funds

AppWizard
June 27, 2025
Valve's "Early Access" initiative on Steam currently features 14,056 titles. Successful games like Kerbal Space Program, ARMA 3, Prison Architect, and Kenshi have received positive reviews. However, many players have become disillusioned with the program, particularly due to experiences like the prolonged development of DayZ, which spent nearly five years in Early Access. The program's guidelines require developers to maintain transparency and accountability, but some exploit these rules for financial gain without completing their projects. The Early Access program is intended to gather player feedback, provide funding, and support development, but issues with unfinished games and unmet promises have raised concerns about its integrity.
AppWizard
June 26, 2025
Microsoft is expected to announce significant job cuts in its Xbox division next week, as part of ongoing restructuring efforts. This follows earlier reports of potential layoffs affecting thousands of positions in Microsoft's sales business. The upcoming layoffs at Xbox would mark the fourth round of job reductions in 18 months, totaling approximately 15,000 employees let go since January 2023. Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's gaming division, confirmed the redundancy of 650 staff members in September 2024, highlighting the emotional impact of these changes and the importance of support within the team.
AppWizard
June 26, 2025
David Miller has been appointed as the head of business development at Coatsink after a five-year tenure at War Child UK, where he led gaming partnerships and raised funds for youth in conflict zones. His previous experience includes roles at Bandai Namco, Bossa Studios, ITV, and The Imaginarium Studios. Coatsink, founded in 2009, was acquired by Thunderful Group in 2020 for .9 million, excluding performance payouts, enhancing its position in the indie gaming sector.
AppWizard
June 23, 2025
Traveling or dining out with family and friends can lead to challenges in splitting bills. Various bill-splitting applications are available to simplify this process. Splitwise allows users to track expenses, create groups for bill-splitting, and input entries offline, supporting multiple currencies. It has a free version and a paid plan for full functionality. Settle Up enables users to share expenses equally or differently, with a feature that allows non-users to join via a shareable link. It supports various currencies and provides real-time exchange rates, with both free and paid versions available. Splid offers features for group travel, accommodating uneven shares and supporting over 150 currencies. Users can download expense summaries in PDF or Excel formats and use the app online or offline. Venmo is a mobile payment platform that allows easy money transfers and cost-splitting among friends, with no-fee transfers for shared expenses. Tab is designed for dining, allowing users to upload a bill photo, select items to pay for, and automatically calculate each person's share, including tax and tip, while integrating with Venmo for payments.
AppWizard
June 19, 2025
GOG has introduced a donation feature that allows users to contribute extra funds during checkout, as part of its Preservation Program aimed at keeping classic games playable on modern hardware. This option is available for both vintage titles and new releases. The reception on Reddit has been largely positive, with users expressing enthusiasm and some already making donations. GOG is a subsidiary of CD Projekt, which reported profits exceeding 0 million in 2024.
AppWizard
June 17, 2025
A new strain of malware called "Crocodilus" is targeting Android users, designed to steal funds. It spreads through advertisements on social media that entice users to download an app with promises of rewards. Once installed, the malware can modify the user's contact list, adding numbers under trustworthy names like "Bank Support" to deceive victims. Security experts from Threat Fabric warn that this malware represents a significant threat and recommend that users only download apps from trusted sources like the Google Play Store, and to verify app developer credentials and user reviews before installation.
