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Ebook Friendly

25 beautiful book wallpapers for your tablet, computer, and smartphone.

From the magical world of the open book, to libraries full of books, to girls reading, you should be able to find the picture that fits your preferences and taste.

The best example in how brilliant book wallpapers can be are the ones designed by  Vlad Gerasimov . They are subtle enough to stay behind home screen icons, and not distract you.

On the other side, pictures from Vlad Studio are so beautiful that unlocking a tablet or waking up a computer is immediately rewarded with a delightful magic of books.

It’s good to keep in mind that not every picture, even the most beautiful one, is good for a wallpaper. If the contrast is too high, or colors too bright, it will keep you distracted, and the screen icons will be hardly visible.

Also, some pictures just look good when used horizontally. When you crop them to the portrait view, they can look ugly, not proportional, and lose all their appeal.

Descriptions under each picture include:

• Orientation – whether there are versions of the image cut to horizontal, square or vertical proportions,
• Size – what sizes are available, usually marking the smallest and largest size,
• Download – a direct download link, usually to a medium-sized file. You can click or tap on it to download it to your device, then select it as a wallpaper,
• Credits – where you can find info about the author and more download options.

You can crop each of the pictures to proportions and dimensions of your device. Just make sure to pick up the size that is by width and height equal or larger than your device’s screen.

Some editing can be made using default photo tools available on your smartphone or tablet. For more advanced editing, you don’t need to download any special application. Just use one of the web-based tools. The best ones are: Canva ,  iPiccy , Pixlr , BeFunky , and Fotor .

If you know of any book wallpapers that could be added to this list, please leave a link or picture in the comments below.

[ef-reco id=”89031″ title=”Read also” info=”Top article”]

25 book wallpapers for a tablet, computer, and smartphone

Vintage Library . A surreal illustration of an old library. Orientation: horizontal. There is only one size, 1280×1024, so you’ll have to crop the image manually. ⇢ Download 1600×1200 . ⇢ Credits: Wallpaper Here .

Lost in a Good Book . A 3D art showing a book transforming into abstract objects. One size: 1920×1200. Orientation: horizontal. ⇢ Download . ⇢ Credits: Free Computer Wallpapers .

Autumn Books . Orientation: horizontal. A nostalgic photo of vintage books in an autumn season. Desktop sizes from 1280×800 to dual screen. Mobile devices: Android, Apple, and Windows Phone. ⇢ Download 1440×900 . ⇢ Credits: Wallpaper Abyss .

Book of Hearts . Medieval-style still life. Orientation: horizontal. Currently there is only one size available. ⇢ Download 1024×768 . ⇢ Credits: Wallpapers Phantom .

Kitchen Still Life . A painting by an Irish-American painter William Harnett, known for his still lifes of ordinary objects. Orientation: horizontal. One size: 1280×1024. ⇢ Download . ⇢ Credits: Wallpoper .

The World in a Book . A black & white, centered, abstract 3D illustration. Orientation: horizontal. Sizes: from 640×480 to 1920×1200. ⇢ Download 1920×1200 . ⇢ Credits: Desktop Wallpapers 4 Me .

Lello Bookshop in Porto, Portugal . Wallpaper designed by Raul Lieberwirth. Sizes from 176×220 to 2560×1024. Available for wide screens, tablets, mobile phones, and 2-monitor. Orientation: horizontal. ⇢ Download 1440×900 . ⇢ Credits: WallpapersWide .

Reading Ray Ban Glasses . Sizes from 320×480 to 2560×1600. Orientation: horizontal, vertical. Supported devices: iPad, iPad Mini, Nexus 7, HTC One X, Nokia Lumia 900, Samsung Galaxy S3. ⇢ Download 1440×900 . ⇢ Credits: WallpaperStock .

Books on a Wooden Surface . A dark-theme photography with purple books in the bottom right corner. Orientation: horizontal. “MLP” stands for My Little Pony. One size. ⇢ Download 1920×1080 . ⇢ Credits: WallpaperJam .

Girl Reading a Book . Orientation: horizontal, square, vertical. Sizes from 176×220 to 2560×1440. ⇢ Download 1440×900 . ⇢ Credits: WallpapersWide .

Toy and Books . Orientation: horizontal. A grained, filtered photography of a toy bear on a stack of books. The picture has only one dimension, so you’ll have to crop it manually. ⇢ Download 2560×1600 . ⇢ Credits: Wallpoper .

