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Gemini could change how you read books on your phone
AppWizard
December 11, 2025

Gemini could change how you read books on your phone

A recent beta update for Google Play Books & Audiobooks (v2025.11.29.2) includes code suggesting a new feature called “Ask Gemini,” which would allow users to select text and request AI-driven insights or summaries directly within the app. This feature may appear alongside the existing Define button and aims to provide broader context for highlighted text. While not yet operational, it could enable users to generate summaries, simplify complex language, or access relevant context without needing to switch apps. It remains unclear whether the feature will function within the Play Books app or redirect to the standalone Gemini app.
2025 – A year in recap
Winsage
December 3, 2025

2025 – A year in recap

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Windows Accessibility team emphasizes their commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, guided by the principle of “nothing about us without us.” They collaborate with advisory boards from the disability community to enhance product features. Fluid Dictation on Windows allows users to dictate text seamlessly, correcting grammar and punctuation in real time, and operates offline on Copilot+ PCs. Voice Access has been improved to accommodate diverse communication styles, with features like adjustable wait time, a custom word dictionary, flexible command recognition, enhanced speech pattern recognition, and support for Chinese and Japanese. Narrator and Magnifier now feature human-like voices developed with Azure AI, enhancing the user experience with natural conversation nuances. Recent updates to Narrator in Microsoft Word improve navigation and text drafting, with clearer announcements and concise feedback on spelling and grammar. Additional enhancements include a Screen Curtain for privacy, richer image descriptions, and tools for speech recap and live transcription. Users are encouraged to provide feedback to guide further development, and technical assistance is available through the Disability Answer Desk.
Five Essential Android Apps Every Avid Reader Needs On Their Phone
AppWizard
October 18, 2025

Five Essential Android Apps Every Avid Reader Needs On Their Phone

The Kindle tablet and modern Android apps are enhancing the reading experience by making it more interactive and engaging. These apps offer features like virtual book clubs, personalized recommendations, text customization, and AI-generated summaries. Fable is a social platform for book lovers with virtual book clubs, highlighting passages, and customizable reading environments. Moon+ Reader allows users to read various book files, customize their experience, share text with AI resources, and track reading speed. Libby simplifies borrowing eBooks and audiobooks from libraries, with features like automatic returns and a sleep timer for audiobooks. The Amazon Kindle app provides access to over 1.5 million titles, essential reading tools, and the "Whispersync" feature for seamless format switching. Goodreads connects a community of readers, offering reviews, reading challenges, and a book scanner feature, with over 10 million downloads.
Migrate full-text search from SQL Server to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-compatible edition or Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
Tech Optimizer
September 23, 2025

Migrate full-text search from SQL Server to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-compatible edition or Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL

In contemporary data management, efficient search and retrieval of information from large datasets is crucial. PostgreSQL, while primarily a structured data management system, offers robust tools for handling unstructured or semi-structured data through its built-in full-text search (FTS) capabilities and extensions like pg_trgm and pg_bigm. Traditional SQL queries using LIKE and ILIKE operators are effective for precise textual matching but may struggle with extensive unstructured text. Migrating full-text search from SQL Server to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition requires adjustments to queries and schema structures, as the implementations differ. The AWS Schema Conversion Tool does not automatically convert full-text search code. SQL Server's FTS is designed for searching specific words or phrases within unstructured text, allowing rapid searching, ranking, and indexing. To enable FTS in SQL Server, one must enable it for the database, create a full-text catalog, and define a full-text index on relevant text columns. Migration to PostgreSQL involves using AWS SCT and AWS DMS. PostgreSQL supports various text searching methods, including exact search, pattern matching, regular expressions, and FTS, utilizing tsvector and tsquery data types. PostgreSQL's FTS allows for advanced querying capabilities, including ranking search results based on relevance using the ts_rank function. The ts_headline function can summarize documents based on search queries. Performance can be improved in PostgreSQL through the use of GIN indexes and stored generated columns. The pg_trgm extension enhances text search by leveraging trigrams, allowing for efficient similarity operations on text columns.
These are my 5 favorite e-book reader apps, but one leaps out from the page
AppWizard
August 4, 2025

