14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially launched the News Bar app for Windows 10 for everyone, and users can download it from the Microsoft Store as long as they are running Windows 10 version 17134.0 or higher.
Many believe a news bar is more or less an outdated concept, but Microsoft explains that staying up-to-date with what’s happening across the world is very convenient on Windows 10, especially because the data is provided by the Microsoft News network.
Microsoft is also offering a News app on Windows 10, but the News Bar app comes in the form of a taskbar that makes reading the headlines and opening articles more straightforward from the desktop.
“Microsoft's Windows News Bar works just like the Windows Taskbar. It's there when you need it, where you need it and how you need it. Customize its appearance in settings to find the experience that's just right for you. If you want to focus, don't worry, you can minimize the News Bar at any time and then bring it back when you're ready for it again,” Microsoft explains.
Still a beta but working flawlessly
The application was first spotted a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t yet available for download for everyone on Windows 10.
Today, the downloads links are live, although it’s worth knowing that the app is still in beta, so certain features might not work exactly as expected.
I already tested the News Bar, however, and everything appears to be working pretty smoothly, so I expect it to graduate out of beta rather sooner than later.
Microsoft says in addition to News and Stocks categories, it’s also working on adding Weather and Sports sometime in the future, but for the time being, no ETA is available.
You can download the News Bar app for Windows 10 using this link.