Month: February 2023

Enlarge (credit: Microsoft)

If your main problem with the Microsoft Store is that you get too many relevant results when you search for apps, good news: Microsoft is officially launching Microsoft Store Ads, a way for developers to pay to get their apps in front of your eyes when you go to the store to look for something else.

Microsoft's landing page for the feature says the apps will appear during searches and in the Apps and Gaming tabs within the app. Developers will be able to track whether and where users see the ads and whether they're downloading and opening the apps once they see the ads.

Microsoft also provided an update on the health of the Microsoft Store, pointing to 2022 as "a record year," with more than 900 million unique users worldwide and "a 122% year-over-year increase in developer submissions of new apps and games." Microsoft has steadily loosened its restrictions on Store apps in the last year or two, allowing in traditional Win32 apps and also leaning on Amazon's Android app store and the Windows Subsystem for Android to expand its selection.

Enlarge (credit: Microsoft)

If your main problem with the Microsoft Store is that you get too many relevant results when you search for apps, good news: Microsoft is officially launching Microsoft Store Ads, a way for developers to pay to get their apps in front of your eyes when you go to the store to look for something else.

Microsoft's landing page for the feature says the apps will appear during searches and in the Apps and Gaming tabs within the app. Developers will be able to track whether and where users see the ads and whether they're downloading and opening the apps once they see the ads.

Microsoft also provided an update on the health of the Microsoft Store, pointing to 2022 as "a record year," with more than 900 million unique users worldwide and "a 122% year-over-year increase in developer submissions of new apps and games." Microsoft has steadily loosened its restrictions on Store apps in the last year or two, allowing in traditional Win32 apps and also leaning on Amazon's Android app store and the Windows Subsystem for Android to expand its selection.

Enlarge / Vulcan's core stage is lifted into a processing facility at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in January. (credit: United Launch Alliance)

The large Vulcan rocket, which has received dozens of launch orders from the US Department of Defense and Amazon for its Project Kuiper megaconstellation, is due to make its debut at some point this year. But when?

In response to a query from Ars, a spokesperson from the rocket's primary customer, Astrobotic, said the mission is targeted for a launch during the first quarter of 2023, i.e., before the end of March. A spokesperson for Vulcan's manufacturer, United Launch Alliance, did not specify a time frame, saying a launch date would only be set after additional testing was completed.

While there is no official launch date, some interesting clues have turned up in the last week or two, and it's therefore possible to make an educated guess. With much work left to do before the heavy-lift rocket takes flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, a reasonable target for a no-earlier launch date is May 2023.

Enlarge / Vulcan's core stage is lifted into a processing facility at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in January. (credit: United Launch Alliance)

The large Vulcan rocket, which has received dozens of launch orders from the US Department of Defense and Amazon for its Project Kuiper megaconstellation, is due to make its debut at some point this year. But when?

In response to a query from Ars, a spokesperson from the rocket's primary customer, Astrobotic, said the mission is targeted for a launch during the first quarter of 2023, i.e., before the end of March. A spokesperson for Vulcan's manufacturer, United Launch Alliance, did not specify a time frame, saying a launch date would only be set after additional testing was completed.

While there is no official launch date, some interesting clues have turned up in the last week or two, and it's therefore possible to make an educated guess. With much work left to do before the heavy-lift rocket takes flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, a reasonable target for a no-earlier launch date is May 2023.

Enlarge / The Ford DFV is the most successful F1 engine of all time. Ford is returning to the sport as an engine builder in 2026. Note the suspension elements mounted on the engine, which is a fully stressed part of the chassis—a big revolution in F1 car design. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Formula 1 just can't seem to keep American car companies away. Last month, we were stunned by the news that Cadillac wants to enter F1 with the Andretti team, which is seeking an entry into the sport. While that bid remains in doubt, here's one that isn't: Today, the Ford Motor Company revealed it will be back in F1 starting in 2026, when the new engine rules come into effect.

"This is the start of a thrilling new chapter in Ford's motorsports story that began when my great-grandfather won a race that helped launch our company," said Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford. "Ford is returning to the pinnacle of the sport, bringing Ford’s long tradition of innovation, sustainability, and electrification to one of the world’s most visible stages.”

Ford's first foray into F1 began in 1967 when Colin Chapman, the head of Lotus, persuaded Ford to pay for the development of a new racing engine that would be a stressed part of the F1 chassis. (In other words, it was a structural element of the car rather than being mounted in a cradle or subframe.) After being initially rebuffed, Chapman convinced Walter Hayes, the head of Ford UK's PR, to help him lobby the suits, and the result was a development budget of £100,000—about $1.7 million today—given to Cosworth to create the engine.

Enlarge / The Ford DFV is the most successful F1 engine of all time. Ford is returning to the sport as an engine builder in 2026. Note the suspension elements mounted on the engine, which is a fully stressed part of the chassis—a big revolution in F1 car design. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Formula 1 just can't seem to keep American car companies away. Last month, we were stunned by the news that Cadillac wants to enter F1 with the Andretti team, which is seeking an entry into the sport. While that bid remains in doubt, here's one that isn't: Today, the Ford Motor Company revealed it will be back in F1 starting in 2026, when the new engine rules come into effect.

"This is the start of a thrilling new chapter in Ford's motorsports story that began when my great-grandfather won a race that helped launch our company," said Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford. "Ford is returning to the pinnacle of the sport, bringing Ford’s long tradition of innovation, sustainability, and electrification to one of the world’s most visible stages.”

Ford's first foray into F1 began in 1967 when Colin Chapman, the head of Lotus, persuaded Ford to pay for the development of a new racing engine that would be a stressed part of the F1 chassis. (In other words, it was a structural element of the car rather than being mounted in a cradle or subframe.) After being initially rebuffed, Chapman convinced Walter Hayes, the head of Ford UK's PR, to help him lobby the suits, and the result was a development budget of £100,000—about $1.7 million today—given to Cosworth to create the engine.