Library . Design by Vlad Studio. Orientation: vertical, square, horizontal. Many sizes available, including 3-monitor. Maximum size: 7680×1600. Versions for iPhone 5, iPad Retina, Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy Note, Nook, Sony Xperia U, and more. Bigger sizes are available for premium customers. ⇢ Download 1280×800 . ⇢ Credits: Vlad Studio .

The Tree of Books . Designed by Vlad Gerasimov. Orientation: horizontal, vertical, square. Sizes from 120×60 to 7680×1600. Supported devices: iPad Retina, iPhone 5 Retina, Kindle Fire HD 8.9″, Nokia Lumia 920, among others. Bigger screen sizes are available for premium users. ⇢ Download 1920×1440 . ⇢ Credits: Vlad Studio .

Letters Flying Over a Book . Orientation: horizontal. One size: 1152×864. ⇢ Download . ⇢ Credits: Fondos Gratis .

Google Library . This gorgeous wallpaper was designed by Vlad Gerasimov. Available in many sizes, for computers, tablets, smartphones, 2-monitor, 3-monitor. Orientation: horizontal, vertical, square. Maximum size: 7680×1600. Supported devices: iPad Retina, iPhone 5 Retina, Kindle Fire HD 8.9″, Nokia Lumia 920, and many more. Please note that bigger screen sizes are available for premium users. ⇢ Download 1920×1440 . ⇢ Credits: Vlad Studio .

Book Trees . Wallpaper designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Vlad Studio. Orientation: horizontal, vertical, square. Maximum size: 7680×1600. Sizes for several devices, including iPad Retina, iPhone 5 Retina, Kindle Fire HD 8.9″, Nokia Lumia 920. Note: bigger screen sizes are available for premium users. ⇢ Download 1920×1440 . ⇢ Credits: Vlad Studio .

Trees on a Book . Orientation: vertical, square, horizontal. Many sizes, from 240×400 to 2-monitor 3360×1050. Sizes for iPad Retina, iPhone, and several popular proportions for mobile phones and tablets. ⇢ Download 1440×1080 . ⇢ Credits: Top Walls .

Maybe You’re Dreaming Too Much . Although available only for iOS device this design created by Rodrigo Maia is so good that it had to be included in this overview. Orientation: square, vertical. ⇢ Download 1024×1024 . Credits: Poolga .

Mouse Reading a Book . A fun to look at 3D illustration. Orientation: horizontal. Many sizes to choose from, including mobile devices. ⇢ Download 1440×900 . ⇢ Credits: Superb Wallpapers .

Education wallpaper . A minimalist 2D art. Orientation: horizontal, vertical. Several resolutions to choose from. The largest one is 3840×2160. ⇢ Download 1920×1200 . ⇢ Credits: Superb Wallpapers .

Echi Book . Orientation: horizontal. Available also in yellow. One size: 1280×960. ⇢ Download . ⇢ Credits: PC Desktop Wallpaper .

Kids Books and Whales . Orientation: horizontal. An amusing watercolor illustration showing an abstract landscape with books, children, and a whale. One size: 1701×1098. ⇢ Download . ⇢ Credits: Wallpoper .

Book Magic . This beautiful fantasy illustration can be downloaded in five sizes, up to 1920×1200 size. Orientation: horizontal. ⇢ Download 1920×1200 . ⇢ Credits: Wallshade .

Inside a Book . Digital art featuring a girl reading inside a giant book. Orientation: horizontal. Several sizes to choose from. The biggest resolution is 1920×1200. ⇢ Download 1920×1200 . ⇢ Credits: Desktop Wallpapers 4 Me .

The Book of Secrets . This magical composition was designed by Donika Nikova (ShaynArt). The wallpaper is tailored for many screen sizes and proportions, from feature phone (176×220) to 16:10 (3840×2400). Orientation: vertical, square, horizontal. ⇢ Download 1440×900 . ⇢ Credits: ShaynArt .

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Once upon a time, there was a man named Jack Gilbert, who was not related to me – unfortunately for me. 

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Here’s What Billionaire Bill Gates Recommends You Read And Watch This Summer

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A TikTok favorite author's newest release, a crash course in artificial intelligence and a how-to guide for making the most of philanthropic giving are among the summer reads—and watches—recommended by billionaire Bill Gates in the latest post for his Gates Notes blog.

