplift V2 is my favorite standing desk I’ve reviewed this far, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have other standing desks on my shortlist.

If customization isn’t your main focus, Vari – another Texas-based company – also makes excellent standing desks. While the Vari Electric Standing Desk was actually the first desk I reviewed, I still think about it often due to just how easy it was to assemble. In fact, the desk itself can be put together in minutes using just the two included Allen wrenches.

Even though Vari charges extra for its cable management tray, it’s one of the best I’ve ever used because of its design. Normally cable management trays are stationary, but Vari’s can rock forward or backward which makes it really easy to plug in new devices without having to move your desk away from the wall.

Next up on my shortlist is the Kana Pro Bamboo Standing Desk from Flexispot. Even though its bamboo desktop is very sturdy and catches your eye, it was the Kana Pro Bamboo’s keypad that caught my attention. 

This was the first keypad I saw that featured a USB port for charging your devices. Granted, this feature is now becoming a standard and Flexispot’s EG8 Comhar actually has two USB-A ports as well as a USB-C one, I realized just how useful this feature can be with Kana Pro Bamboo.

An investment for your productivity as well as your health

Due to their moving parts and more complicated design, standing desks tend to cost quite a bit more than your average office desk. 

For the price though, you gain more flexibility when it comes to how you work and with a cable management tray, you can also make your workspace even tidier. If you’re still on the fence, check out our guide on 10 things you need to know before buying a standing desk and also read about the top 3 ways to try out a standing desk before you buy.

Personally, now that I’ve made the switch to using a proper electric standing desk, I doubt I’ll ever be able to go back to a desk that can’t move with me throughout the day. While I sit more than stand some days, I always have the option to get out of my chair and move about, like I just did while writing this sentence.

Next: This $10 accessory is a life saver for keeping your cables tidy