Collections Archives

AppWizard

May 8, 2025

Calling all cozy mystery fans: the follow-up to 2022’s best puzzle game gives you even more ways to play detective

Strange Antiquities is a game set in the town of Undermere, where players run a curio shop and assist customers with peculiar requests involving occult relics. Players gather an eclectic inventory of items, such as stone tablets and brass effigies, each with its own story. The game features evolved mechanics for identifying artifacts through visual and tactile exploration, allowing players to assess qualities like color, texture, warmth, and hardness. An innovative feature called "inner perception" encourages players to tap into their intuition regarding the emotional qualities of items. Exploration is also a key component, with players navigating a map to discover new artifacts and information. The game promises a rich and immersive experience, blending cozy and eerie atmospheres as players curate their collections and craft narratives.

AppWizard

May 7, 2025

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Streets of Rage 4, Roundguard, Front Armies, more

The afternoon features various Android game and app deals, including a significant discount on the 1TB unlocked Pixel 9 Pro XL. The device is now available at a notable price reduction. Additionally, Spigen’s Lite Fit fabric Galaxy Watch Ultra Band is offered at an attractive price. Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S10 FE/+ is also highlighted for its performance and functionality. Notable app deals include "Streets of Rage 4," "Roundguard," and "Front Armies."

AppWizard

May 3, 2025

Get 27 Star Wars Games Dirt Cheap For May the 4th

This weekend, in celebration of Star Wars Day, a variety of new products and deals will be launched, including lightsabers and Droid replicas. Fanatical is offering 27 Star Wars PC games at discounted prices. The “Star Wars Collection,” originally valued at .99, is now available for .99 and includes 14 games from 2003 to 2008. The “Star Wars Classics Collection,” previously priced at .99, is now offered for .59 and contains eight titles. The “Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection” features iconic games for .79. All games are compatible with PC, and many support MacOS. The collections provide Steam keys for an average price of less than each.

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

Google’s Play Store App Deletion—What You Do Now On Your Phone

Google's Play Store has undergone a significant overhaul, resulting in a reduction of apps from approximately 3.4 million to around 1.8 million, a decline of nearly 47% since the beginning of 2024. This change was prompted by an increase in threats to mobile devices and stricter criteria for app inclusion and retention. Google is targeting the removal of static apps without specific functionalities, apps with minimal content, and applications that lack functional value. Removed apps will no longer be available for download, but users with the app already installed can continue to use it without updates. If uninstalled, users cannot redownload the app unless republished by the developer. Users are advised to manage their app collections to mitigate risks associated with low-quality apps. Subscriptions linked to removed apps will also be terminated.

AppWizard

April 18, 2025

I just spent $6 on this Steam app that compresses PC games — and it’s already saved me 100GB

The acquisition of the Steam application CompressorX allows gamers to compress game files, maximizing existing storage without needing hardware upgrades. Modern games like The Last of Us Part II Remastered (150GB), Monster Hunter Wilds (75GB), and Cyberpunk 2077 with its Phantom Liberty expansion (100GB) contribute to high storage demands. External SSDs and hard drives provide additional space, but CompressorX offers a quick solution for optimizing current storage. While it has some quirks, such as a confusing automation feature and variable compression times, it helps gamers maintain their game libraries without deleting titles.

Winsage

April 18, 2025

XYplorer is the best dual-pane file manager that I’ve used on Windows

XYplorer is a dual-pane file manager that enhances productivity with its intuitive interface and robust features, allowing simultaneous access to two folders for easier file management. It offers customization options, advanced search capabilities, file previews, batch renaming, and scripting automation. XYplorer is lightweight, providing faster performance and quicker search results compared to Windows File Explorer. It also has a portable version that can run from a flash drive without installation. XYplorer operates as trialware for 30 days, after which users can purchase a license.

AppWizard

April 15, 2025

Gemini on Android Can Now Answer Queries About Google Photos

Google Photos has integrated with the Gemini app on Android, allowing users to interact with their photo libraries more effectively. This feature, known as Ask Photos, enables users to ask questions about their images and retrieve specific information. The rollout is gradual, and users can access it by navigating to the Gemini app, selecting Google Photos in the Apps menu, and toggling the switch to connect the AI chatbot with their photo library. Users can search for images using natural language prompts and ask questions about the content of the images. Gemini can identify images or albums and allow users to open them in Google Photos or drag and drop images into other applications, though it currently does not support photo editing or album management.

Winsage

April 6, 2025

5 best dual-pane file managers for Windows power users

The default Windows File Explorer lacks multi-pane support, making file management cumbersome for users who frequently transfer files between folders or manage multiple drives. Dual-pane or multi-pane third-party file managers offer solutions by allowing users to view and manage multiple folders side by side within a single window. Total Commander is a veteran dual-pane file manager with built-in FTP support, fast file transfers, and comprehensive archive handling. Directory Opus is a premium file management solution with a dual-pane layout, tabbed navigation, and features like batch file operations and scripting capabilities. FreeCommander XE is a free dual-pane file manager that offers essential features such as tabbed browsing and folder synchronization. XYplorer is a portable dual-pane file manager designed for speed, featuring tabbed browsing and powerful search functions. Q-Dir, or Quad-Directory Explorer, allows for up to four panes in a single window and supports drag-and-drop functionality and color filters.

AppWizard

April 5, 2025

How do you use Android app shortcuts?

App shortcuts were introduced with Android 7.1 in October 2016 and have seen user interface changes while retaining their functionality. They provide quick access to specific tasks within applications. Commonly used app shortcuts include Chrome's New Tab, Play Store's My apps, Gmail account shortcuts, Fitbit's Log Water, Files by Google: Downloads, Google Calendar: New task, Google Keep: New text note, Google Maps: Home and Work, and Pixel Camera: Take a selfie and Take a video. Users can access shortcuts by long-pressing application icons rather than cluttering their homescreen. Improvements suggested include the ability to hide unused shortcuts, a more compact presentation, and a layout without text labels for easier one-handed use. There are currently limitations on the number of shortcuts per app, and some users find the long-press action on Pixel Launcher and Samsung’s One UI distracting.

AppWizard

April 3, 2025

Google highlights smarter Gemini capabilities when integrating the Photos app

Google has introduced a support document detailing the integration of its Gemini AI with the Photos app for Android devices, allowing users to search for specific memories using details like places, faces, dates, and events. This functionality is currently being rolled out to a select group of invited users. Users can engage in natural language queries to locate photos, ask questions about locations and dates, and describe images they seek. Once identified, users can tap on the photo or album to view it in the Photos app. The features are available in the Gemini app for Android, but access is limited, and prompts must be in English. Users need to log into Gemini with the same Google account associated with Photos. The features resemble the "Ask Photos" test in early access through Google Labs, which integrates some of Gemini's functionality directly within the Photos app.