Bill Gates with a stack of his recommended summer reads and watches.

Gates, who built a fortune after he co-founded Microsoft in the 1970s, has recommended four books and one TV show with a theme of service to others, specifically "why we do it, the things that can make it difficult and why we should do it anyway," he wrote.

At the top of the list is "The Women" by Kristin Hannah, the story of a U.S. Army nurse in Vietnam that Gates called a "beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made."

Hannah, who skyrocketed to a new level of fame thanks to a loyal TikTok fan base, released "The Women" in February—it became the best selling adult book in February and March and was the second most-sold book in April, according to Circana data (it sold 661,630 print copies in its first three months).

Gates' other three recommended books are all nonfiction, including a dive into how artificial intelligence stands to change the lives of students and teachers in "Brave New Worlds" by Sal Khan.

The other two reads—"How to Know a Person" by David Books and "Infections Giving" by Chris Anderson—are about interpersonal relationships: The former is a guide to improving conversation and social skills and the latter a blueprint for how to amplify the impact of everyday generosity.

Gates also recommended watching the Apple TV+ show “Slow Horses,” a British spy thriller starring Gary Oldman about a dysfunctional group of MI5 spies operating as a special faction of the intelligence agency.

Key Background

Gates publishes books, song and show recommendations twice yearly, at the start of summer and near the end of the year. Last summer, he recommended books "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin and "Born in Blackness" by Howard French, the political drama "Borgen" on Netflix and released a summer Spotify playlist with tracks from Vampire Weekend, Adele, Nat King Cole and others. His holiday list, a tradition he's continued for more than a decade, included "The Song of the Cell" by Siddhartha Mukherjee, "Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure" by Vaclav Smil and "Not the End of the World: How We Can Be The First Generation To Build A Sustainable Planet" by Hannah Ritchie.

Forbes Valuation

Gates has an estimated net worth of $131.2 billion Monday to make him the ninth richest person in the world. He founded Microsoft in 1975 and still owned about 1.3% of the company's shares when he stepped down from the board in March of 2020. Gates has donated tens of billions of dollars through his foundation, the Gates Foundation, and is a co-founder of The Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign that encourages the wealthy to give away at least half of their fortunes.

Further Reading

Summer List 2024 (Gates Notes)

Here’s What Bill Gates Recommends You Read, Watch And Listen To During The Holidays (Forbes)

Bill Gates’ Road To Riches: Behind The Billions (Forbes)

America’s Top Givers 2024: The 25 Most Philanthropic Billionaires (Forbes)

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Hands-on: Chromebook Plus is Google’s push for affordable AI

Did you know that computers have artificial intelligence now? You didn’t? How’s that? We’ve been subjected to an absolute avalanche of marketing touting AI from seemingly every tech company, from Microsoft and Nvidia to laptop makers and even thermal paste sellers . Well if you’ve somehow avoided the AI blitz, possibly by using a Chromebook, you’re about to get it in spades from Google.

The company has been pushing its Gemini (nee Bard ) AI tools into most of its high-profile products, most notably Chrome and Android. Now Chromebook Plus, Google’s higher tier of ChromeOS laptops revealed last year, are slated to be Google’s flagship platform for the best and brightest of Gemini, with a few tools and options that aren’t available elsewhere.

With all this coming just a week after Microsoft’s big push for Copilot+ hardware , its own brand of devices that can access its cutting-edge generative AI tools, it’s hard to see this as anything but Google and Microsoft squaring up for a good old-fashioned tech race. (That’s not even mentioning Google’s all-AI, all-the-time I/O presentation .) While there’s a lot of crossover between Copilot and Gemini, Google is highlighting that its tools will be available at a far lower entry price — just $350 for the cheapest Chromebooks that meet the Plus designation, and come with a year of premium AI features for free.

What features? Let’s break it down. These tools are spread out within the Chromebook Plus interface, or available as more of a standard chat prompt by clicking the Gemini button on the task bar.

‘Help me write’ text generation

This will surely be the big draw if you’re convinced of AI’s power to save you time on office-style work. Gemini’s text-based prompts aren’t doing anything that we haven’t seen before with Copilot and similar systems, but it is surprisingly fast, and available just about everywhere that the Chrome browser is, plus all of the slightly skinned web apps in ChromeOS. Users can give direct prompts for text generation, modify existing text (like “make this headline shorter”), or choose from a quick list of auto-generated suggestions.

