Heart Archives

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

GamesRadar has decamped to Kyoto to bring you some killer world premieres and trailers straight out of BitSummit Punch 2026

GamesRadar+ will host the BitSummit Punch 2026, showcasing a variety of video games, including innovations and unique offerings. The event will be available on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, with details on featured games on the BitSummit Steam event page. This year's theme is "High Impact," celebrating Japanese fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken, while also catering to diverse gaming interests.

Winsage

May 15, 2026

Improving Windows quality: Making Taskbar and Start more personal

Microsoft is enhancing the Windows experience by focusing on performance, reliability, and craftsmanship, with a commitment to transparency about updates. The Start menu and taskbar are receiving particular attention, with new customization options being introduced for users in the Experimental channel. Users can now reposition the taskbar to any edge of the screen, customize icon alignment, and view every window at a glance with ungrouped icons. A more compact taskbar option will also be available for smaller screens. The Start menu will feature section-level toggles for easier customization, separate controls for file recommendations, size settings, and the option to hide user names for privacy. The Recommended section will be renamed Recent to better reflect its purpose. These features will be gradually rolled out, with user feedback being encouraged through the Feedback Hub.

Winsage

May 14, 2026

Raising the bar together. Introducing the Driver Quality Initiative at WinHEC 2026

The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2026 took place in Taipei, marking Microsoft's return to the event after a hiatus since 2018. The conference focused on the Driver Quality Initiative (DQI), aimed at improving driver quality, reliability, and security on the Windows platform. The DQI is built on four pillars: Architecture, Trust, Lifecycle, and Quality Measures. Key themes discussed included the importance of collaboration among stakeholders, enhancing Windows 11 quality, and fostering innovation through strong foundational practices. Attendees participated in workshops and hands-on labs to deepen their understanding of driver development and compatibility testing. Partners expressed a shared commitment to improving driver and platform quality, emphasizing the need for transparency and ongoing engagement. Microsoft plans to continue investing in reliability, security, performance, compatibility, and quality in collaboration with its partners.

AppWizard

May 14, 2026

‘Won’t Fix’—All VPN Apps Affected As Google Android 16 Leaks Info

A significant vulnerability in Android 16 undermines VPN protections across all applications, allowing user traffic to leak outside the secure VPN tunnel. The “Always-On VPN” and “Block connections without VPN” settings are ineffective, potentially exposing users' real IP addresses. The issue was highlighted by security researcher Yusef, who noted that Google dismissed the problem as “Won’t Fix.” Mullvad VPN also reported the vulnerability, which affects all VPN applications on Android 16. The flaw involves a Binder method on ConnectivityManager that allows an attacker app to leak the user's real IP address without proper permission checks. Current mitigation options are limited and not advisable for average users, with a suggestion to switch to Graphene OS, which has addressed the vulnerability.

Tech Optimizer

May 14, 2026

Kaspersky Achieves 40% Reach Rate and Store Visits with AnyMind’s Data-Led Influencer Marketing

Kaspersky partnered with AnyMind Group in March 2026 to launch an influencer marketing campaign in Singapore aimed at changing consumer perceptions that Kaspersky only offers antivirus protection. The campaign focused on building trust through relatable narratives, increasing urgency around scam prevention, and driving traffic to the Kaspersky Shopee Store. It utilized Instagram for engagement, featuring relatable stories and humor to simplify complex cybersecurity topics. The campaign achieved significant reach and engagement, with total reach exceeding 160,000, total views at 223,000, and total engagements of 7,500. The engagement rate was 4.73%, and the reach rate was 40.56%. Influencer Faris Samri had the highest engagement rate at 17.20%. The campaign led to a 2,900% increase in store page views and over 6,000 combined saves and shares, indicating high user value in the content. Interactive Instagram Stories were identified as the key driver for direct link clicks.

Winsage

May 13, 2026

Former Windows boss reveals why modern Windows 11 apps feel slower, says Microsoft once gave every engineer a stopwatch

Steven Sinofsky, former head of the Windows Division at Microsoft, discussed the company's engineering culture and its focus on resource management from 1980 to 2000, where every engineer was given a physical stopwatch to measure various performance metrics. This practice emphasized optimizing software for speed and efficiency, a stark contrast to modern applications that consume significant RAM due to shifts in market dynamics and hardware advancements. The current trend prioritizes rapid feature deployment over optimization, leading to performance issues in applications. Microsoft is responding to criticism by enhancing the performance of Windows 11, focusing on native desktop applications and optimizing core components, including the Start menu and File Explorer. They are also testing new CPU scheduling profiles to reduce micro-lags during user interactions.

AppWizard

May 13, 2026

More ways to create and share with Android

Android 17 introduces a feature called Screen Reactions, which allows creators to easily record their screen and overlay their reactions onto videos, simplifying the process of creating reaction videos. This feature will initially be available on Pixel devices and will roll out this summer.

AppWizard

May 13, 2026

Android Auto gets a fresh take on Google Maps navigation, teases more Gemini at the Android Show

The Android Show 2026 has introduced significant enhancements for Android Auto, including an edge-to-edge experience for Google Maps and a new Immersive Navigation update featuring a dynamic 3D view. A comprehensive Material 3 Expressive redesign for the vehicle operating system has been announced, improving the user interface. Popular music streaming services like YouTube Music and Spotify will also receive visual updates. Gemini Intelligence will be integrated into vehicles, assisting drivers with text messages and allowing them to order food through DoorDash. Vehicles with Google built-in will receive the same updates, including video-to-audio transitions and Immersive Navigation enhancements. The rollout of Gemini is currently underway for cars with Google built-in technology.

Winsage

May 12, 2026

Microsoft’s Windows K2 overhaul is making File Explorer launch much faster

Microsoft is reassessing its strategy following criticism and a decline in user satisfaction related to its AI tool, Copilot. The company is unwinding some Copilot integrations and reallocating resources to address issues with Windows 11, particularly focusing on improving File Explorer. Windows K2 will enhance File Explorer's performance, utilizing the WinUI 3 framework, which aims to streamline operations. Recent benchmarks show significant reductions in resource consumption for File Explorer, including 41% fewer allocations, 63% fewer transient allocations, 45% fewer function calls, and a 25% reduction in time spent in WinUI code. Improvements are expected to be rolled out soon.

AppWizard

May 12, 2026

Whoop is putting a board-certified physician in its app to tell you why you’re tired

Whoop is introducing live in-app access to licensed medical professionals for real-time consultations, allowing users to share biometric data. The company is partnering with HealthEx to integrate wearable metrics with health records, enabling users to view diagnoses, medications, and medical history alongside their health data. Upcoming updates will enhance heart-rate accuracy, workout auto-detection, and strength training analytics. Users will be able to correlate medications and medical procedures with recovery scores and performance. Whoop is also developing AI features, including “My Memory” for managing personal information and “Proactive Check-Ins” for tailored suggestions. The Whoop Journal will allow users to log supplements and habits, with AI analyzing inputs for behavior trends. Upgrades to underlying technology are planned, but costs for clinician consultations remain undisclosed.