Month: April 2025

97% of drivers want in-car payment system for tolls, parking, charging

Any system should be easy to use and work for parking, fueling, and charging.

Imagine having a well-designed payment app for your car's infotainment system that let you effortlessly pay for parking, road tolls, EV charging, or refueling. Such a concept found universal appeal among US drivers, according to a study by a market research company. But simplicity is key: The moment it gets difficult to register or use such an app, interest wanes and people prefer to pay for things the older-fashioned ways, DriveResearch found.

For instance, there was a high level of desire to be guided through the process of entering one's billing or credit card info into an in-car payment app. Seven in 10 participants said that they'd want such a thing to happen when the car is being delivered and while they're still in the "new car" mindset.

But most don't want to do that at a dealership: 77 percent also said they would prefer to register for in-car payments at home, via the phone or a computer, with only 67 percent wanting to use the car's infotainment screen and just over half (53 percent) saying it would be OK to use the automaker's connected car app.

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Back to basics: Microsoft tests overhauled Start menu in Windows 11 beta builds

Redesigned Start menu would give users more control over what apps they see.

Windows 11 has become so synonymous with Microsoft's push into generative AI that it's easy to forget that it originally launched as a mostly cosmetic overhaul of Windows 10. But Microsoft continues to work on fundamental elements of the operating system's design. Case in point, Windows tester phantomofearth enabled an overhauled version of the Start menu from a recent Windows 11 beta build, the menu's first substantial rethink since Windows 11 launched a little over three years ago (via The Verge).

The new, larger Start menu displays up to two rows of eight pinned apps—you can't see more than two rows by default, but you can expand this section to show more apps—and then shows the scrollable list of apps installed on your PC. This list is hidden behind an "All" button on the current Start menu. These apps can be displayed as a vertically scrollable list, in a horizontal grid, or sorted by category (which does appear to be the most space-efficient display option).

A redesigned Windows 11 Start menu available in current beta builds. Note that the Recommended section can be hidden and that the rows of pinned apps are wider. Credit: User phantomofearth on Bluesky
Viewing all your installed apps by category rather than alphabetically appears to be your most space-efficient option. Credit: User phantomofearth on Bluesky

Perhaps most interestingly for people who are tired of Windows' constant reminders and recommendations, the new Start menu looks like it lets you turn that "Recommended" section off entirely, replacing it with a full list of all apps installed on your PC. I find the Recommended area inoffensive when it sticks to showing me recently installed apps or opened files, but recent Windows 11 builds have also used it to advertise apps from the Microsoft Store.

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Moto G Stylus (2025) brings processor, display, camera, and charging improvements

Some phone makers have made stylus support a premium feature. But Motorola has been bundling a stylus with its mid-range Moto G Stylus phones for years, offering users the chance to interact with their phones via fingertips or something a little more p…

Some phone makers have made stylus support a premium feature. But Motorola has been bundling a stylus with its mid-range Moto G Stylus phones for years, offering users the chance to interact with their phones via fingertips or something a little more precise. The latest arrives April 17th for $400 and the Moto G Stylus […]

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