Trying this out in person was impressive in terms of speed, but had the usual hiccups that generative AI users might be accustomed to at this point. Getting Gemini to give me a PowerPoint (or Google Slides) presentation on a specific topic was easy, but I still needed to go through it, touch things up, and cut out some irrelevant info. It certainly saved a lot of time, if not to the magical degree that Google’s presentation promised.

Magic Editor for Google Photos

Owners of Google’s Pixel phones have had access to some of these advanced photo editing tools for some time now, and they’re coming to Chromebook Plus owners now. These are particularly impressive once you bring them to a bigger screen, with the ability to move, resize, and otherwise gently alter objects (including people) and automatically adjust the rest of the image to match.

As someone who’s been a Photoshop jockey for decades, the system’s ability to quickly select relevant objects and accurately fill in backgrounds was impressive. Even though I can do this stuff myself, the Magic Editor does it 10 times faster and without any immediately obvious artifacts. Since I use Windows for my work machine, I’m genuinely jealous that this won’t be available outside of Chromebook Plus devices.

AI-generated wallpaper and video call backgrounds

These are some interesting options, but by far the least useful of Google’s demonstrations. The Chromebook interface will allow Plus users to input prompts for AI-generated wallpaper for free. This seems like something that’s done so infrequently that it’s kind of an afterthought for Google’s big-iron AI systems, but what the hey, everybody wants cool-looking wallpaper.

The video backgrounds are perhaps more relevant to everyday use. The same system will let you generate backgrounds that will appear behind you in video conferencing, no greenscreen required. The generation is the new thing here — pretty much every video chat system will give you the option to set a custom background. But Google representatives did say that this tool is platform-agnostic — it’ll work fine on browser-based Zoom or Teams running in ChromeOS, as well as Google Meet.

2TB of cloud storage and Gemini Advanced for a year

Android phones and Chromebooks have often come with freebies from Google — a current promotion will give you 100GB of Google One storage and three months of YouTube Premium for any Chromebook purchase, for example. If you buy a Chromebook Plus model starting today, you get 12 months of free access to the Google One AI tier, which includes use of Gemini Advanced and 2TB of Google Drive remote storage. After a year it’ll cost $19.99.

Gemini Advanced includes the more general “Help me write” tool above, available in the Chrome browser on any platform. Other, more specific tools, like the Magic Editor and the AI wallpapers, are only available on Chromebook Plus hardware.

Other new features coming to Chromebooks

In addition to the AI-centric announcements, Google showed off new stuff coming to all current Chromebooks with free software updates.

GIF recording

ChromeOS is getting a built-in screen recorder that can output in GIF format. My fellow tech writers should appreciate this.

Game Dashboard and touchscreen control remapping

ChromeOS is getting an Xbox Game Bar-style interface for playing over games, be they web-based, local (including Android games downloaded from the Play Store), and streaming (RIP, Stadia). More notably, the system includes a tool to map out touchscreen controls to the mouse and keyboard, making phone-only and controller-only games playable on a laptop.

Michael Crider/Foundry

It’s nothing we haven’t seen before with third-party tools, but appreciated nonetheless. Even if you already have a touchscreen on your Chromebook, this should be a welcome addition for gamers.

Google Tasks integration in the taskbar

Click on the taskbar’s clock to bring up a mini-calendar, which now includes a quick view of Google Tasks for the logged-in account. Very nice, but I feel burned as a Google Keep fan. The graveyard beckons…

Faster Chromebook setup for Android users

If you buy a new Chromebook and you have an Android-powered phone handy, you can scan a QR code on the former to sync all your relevant Google data across, including Wi-Fi networks and passwords.

Even more stuff coming to Chromebooks soon

Google also demonstrated a bunch of new tools it hopes to bring to Chromebook users sometime later this year. The most dramatic was probably the ability to combine voice-to-text typing with “AI-powered” facial scanning, which allows a user to control a huge amount of the interface without using their hands. For example, the user dictates an email message, then moves their head a bit to guide the cursor down to the “Send” button, and quirks their mouth to the left to click it.

