export Archives

AppWizard

February 19, 2025

The Play Store sucks, so here’s what I use instead

As of early February 2025, there are nearly 2.1 million apps available on the Play Store, with over 1,100 new apps introduced daily, resulting in an average of almost 42,000 new options each month. The search function on the Play Store is often ineffective for broader queries, and users face challenges due to the lack of sorting options and transparency regarding app updates. F-Droid is a platform for free and open-source software (FOSS) applications, requiring sideloading or the use of clients like Neo Store or Droid-ify. Obtainium is a tool that allows users to access open-source applications and updates directly from their sources, supporting over a dozen repositories including GitHub and GitLab, and enables users to export curated app lists and track updates without downloading them.

BetaBeacon

February 18, 2025

Playing Android games on PC with only a keyboard is now possible

The January 2025 update for Play Games on PC has added a new game control remapping feature that allows you to play Android games on your PC with only a keyboard. The remapping tool is only available for supported games, and future updates will add more controls.

Winsage

February 17, 2025

7 alternatives to built-in Windows tools that will blow you away

- Process Lasso is a powerful alternative to Task Manager, offering features like dynamic CPU adjustments and SmartTrim memory management. - Notepad++ is a text editor that supports multiple programming languages, syntax highlighting, and includes macros and plugins. - 7-Zip is a file compression tool that handles various formats and allows users to split, merge, and encrypt files. - Everything is a search tool that quickly finds files and folders, scanning both names and document contents. - Audacity is a multitrack digital audio workstation for recording audio, supporting various formats and real-time effects. - Flow Launcher allows users to launch files, folders, applications, and websites without using the Start menu. - VLC Media Player plays a wide range of audio and video file formats and offers features like file conversion and live stream recording.

BetaBeacon

February 17, 2025

You can now play Android games on PC with only a keyboard

Google Play Games on PC now offers a new feature that allows players to remap game controls to their keyboard.

AppWizard

February 3, 2025

Gemini’s Deep Research browses the web for you – try the Android app now for free

Google has introduced the Deep Research feature as part of the Gemini Advanced suite, designed to assist users in conducting in-depth research. This feature is now available on the free Gemini Android app, allowing users to generate comprehensive research reports by selecting "1.5 pro with Deep Research" from the app's drop-down menu. Deep Research enables users to ask specific questions, after which the AI creates a multi-step research plan that can be approved or modified. The AI then conducts web searches and compiles a detailed report with links to original sources. Users can refine their findings with follow-up questions and export the final report to Google Docs. Gemini Advanced is part of the Google One AI Premium plan, which includes various benefits and a two-month free trial for new users.

AppWizard

December 28, 2024

Most Useful 8 Android Apps for Architects

Mobile technology is increasingly important in architecture, providing architects with applications that enhance design capabilities, streamline project management, and facilitate collaboration. Key Android apps for architects include: - AutoCAD Mobile: Allows viewing, creating, and editing DWG files on mobile devices, enabling real-time adjustments to designs. - SketchUp Viewer: Offers augmented reality features for presenting 3D models in the field, improving client interactions. - Sketchbook: A digital drawing tool for quick concept sketches, supporting easy sharing of ideas. - Construction Master Pro Calculator: Simplifies complex calculations for accurate measurements and layout dimensions. - RoomScan Pro: Uses augmented reality for quick room measurements and floor plan creation. - BIMx: Provides an interactive 3D model interface for exploring Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects. - MagicPlan: Allows creation of detailed floor plans and project management directly from mobile devices. - Timely: A time-tracking app that logs productivity across projects and helps create project-specific timelines. These applications enhance architectural workflows and promote collaboration in a mobile environment.

Winsage

December 26, 2024

Hands on: Microsoft made it easier to run AI models on Windows 11 locally

Copilot+ PCs are the first personal computers to run Small Language Models (SLM) directly on-device, allowing for quicker interactions without relying on the cloud. Microsoft has introduced the AI Dev Gallery, which offers over 25 samples for developers to integrate on-device AI features into applications on Windows 10 and 11. The gallery requires building the project in Visual Studio, needing at least 20GB of storage and a multi-core CPU. A GPU with 8GB VRAM is recommended for heavier models but not mandatory for lighter applications. The app has two operational modes: Sample and Models. Testing models for image generation typically requires around 5GB of bandwidth, while a smaller image upscaling model under 100MB was successfully tested, completing the process in under 30 seconds with peak RAM usage of 1GB. The resulting image resolution was 9272x4900, but clarity issues were noted, especially with text. The application lacks features for previewing images in larger formats or downloading outputs directly. A model named Detect Human Pose was able to identify positions within images, including desktop screenshots. Substantial storage and robust CPUs are necessary for effective model accommodation, and the practicality of downloading large models for niche use cases is questioned.

