jetpack Archives

AppWizard

May 25, 2025

Helldivers 2 player embraces their inner Lisan al-Gaib, discovering a way to surf on the back of the game’s giant floating Leviathans: ‘I spent longer than I would like to admit setting this up’

Super Earth is under siege from an Illuminate invasion, threatening its democratic ideals. Illuminate thralls and colossal Leviathan creatures pose significant challenges to the Helldivers defending their home. A player named Beautiful-Injury7738 created a video showcasing "Leviathan Surfing," where they used a jetpack to land on a Leviathan while holding a flag of democracy. They managed to stay on the creature for two minutes before being killed by anti-desertion artillery after drifting beyond the combat zone. The video gained attention on Reddit, with comparisons to Dune's Lisan al-Gaib. Another player, Harvey, has been causing chaos by participating in Illuminate raves, leading to property damage. The Helldivers community has also welcomed new NPC SEAF troops.

BetaBeacon

May 21, 2025

Google just laid out its game plan to make you (and developers) care about Android XR

Google showcased how apps like Google Maps, Messages, Calendar, and Photos will function on Android XR glasses.

BetaBeacon

April 30, 2025

Epic Games for Android is bringing Flappy Bird back

Flappy Bird, a classic mobile game, is making a comeback on Android devices through the Epic Games Store app. The game will be available for free with in-game ads and ongoing support and updates. Players can access the Epic Games app on Android by downloading it directly from the company's website, bypassing the Google Play Store.

AppWizard

April 16, 2025

Google may introduce an expressive new Material Design theme at I/O this May

Google is set to announce a significant update to its Material Design framework, focusing on enhancing expressiveness in app development, at Google I/O 2025 next month. Developer discussions have revealed a new theme called “Material3Expressive,” and a Google engineer confirmed efforts to help developers create more engaging applications. Evidence of this update includes a patch in the AOSP Gerrit related to “I/O 2025 Expressive talk code demos,” which introduces new code for the Material 3 Compose library. The update may refine the existing framework rather than completely overhaul it, with indications of a more visually engaging interface in recent Android Settings app updates. Anticipation for Google I/O 2025 is high, but the new design elements may not be immediately available in the stable release of Android 16, with a gradual rollout expected in future updates.

AppWizard

April 16, 2025

‘A Minecraft Movie’ is fun but disappointing

Sean Mandell, a writer for the New York Post, described “A Minecraft Movie” as “Gen Z, Alpha’s ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show.’” The film follows Steve, voiced by Jack Black, who becomes disenchanted with adult life and journeys into the “Overworld,” encountering individuals who rely on creativity and resourcefulness. However, character development is lacking, with characters introducing themselves through exposition and showing no growth. The main child protagonist, Henry, constructs a jetpack at both the beginning and end of the story without real challenges. The film attempts to convey themes of creativity and imagination but falls short, leaning heavily on comedic performances. Despite moments of humor, the film is considered superficial and unlikely to resonate with future audiences. The reviewer rates “A Minecraft Movie” a modest 5/10.

AppWizard

April 9, 2025

Google launches Gemini in Android Studio for Businesses, making it easier for devs to design work apps

Apple is the leading smartphone manufacturer in the U.S., while 60% of corporate-owned devices are powered by Android, according to a survey by Stratix. Google announced Gemini in Android Studio for businesses at the Google Cloud Next 2025 conference, a subscription-based service aimed at enhancing the Android ecosystem for enterprise app developers. Gemini focuses on secure, privacy-oriented AI solutions, with a strict data governance policy ensuring confidentiality and ownership of company code. It includes enterprise-grade management features and extends Google's generative AI indemnification policy to protect against copyright infringement claims related to AI-generated code. The enterprise edition allows customization using internal repositories, improving code acceptance rates by 70%. Gemini is compliant with various industry certifications, including SOC 1, 2, and 3, and ISO/IEC 27001, among others. A free version of Gemini remains available for independent developers, while organizations can acquire a Code Assist Enterprise license through the Google Cloud Console.

AppWizard

March 3, 2025

How Minecraft Players Can Get Free DLC for Watching A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie is set to be released from April 4th to April 6th, 2025. Moviegoers who purchase tickets for the opening weekend through Fandango will unlock an exclusive in-game jetpack for Minecraft. Attendees will receive an email with a code to redeem the jetpack after purchasing their tickets. The offer is only available for the opening weekend and must be redeemed before the end of the year. The film features characters voiced by Jack Black and Jason Momoa, indicating potential future in-game content related to these characters.