It’s definitely a bit awkward, and I think it’s trying to work around including expensive accessibility tech (like dedicated eye tracking sensors) into low-cost Chromebooks. But the live demo, awkward as it was, seemed to have a lot of promise. We’ll see if this makes it to a release candidate, or slowly disappears into the news background, as these features sometimes do.

In addition to “Help me write,” Google is working on Gemini-powered “Help me read.” This is basically the same as ChatGPT’s auto-generated summaries, but for a specific website or document you’re looking at. Helpful in a sort of auto-speed-read kind of way, but this one is also going to be limited to Chromebook Plus models, at least at the start.

Google is working on a system that will help you pick up from where you left off automatically when you log into a Chromebook. It’s kind of like a browser remembering all the tabs you had open when you closed it, but it’ll include multiple apps and files, including cross-device compatibility where possible. An example of reading a long article on iOS and picking it up on your Chromebook. It’s nothing you couldn’t do already with various apps and tools, just hopefully a bit more seamless.

New Chromebook models (sort of)

Google’s presentation and demo area had a handful of recent and new Chromebooks. These are all pretty basic machines, as Chromebooks tend to be, and mild refreshes of existing hardware. Notably, the cheapest Chromebook with all those Plus extras is now $349.99, down from $399.99 late last year.

Chromebook Plus devices require at least a Core i3 12th-gen/Ryzen 3 7000 CPU or better, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a full HD IPS screen, and a 1080p webcam. There are seven new Plus models being announced today from Acer, Asus, and HP. But again, there’s nothing mind-blowing here — they all seem to be mild chassis refreshes and CPU bumps.

The most interesting model continues to be Acer’s “Gaming Chromebook,” the 516 GE, which PCWorld reviewed last month . Just keep in mind that, due to ChromeOS’s web-focused structure, you can really only make the most of its gaming keyboard and high-refresh screen if you have access to some serious cloud-based games, a la GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass. We’ve seen others on this list before too, including the Asus Plus CX34 and the Acer Spin 714 .

I also tried out the Asus Chromebook CM30, a MediaTek-based tablet with a Surface-style keyboard and kickstand. Notably, this is not a Chromebook Plus machine…and it shows. The thing chugged even as a demo. Chromebooks can generally get away with far less RAM than a Windows laptop. But I think ChromeOS has gotten so resource-intensive that this 10-inch tablet’s battery-sipping Arm processor and eMMC storage were overwhelmed.

Author: Michael Crider , Staff Writer

Michael is a former graphic designer who's been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.

Recent stories by Michael Crider:

• Get a laptop for $149 in Best Buy’s big Chromebook sale
• Chromebooks finally receive custom mouse and keyboard shortcuts
• Google axes Chromebooks with discrete Nvidia GPUs

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Woody and Dallas Woodburn discuss their new novels during father-daughter book signings at Timbre Books in Ventura

VENTURA, Calif.-Ventura County Star columnist Woody Woodburn credits his daughter Dallas for encouraging him to write his first novel.

She is a writer, too.

That prompted Timbre books in Ventura to host a father-daughter book signing.

They read portions of each other's new books before a standing room only crowd that included friends, family and even former teachers.

Dallas Woodburn has written a number young adult books.

Her latest entitled "Before & After You & Me" has local locations and even mentions the giraffe Gemina, born with the crooked neck, that lived out its life at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

She said a late friend inspired one of the characters when she started writing the novel in grad school.

"One of the main characters is named after and kind of modeled after a dear friend that I loved, who passed away, and so, it was, like, really moving for me to write a tribute to her in the book, and to bring her to life again when I was writing the scenes with her."

Woody said he got the initial idea for his novel entitled "The Butterfly Tree " from the Antique Roadshow on PBS.

"They had this kitchen table that had been in about 5 generations and I had this light bulb, if I ask any of you about your kitchen table growing up I think you have so many memories about it," said Woody Woodburn," It brings us together on holidays or daily everyday, so I had this idea, like wow, that would be a great novel to have a table and seven generations around it."

The book begins in Ohio, where he lived before his family moved to California.

The Woodburns also answered questions about their writing process.

As the mother of two little kids, Dallas Woodburn said she wrote for at least 15 minutes a day.

More when time allows.

Woodburn said he gets some of his ideas for his columns and books while running.

He told the audience he hasn't missed a day of running 3-11 miles since July of 2003.

People lined up after the discussion to get their books autographed.

Both books are available at Timbre Books on Main St. in Ventura and whereever books are sold.