These are my 5 favorite e-book reader apps, but one leaps out from the page

Traveling with a single book can be challenging for avid readers, leading many to use e-readers like Android tablets, which support various e-book reader apps. Readera is highlighted as a top choice for Android e-book reading, compatible with older devices and supporting multiple file formats (EPUB, DOC, MOBI, DJVU, CHM, AZW3). It features a nostalgic interface, customizable reading options, and a free version with a premium upgrade for additional features. Moon+ Reader is noted for its visually appealing library interface and excellent file management capabilities, including integration with cloud services and online libraries. It offers various themes and an innovative highlighting system, with ads that can be removed for a fee. Librera has a clean interface with search and sorting options, multiple reading modes, and context menus for web searches and dictionary lookups, though it lacks some advanced features of other apps. FBReader is recognized for its straightforward design and essential features, suitable for users who prefer simplicity. It supports plugins for expanded functionality and has a free version that meets most users' needs. Lithium is a lightweight reader that automatically organizes e-books and offers fast loading speeds, enhancing the reading experience on modern devices.
Windows Insider Canary Channel Gets a Substantial Update
Winsage
July 12, 2025

Windows Insider Canary Channel Gets a Substantial Update

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider build 27898 on the Canary Channel, introducing several new features: - Taskbar icon scaling: Automatically adjusts the size of taskbar icons for a crowded workspace. - Custom words dictionary in Voice Access: Allows users to add unique words and supports Chinese and Japanese languages. - Screen Curtain in Narrator: Blacks out the display for privacy while using Narrator. - Quick Settings: Enhancements include text descriptions for assistive technologies. - File Explorer: Context menu now has dividers for better organization. - Adaptive energy saver: Manages energy settings based on power state and system load. - Windows Share improvements: Users can preview content before sharing and select image compression levels. - Quick Machine Recovery: Helps IT professionals detect and fix boot issues from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
Windows 11 Build 27898 introduces taskbar icon scaling and system recovery improvements
Winsage
July 12, 2025

Windows 11 Build 27898 introduces taskbar icon scaling and system recovery improvements

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 to the Canary Channel, introducing several new features aimed at enhancing usability and recovery. Key features include: - Taskbar Icon Scaling: The taskbar will automatically reduce icon sizes when it reaches capacity, with three customizable options for users regarding icon size. - Quick Machine Recovery: This feature allows automatic recovery from boot issues using the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), connecting to the internet for targeted fixes from Windows Update. - Accessibility Enhancements: Users can add custom words to the voice access dictionary, and a new Screen Curtain feature for the Narrator screen reader enhances privacy by blacking out the display. - Energy Saver Feature: An adaptive energy saver mode is being rolled out for battery-powered devices, managing energy saver settings based on power state and system load. - Sharing Features: The Windows share window now shows visual previews of shared content and allows users to select compression settings for images. - Performance Improvements: Enhancements have been made to file extraction for large archives, and the Snipping Tool now has a shortcut for launching the text extractor. - Default Browser Management: Users can set their default browser to handle PDFs and pin it to the Start menu and taskbar. The build also addresses various issues within File Explorer and Settings, although some known problems remain, such as display distortion in Remote Desktop on Arm64 PCs.
New Windows 11 build adds self-healing “quick machine recovery” feature
Winsage
July 12, 2025

New Windows 11 build adds self-healing “quick machine recovery” feature

In preview build 27898 of Windows 11, Microsoft introduces features such as the automatic shrinking of Taskbar items when there are many pinned applications, a revamped pop-up system for application permissions, and the ability to add custom words to the speech-to-text dictionary. The upcoming Windows 11 25H2 update is expected to launch in the coming months and will share a servicing branch with the 24H2 version, featuring a unique deployment strategy where necessary code is installed but remains inactive until the official update is applied.
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 (Canary Channel)
Winsage
July 11, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 (Canary Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 has been released to the Canary Channel. Key features include: - Taskbar Icon Scaling: Icons on the taskbar can automatically resize when the taskbar is full, with options to keep them at original size or always small. - Quick Machine Recovery: This feature identifies and resolves common issues automatically via the Windows Recovery Environment, reducing downtime. - Custom Words in Voice Access: Users can add custom words to the voice access dictionary to improve dictation accuracy. - Screen Curtain in Narrator: This feature blacks out the display for privacy while using Narrator. - Privacy Dialogs Update: Privacy dialogs for app permissions have been redesigned for better focus. - Accessibility Enhancements: Text descriptions for assistive technologies have been added to the Accessibility flyout. - File Explorer Improvements: Dividers have been added to the context menu for better organization. - Adaptive Energy Saver: An opt-in feature that manages energy saver settings based on power state and system load. - Windows Share Updates: Visual previews are now shown when sharing links or web content. - Expanded Voice Access Support: Voice access now supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. - Narrator Guidance: Narrator will guide users through its features with modal windows. - Settings Adjustments: The selected country or region during setup is now displayed in Settings. Fixes include performance improvements in File Explorer, resolution of input issues with the touch keyboard, and fixes for crashes in Settings. Known issues involve potential loss of Windows Hello PIN on new Copilot+ PCs and graphical issues with Remote Desktop on Arm64 PCs.
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