Tech Optimizer

December 17, 2024

Top PostgreSQL Tools for Developers and Administrators

PostgreSQL is utilized by over 48,000 companies, holding a market share of 17.33%. It is known for its robust architecture and advanced features, prompting users to seek various tools for enhanced productivity and database management. The top PostgreSQL GUI tools include: 1. **pgAdmin**: Official tool for database administration, compatible with major OS, with features for SQL scripts, database management, and server performance monitoring. 2. **DBeaver**: Universal database tool supporting around 80 databases, facilitating data editing, navigation, and report generation. 3. **Navicat**: User-friendly tool for managing PostgreSQL servers, creating queries, and analyzing data. 4. **TablePlus**: Modern tool with inline editing, advanced filters, and dashboard creation capabilities. 5. **DataGrip**: Intelligent query console with automatic code completion and bug detection features. 6. **Beekeeper Studio**: Online tool with a spreadsheet interface and robust security features, allowing multiple tabs and SQL query saving. 7. **dbForge Studio for MySQL**: Tool for database development, supporting various platforms and facilitating query creation. 8. **DbVisualizer**: Preferred tool for database navigation and SQL editing, used by organizations like Tesla and NASA. 9. **OmniDB**: Lightweight, open-source tool with an interactive interface and SSH tunnel security. 10. **Postico**: Mac-specific tool for data exploration and analysis. 11. **HeidiSQL**: Free tool for comprehensive data editing and structure management. 12. **Adminer**: PHP-based tool for easy deployment and enhanced security. 13. **PostgreSQL Data Wizard**: Supports multiple file formats for data export and manipulation. 14. **PostgreSQL PHP Generator**: Facilitates rapid web application development without coding. 15. **MySQL Workbench**: Unified tool for SQL development and data modeling, supporting migration. 16. **ClusterControl**: Monitoring tool for automating PostgreSQL management and security. 17. **Convertdb For PostgreSQL**: Cross-database tool for data migration and synchronization. 18. **Luna Modeler**: Tool for database design and SQL script generation. 19. **DronaHQ**: Low-code tool builder for front-end applications connecting to PostgreSQL. 20. **dbForge Data Compare for PostgreSQL**: Tool for comparing table data and managing inconsistencies.

Tech Optimizer

December 13, 2024

Benchmark Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL with Dedicated Log Volumes

Organizations face challenges in maintaining the performance of mission-critical databases under demanding workloads. Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) offers a managed, cost-effective, and scalable solution. In PostgreSQL, transactions are logged in a Write-Ahead Log (WAL) buffer before being stored in a WAL segment, which is crucial for data recovery and replication. The performance of these transactions is linked to the storage system for WAL segments. By default, PostgreSQL stores all files, including WAL, in one location, but separating WAL storage can enhance performance. Amazon introduced the Dedicated Log Volume (DLV) feature, allowing users to store WAL segments on a separate volume of 1,024 GiB with 3,000 Provisioned IOPS. DLV features write coalescing, reducing IOPS demand by consolidating log writes into larger operations, improving throughput and efficiency while potentially lowering costs. A benchmarking solution involves executing a script on an Amazon EC2 instance to evaluate performance across two RDS for PostgreSQL instances: one with DLV enabled and one without. To benchmark, prerequisites include launching an Amazon EC2 Linux instance, installing pgbench, and creating two RDS instances—one with DLV and one without. The benchmarking script resets WAL statistics and simulates a workload with 64 concurrent clients processing half a million transactions each. The infrastructure for benchmarking includes an EC2 instance with 16 vCPUs and 128 GiB memory, and two RDS instances with 64 vCPUs and 512 GiB memory each, using IO2 storage with 10,000 PIOPS. Key database configuration parameters impact performance, particularly those related to commit, checkpoint, and WAL settings. The benchmarking script uses pgbench to create a TPC-B-like workload and measures performance metrics such as transactions per second (TPS) and latency. Results indicate that enabling DLV significantly reduces runtime from 77 minutes to 40 minutes (a 92.5% improvement), increases TPS by 91.83%, and reduces latency by 95.56%. Key WAL statistics show improvements in write and sync times, confirming DLV's effectiveness in enhancing database performance. Monitoring techniques for DLV include using Amazon CloudWatch for metrics like IOPS and latency, and PostgreSQL's pg_stat_wal for detailed WAL activity statistics. The DLV feature is compatible with PIOPS storage types and supported in specific PostgreSQL versions across all regions.

AppWizard

December 6, 2024

Linkora: The Ultimate Open Source Tool to Organize Links on Android

Linkora is a FOSS Android application developed using Kotlin that helps users manage and organize links in one accessible location. It allows users to add links easily, categorize them into folders, and offers features such as archiving, copying, sharing, and searching for links. Users can create new panels for specific topics and customize their viewing experience with different layout options. The app supports data migration in JSON and HTML formats and is available for installation on F-Droid, with its source code hosted on GitHub.