Fore more information visit https://www.dallaswoodburn.com and https://www.woodywoodburn.com

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• Services & Software

iOS 17.5: All the Fun and Useful New Features That Just Landed on Your iPhone

However, some features are only available to people in the EU.

• Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents

The latest iOS update is here, and you can download it now.

Apple released the iOS 17.5  update to the general public on May 13, about two months after the release of iOS 17.4 . The latest update brings security patches and a handful of useful and fun features to the  iPhones of most people. Some features are only available to people in the European Union, however, in order to comply with the region's Digital Markets Act . I've previously used iOS 17.5 as a beta and a release candidate and found a new word game for Apple News Plus subscribers and much more. 

To download the update, go to  Settings  >  General  >  Software Update , tap  Update Now  and follow the onscreen prompts. Here's what's new on your iPhone with iOS 17.5.

Read more: Everything Apple Announced at Its May Event

New puzzle game Quartiles for Apple News Plus subscribers

Apple's iOS 17.5 introduces a new puzzle game, Quartiles, to the News app for Apple News Plus subscribers. At the start of each puzzle, you're given a grid of 20 tiles that have parts of words on them, like "te" and "tra." You then have to combine these tiles to form different words. Words can be between one and four tiles long, but each grid can be made into five four-tile words -- you get the most points by combining the tiles this way. 

If you subscribe to Apple News Plus, which costs  $13 (£13, AU$20) a month , you can find Quartiles by going to  News > Following > Puzzles  and swiping the carousel at the top of the screen. You can also scroll down the  Puzzles  page to find Quartiles below the Crossword Minis. 

You can get a free three-month trial of Apple News Plus with the purchase of a new iPhone , iPad or Mac .

Read more:   How to Play Daily Crossword Puzzles in Your iPhone's News App

Puzzle leaderboards for Apple News Plus subscribers

In addition to Quartiles, a new feature in iOS 17.5 lets Apple News Plus subscribers easily compare their daily puzzle scores with other people's. To turn on this feature, go to  Settings > News  and under  News+ Puzzles  tap the toggle next to  Game Center . 

"Send your results to Game Center to see how you rank among friends and other solvers on today's puzzles," Apple writes under this setting.

It's important to note that anyone can enable this setting, but if you don't have an Apple News Plus subscription, you can't play the daily puzzles and therefore can't post anything to these leaderboards.

Apple News Plus gets an Offline Mode

With iOS 17.5, Apple lets Apple News Plus subscribers read their favorite publications offline with the new Offline Mode. To enable Offline Mode, go to  Settings > News  and tap the toggle next to  Automatic Downloads . 

Once enabled, your app can automatically download things like recent stories, puzzles and audio stories to your device so that you can enjoy them when you're offline. You can manage what gets downloaded though by tapping  Download Options  located beneath the  Automatic Downloads  toggle. Here you can select what gets downloaded to your device automatically. 

Detect unknown third-party trackers

In addition to warning you about unknown  AirTags  traveling with you, with iOS 17.5 your iPhone will also now warn you if it detects an unknown third-party tracking device moving with you. 

Your iPhone can help you detect unknown third-party trackers, in addition to AirTags.

"With this new capability, users will now get an '[Item] Found Moving With You' alert on their device if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is seen moving with them over time, regardless of the platform the device is paired with," Apple wrote  online .

If you get one of these alerts, your iPhone can have the tracker play a sound so you can find it. Once you've found the unknown tracker, your iPhone can view the tracker's identifier and access instructions to disable it.

These alerts are automatically enabled on your iPhone after you update to iOS 17.5.

Read more:   Everything You Need to Know About Apple's AirTags

More ways for people in the EU to download apps

With iOS 17.5, Apple now allows people in the EU to download apps from a developer's website. Apple posted an  online guide that could help developers distribute their apps over the web. 

"In eligible regions, you can distribute approved, non-marketplace apps from your website," Apple writes. "To distribute your app, fill out a webform that outlines the qualifications, and if approved, Apple enables you to download a framework that facilitates the secure installation of your app from your website."

Developers also have to opt into  new App Store business terms for the EU and pay a  0.50 euro Core Technology Fee  for every first-time app installation over 1 million in the past 12 months. But Apple gives developers the first 1 million first-time app installations for free.