Tech Optimizer
June 10, 2025
Databricks acquired Neon for billion, which specializes in serverless PostgreSQL services and claims that 80% of its databases are generated by AI. This acquisition aims to integrate Neon's architecture into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. Snowflake acquired Crunchy Data for [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: In recent weeks, the landscape of database technology has witnessed significant shifts as both Snowflake and Databricks have strategically utilized their acquisition funds to enhance their offerings in the PostgreSQL domain. Databricks Acquires Neon In May, Databricks, known for its data lake solutions built around Apache Spark, made headlines by acquiring Neon for a reported billion in equity. Neon specializes in serverless PostgreSQL services and has made a remarkable claim that 80 percent of the databases it provisions are generated automatically by AI agents rather than human intervention. This acquisition is poised to integrate Neon's innovative architecture into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, enabling developers and enterprise teams to efficiently construct and deploy AI-driven systems. Snowflake's Purchase of Crunchy Data Following this, at the beginning of the month, Snowflake, a prominent player in the cloud data warehouse sector, announced its acquisition of Crunchy Data for 0 million. Crunchy Data is recognized for providing PostgreSQL clusters that support both transactional and analytical systems across various environments, including managed cloud services, Kubernetes deployments, and on-premises solutions. Snowflake plans to leverage this acquisition to develop "Snowflake Postgres," allowing users to run any Postgres-dependent application directly on its data and analytics platform. Strategic Insights from Industry Leaders Databricks CEO and co-founder Ali Ghodsi articulated the vision behind the Neon acquisition, emphasizing the intent to attract not only startups but also enterprise customers. He noted that approximately 70 percent of their clientele operates legacy databases that are costly and stagnant. Ghodsi highlighted the eagerness of enterprises to transition to modern solutions that align with the demands of the AI era, revealing that extensive discussions over the past six months confirmed strong interest in the acquisition. Henry Cook, a senior director analyst at Gartner, remarked on the implications of these acquisitions for both Snowflake and Databricks. He pointed out that their historical focus on analytical systems positions them well to penetrate the operational and transactional market over time. Cook noted a growing trend towards the integration of transactional and analytical systems, where transactional data feeds into analytical frameworks, allowing for real-time insights and feedback. This evolution could enable users to create applications that blend both analytical and transactional functionalities. Impact on the PostgreSQL Community For the PostgreSQL community, these developments signify a promising expansion of choices and support for the open-source database. Robin Schumacher, a senior research director and analyst at Gartner, highlighted the challenges faced by data warehouse and analytic vendors attempting to enter the operational database management system (DBMS) market. While companies like Teradata and Vertica have struggled, Snowflake's introduction of Unistore has seen limited traction. Schumacher believes that the trust associated with PostgreSQL could provide both Snowflake and Databricks a unique opportunity to succeed where others have faltered." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"] million, known for providing PostgreSQL clusters for various environments, to develop "Snowflake Postgres" for running Postgres-dependent applications on its platform. Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi noted the intent to attract enterprise customers transitioning from legacy databases. Gartner's Henry Cook mentioned the potential for integrating transactional and analytical systems, while Robin Schumacher highlighted the opportunities for Snowflake and Databricks in the PostgreSQL community amidst challenges faced by other vendors.
AppWizard
June 9, 2025
Humble has launched a new bundle for IGN Live 2025, featuring eight PC games available on Steam for £16.32. The bundle includes titles such as The Medium, Wartales, Slay the Spire, and art of rally. There are three purchasing options: a three-game bundle for £7.41, a six-game bundle for £11.86, and the full bundle for £16.32. The total retail price of the games is £176.48. Proceeds from the bundle support Child's Play Charity, which provides games to children in hospitals, and it has raised over £13.5k so far. Notable games in the bundle include art of rally, described as visually striking, and The Medium, a horror game with psychic elements. Slay the Spire is highlighted as the highest-rated game in the collection with a 97% "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam.
Tech Optimizer
June 9, 2025
A cybersecurity incident involving Procolored printers revealed vulnerabilities in everyday hardware, as users may have downloaded malware capable of stealing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Tech content creator Cameron Coward reported an antivirus alert linked to Procolored printer software, prompting an investigation by G Data researchers who found malicious code in installation files on the manufacturer's website. The identified threats included a remote access tool (Win32.Backdoor.XRedRAT.A) and a cryptocurrency wallet stealer (MSIL.Trojan-Stealer.CoinStealer.H). Compromised files were last updated in October 2024 and distributed through official channels. The company initially denied the issue but later removed the downloads from their website in May 2025 and acknowledged the malware might have been introduced via USB transfers. An analysis of an attacker’s wallet showed a total of 9.3 BTC accumulated across 330 transactions before it was emptied. Cybersecurity experts recommend that users conduct antivirus scans and consider reformatting drives and reinstalling operating systems if infections are suspected.
AppWizard
June 6, 2025
NatWest is experiencing issues with its mobile banking app, leading to over 3,000 outages reported around 10 am on a Friday. Customers have expressed frustration on social media due to their inability to send or receive money, pay bills, or transfer funds. The bank has stated that the problem is related to an update made to the app. Recent scrutiny has arisen for high street banks due to a series of outages, particularly at the end of the month when many receive paychecks. Data from the Treasury Committee revealed that nine of the UK’s largest banks and building societies faced over 33 days of unplanned outages in the past two years. NatWest reported 13 "material" incidents between 2023 and 2025, resulting in nearly £350,000 in compensation paid to affected customers. Barclays also indicated it could allocate up to £12.5 million in compensation for affected customers during the same period. Common reasons for these outages include issues with third-party suppliers, system changes, and internal software malfunctions.
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