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This unofficial port brings Pixel 11's Rambler to any Android phone
AppWizard
October 12, 2026

This unofficial port brings Pixel 11’s Rambler to any Android phone

Google's Rambler feature, designed to enhance voice typing by using AI to eliminate filler words, correct grammar, and format text, is now accessible on more devices thanks to developer Akshay Kadam's modified Gboard APK called PixelBoard. Users can experience Rambler by installing PixelBoard and setting it as their default keyboard. The Pixel 11 series introduced Rambler along with other AI-driven features. However, PixelBoard is not an official Google application, posing security and privacy risks, and there is a chance that Google may restrict this workaround in future updates. Kadam's GitHub project offers an unofficial way to access Rambler, but users should be cautious due to the risks associated with modified software.
Star Wars Galactic Racer's devs tested its roguelite progression system by turning it into a board game
AppWizard
October 12, 2026

Star Wars Galactic Racer’s devs tested its roguelite progression system by turning it into a board game

Kieran Crimmins, the creative director at Fuse Games, emphasized the importance of tactile experience in game design, leading to the creation of a board game prototype for Star Wars Galactic Racer to explore gameplay mechanics. Matt Webster, the CEO of Fuse Games, noted that while modern engines are capable, traditional prototyping can be faster for capturing ideas. The board game prototype focused on simulating the progression system, where players earn rewards based on race performance, enhancing vehicle stats and acquiring parts. This system draws inspiration from roguelite games, providing continuity and growth in gameplay. Crimmins highlighted the efficiency of board game prototyping for rapid validation of emotional responses, allowing for quick adjustments using simple materials. The approach reflects a trend in game development towards flexibility and creativity in early design stages.
Windows 11 version 26H2 is rolling out now — here’s how to get the update now and get the most out of the 2026 update
Winsage
October 11, 2026

Windows 11 version 26H2 is rolling out now — here’s how to get the update now and get the most out of the 2026 update

Microsoft is gradually introducing the Windows 11 2026 Update (version 26H2) to compatible devices. The update is optional and requires manual installation for users who want it before the general rollout. Users on versions 25H2 or 24H2 can update without a complete reinstallation, while those on version 23H2 or earlier must perform a full in-place upgrade. To install the update from Settings, users should open Settings, click on Windows Update, enable the toggle for getting the latest updates, check for updates, download and install, and restart the device. If the upgrade option is not visible, it may indicate incompatibility. The Media Creation Tool can be used for creating bootable USB media for users upgrading from older versions like 23H2 or Windows 10, but it requires a complete reinstallation. Steps include downloading the tool, selecting the USB drive option, and following prompts to create the installation media. Users can also download the Windows 11 version 26H2 ISO file from the Microsoft support website, mount the ISO, and run setup.exe to complete the installation.
A practical guide to cost optimization with Lakebase Postgres
Tech Optimizer
October 11, 2026

A practical guide to cost optimization with Lakebase Postgres

Lakebase is a fully managed Postgres database designed for modern application development, featuring an architecture that separates storage and compute with a serverless compute layer. This design allows for cost efficiencies through various mechanisms: 1. **Branching**: Developers can create isolated environments for development, testing, or experimentation without duplicating storage costs, as branches share the same underlying storage. 2. **Autoscaling**: Lakebase adjusts compute resources based on activity levels, allowing users to pay only for the compute they use. It can scale down during low activity and can be suspended entirely after inactivity, reducing costs to zero. 3. **Read Replicas and High Availability**: The separation of storage and compute allows for adding read replicas and high availability without incurring additional storage costs, as these instances utilize the same storage layer. 4. **Synced Tables**: Integration with the Databricks Intelligence Platform enables efficient data syncing, allowing users to sync only the necessary working set of data, which helps avoid unnecessary storage and sync costs. 5. **Sync Modes**: There are three sync modes (Snapshot, Triggered, Continuous) for transferring data from the Lakehouse to Lakebase, each with different cost implications based on data freshness requirements. 6. **Right-sizing Compute**: Users can set the initial compute range during project provisioning to avoid over-provisioning and unnecessary costs. 7. **Monitoring and Metrics**: The Lakebase Metrics dashboard provides insights into working set size and cache utilization, helping users optimize their compute sizing and performance. 8. **Point-in-Time Restore (PITR) and Snapshots**: PITR maintains history for recovery within a configurable window, while snapshots offer discrete recovery points. Both are priced lower than standard storage, making them cost-effective options for data recovery. Lakebase costs are categorized into compute, storage, and serverless pipeline compute for syncing data. Compute is measured by CU usage, while storage includes branch storage, PITR history, and snapshot storage, all tracked separately. Users can access detailed usage and cost information through system billing tables.
AWS Embeds DuckDB in Aurora PostgreSQL, Enabling Direct Data Lake Queries Without ETL
Tech Optimizer
October 10, 2026

AWS Embeds DuckDB in Aurora PostgreSQL, Enabling Direct Data Lake Queries Without ETL

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has integrated the open-source analytics engine DuckDB into its Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL database, allowing users to query Apache Iceberg tables and Parquet files directly from data lakes without traditional ETL processes. This feature, announced on September 30, 2026, enables seamless access to both operational and historical data in a single SQL statement. Users can enable the aurora_analytics extension, assign an IAM role for S3 and AWS Glue access, and create external tables using standard PostgreSQL syntax. The integration supports Iceberg tables managed by AWS Glue Data Catalog, Iceberg REST Catalog-compatible external catalogs, Parquet files on S3, and S3 Tables. Performance optimizations include predicate pushdown and column pruning on the data lake side, with caching for frequently accessed data. This feature is available for Aurora PostgreSQL versions 17.11 and later, and 18.6 and later, across all commercial regions and AWS GovCloud (US), with no additional charges beyond Aurora compute and S3 request fees. In a separate development, AWS has a significant contract with AI company Anthropic, anticipating billion in cloud-related contractual obligations over several years, with approximately billion projected to be paid to Amazon from a 10-year agreement announced in April 2026. Anthropic's revenue has shown impressive growth, with first-quarter 2026 revenue reaching 0 million and second-quarter revenue at .8 billion. However, risks are present, as a significant portion of Anthropic's revenue comes from a few customers, and many larger clients lack long-term contracts. Amazon has invested .8 billion in Anthropic, with its stake valued at approximately billion as of June 2026.
Supabase Announces $150M in New Funding and Turso Acquisition
Tech Optimizer
October 10, 2026

Supabase Announces $150M in New Funding and Turso Acquisition

Supabase has secured 0 million in funding led by GIC, with participation from Alphabet's CapitalG, IronArc, and SquarePeg. This follows a million Series F round four months earlier. Supabase has acquired Turso, a platform for managing databases for agentic workloads, to enhance its product development and provide liquidity for employees. The company is adding over 1 million users and 4 million databases monthly, with 70% created by AI-driven tools, reflecting a 600% year-over-year increase in databases. Turso's architecture allows for on-demand provisioning of databases in public cloud and BYOC setups. Glauber Costa, founder of Turso, will become Head of Agentic Services at Supabase. Supabase, established in 2020, supports over 13 million developers with a comprehensive backend solution.
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