You’ll soon have access to your phone’s apps on your PC — if you have the right phone, at least. Microsoft is rolling out a Windows 10 Your Phone update with support for running mobile apps on your desktop, as promised when Samsung revealed the Galaxy Note 20. You won’t have to reach for your handset just to check on a mobile-only social network or order lunch from a delivery app.
Apps run in separate windows to allow for multitasking, and you can pin them to your Start menu or Taskbar if you use them often enough. You can use a mouse, keyboard and touch to interact.
As hinted earlier, though, you can’t just use this with any device. In addition to using the latest Your Phone software on your Windows 10 system, you’ll need a phone with the latest Link to Windows integration — and for now, that means a Samsung phone running Android 9.0 (Pie) or later. The computer and phone need to be on the same WiFi network, so this won’t be an option for checking the device you forgot at home.
Even so, this is a big step up from phone screen mirroring. You don’t have to handle everything a single window, or wade through your phone’s OS just to launch a favorite app. It’s not the seamless union of desktop and mobile that Microsoft envisioned with Continuum, but it’s considerably closer.
Cricket launches 5G service with just one phone
You no longer need to subscribe to AT&T’s main offerings to get a taste of its 5G service. The carrier’s Cricket Wireless prepaid brand has launched 5G service (via The Verge), providing the faster downloads and reduced lag with lower service costs.
You’ll need to spend at least $60 per month for an Unlimited Plan to use a 5G phone, but that’s not surprising given how easily you can chew through data using 5G.
The update also brings 5G to Cricket’s internet-only Simply Data plans, including a new $90 per month plan that offers 100GB at 5G speeds. Service starts at $35 per month for 20GB of full-performance data.
There’s one main catch: the device selection. At present, Cricket’s one and only 5G phone is Samsung’s $1,200 Galaxy S20+ (no, not even the regular S20). That’s a massive amount to spend on a phone for a budget provider.
You can’t use Simply Data plans with non-Cricket devices, either. There are certainly some people who want high-end phones with more affordable rates, but that generally isn’t what attracts people to Cricket.