"Membership in the Apple Developer Program includes one million first annual installs per year for free for apps distributed from the App Store, Web Distribution, and/or alternative marketplaces," Apple writes. 

Apple  announced  this capability on March 12, alongside other EU-specific developer features, like the ability to choose the design of in-app promotions.

This is the latest EU-specific feature to come to the iPhone. When Apple released iOS 17.4 in March, a big part of that update was allowing people in the EU to download alternate app stores in order to comply with the region's Digital Markets Act. 

New Pride Collection wallpapers

Apple brings a new set of Pride Collection wallpapers to iPhones running iOS 17.5. The backgrounds read "Pride" in five different color schemes inspired by LBGTQ+ communities. You can find these wallpapers by going to Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper and looking under Pride . 

New Repair State mode

If you take your iPhone to an Apple store for repairs,  Apple recommends  turning Find My off. However, if you try to turn Find My off at the store and you have  Stolen Device Protection  enabled, the  security delay  will make you wait an hour to turn Find My off.

With iOS 17.5, you can enable repair mode by going into  Find My > Devices  and then selecting an item linked to your Apple ID, like your iPhone. Once you've selected this item, tap  Remove This Device  near the bottom of the menu. You'll see a pop-up that says you cannot remove this device, but you can prepare it for repair. If you tap Continue, your device will ask you to enter your Apple ID password. However, you should probably only do this when you are taking your iPhone in for repairs.

According to  9to5Mac , if you enable this feature at a repair center, an Apple technician will confirm you own the iPhone in question after observing you enter your Apple ID password. Once confirmed, the technician will move forward with the repair without interruption from the security delay. 

It's unclear if there's a way to remove your device from Repair State if you place it in the new mode prematurely. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.

Podcast widget changes color

The Podcast widget can change color to match what you're listening to.

With iOS 17.5, your Podcast widget will change color depending on the artwork of whatever podcast you're listening to at the moment. So if the podcast you're listening to has red artwork, the widget will turn red. 

This aesthetic feature was in some early iOS 17.4 betas, but Apple removed it from that update's public release. In iOS 17.4, Apple also brought transcripts to podcasts , which makes the audio media more accessible for more people.

Find recently played Podcasts in Spotlight Search

In iOS 17.5, if you tap Spotlight Search and type podcasts into the search bar, you'll see recently played podcasts alongside the Podcasts app in your Top Hit bar across the top of your screen. You only see the last three podcasts you listened to, though. Also, searching for specific podcasts doesn't make them appear in your Top Hit bar.

Books app counter tool

It appears Apple wants to help people achieve their reading goals. With iOS 17.5, the Books app gets a counter in the top right corner of the app's homepage. If you tap this counter, the app takes you to your Reading Goals menu. This menu shows you how much time you've spent reading today. There's also a button here that reads Explore the Book Store which opens the Book Store . 

At first, Books sets your daily reading goal for five minutes a day, but you can change this goal to anywhere between 1 minute or the absurd 1,440 minutes (24 hours) a day -- I like to read, but that feels a little aggressive.

Here are the full release notes for iOS 17.5:

This update introduces a new Pride Radiance wallpaper for the Lock Screen, Apple News enhancements and other features, bug fixes and security updates for your iPhone. Apple News Offline mode in Apple News Plus gives you access to the Today feed and News Plus tab, even when you don't have an internet connection. Quartiles is a new and original daily word game that is now available in Apple News Plus. Scoreboard in News Plus Puzzles gives you access to new player data for Crossword, Mini Crossword and Quartiles, including stats and streaks. Tracking Notifications Cross-Platform Tracking Detection delivers notifications to users if a compatible Bluetooth tracker they do not own is moving with them, regardless of what operating system the device is paired with. Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

For more on iOS 17, here's what was included in iOS 17.4 and here's our iOS 17 cheat sheet . You can also check out what we want to see in iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 .

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5 useful AI features Google just unveiled for Chromebook Plus

It was only a matter of time before Google injected AI into Chrome OS.

That time has now come.

Also: These top Chromebooks choices for students do it all

Chromebook Plus (a standard for higher-end Chrome OS hardware that includes exclusive features) is getting an update today that levels up the platform such that AI plays a more important role. The goal is to help you get the most out of AI when you're using Chrome OS for certain tasks.

Let's break down the most useful AI features coming to Chromebook Plus with this latest update.

1. Magic Editor in Google Photos

By now, you likely know what Magic Editor is and how it can help you create the perfect photo. Up until now, however, this feature was only available on phones. Get ready, because Magic Eraser is now available on Chromebook Plus.

Also: Magic Editor and other AI features in Google Photos are coming to your phone for free

You'll be able to select a photo in the Google Photos app, tap (or click) Magic Eraser, and start editing the image to your liking. You can reposition and resize objects, use contextual suggestions to improve the lighting and background, and completely reimagine your photos with a few clicks.

2. Gemini on your Chromebook

That's right, Gemini is now available on your Chromebook. Any time you need help with an idea, need to get an answer to a question, plan a trip, research a subject, and more, all you have to do is tap the Gemini icon on your app shelf and start interacting.

If you're a new Chromebook Plus user, you'll get the Google One AI Premium plan at no cost for 12 months. After that, you'll have to pay for the Gemini subscription. That plan includes access to Gemini Advance, 2TB of cloud storage, Gemini in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, and more.

3. Help Me Write

Help Me Write leverages Google's AI chops in all the places you write, such as websites, PDF forms, online applications, web apps, and more. When you need help writing, right-click (or two-finger tap) the text area to get suggestions or even get help changing the tone to fit your audience.

Also: Chrome now has a new AI writing tool to help you write almost anything online

Help Me Write helps generate text from scratch, using a prompt, or can help you rewrite existing text to make it more formal, shorten it, or totally rephrase it.

4. AI-generated wallpapers and video call backgrounds

With the help of AI, you'll be able to dream up just about any kind of image you want or need to serve as your Chromebook wallpaper or video call backgrounds.

You'll find some pre-built prompts included to help you build your backgrounds of all types (such as fun, whimsical, zen, and professional). Select what you want to see, and Google's AI will take it from there to generate an image specific to your prompt.

5. Quick access to Google Tasks

If you're a fan of Google Tasks, you might be happy to hear that you'll now have one-click access, via a built-in view of Google Tasks that makes it easy to add or check off todos.

Also: ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

Google Tasks will be accessible from the date icon on the bottom-right of your home screen, and will also be accessible across Google Workspace apps and devices. That means if you've added a task from Gmail on your Android phone, you can pick up where you left off on your Chromebook.

These new features will be available to Chromebook Plus devices on the latest Chrome OS version to be released on (or after - depending on your location) May 28, 2024.

3 AI features coming to Copilot+ PCs that I wish were on my MacBook

I ranked the ai features announced at google i/o from most useful to gimmicky, how to sign up for google labs - and 5 reasons why you should.

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Literature festival returns to give writers from diverse backgrounds spotlight

The primadonna festival is returning for its sixth weekend of ‘magic’, article bookmarked.

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A literary festival committed to platforming authors from marginalised backgrounds has said giving lesser-heard writers a voice has never been more important.

The Primadonna Festival is returning for its sixth instalment in July, offering a weekend jam-packed full of workshops, stalls, and panels featuring a diverse range of authors.

Started by 17 “founding Primadonnas” in 2019, the festival highlights authors from all sorts of backgrounds and gives them a lively platform to show off their latest works.

This year will feature guests such as actor and comedian Doon Mackichan, award-winning essayist Sinéad Gleeson, and comedian Helen Lederer.

Festival director, Alice Hardacker, who took on the role in April, described the weekend as one “to fall in love with.”

She hopes people feel inspired and supported by what they see at The Primadonna Festival, which was created as a space where people from all walks of life can feel included and welcomed in the world of books.

The lineup deals with everything from sex-writing to growing your own writing community, but it also offers an opportunity for aspiring writers to network with publishers and editors, and therefore the chance to walk away from the “weekend of joy” with their first book deal as numerous people have in the past.

‘Happiness’ is the theme for this year’s book festival, with Ms Hardacker saying people need books for a sense of escapism and getting new perspectives in a year that has had “a lot going on for a lot of people.”

They will have a ‘happiness disco’, which Ms Hardacker summarised as “a playlist full of bangers” for people to let loose to, and a bee meadow where they can treat themselves to massages and facials.

Ms Hardacker said a comment from a previous festival-goer which has stayed with her described it as “the world as it should be for the weekend.”

The festival is from 26 to 28 July at The Food Museum in Stowmarket, Suffolk , with tickets already on sale at the Primadonna website.

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