papers Archives

AppWizard

January 12, 2026

This week in PC games: Hytale, Quarantine Zone, a weird Batman sim, and a fresh batch of RPGs and shooters

The Maw can manifest in various forms, including a blinking cursor or unreturned messages. New PC game releases include: - Big Hops: A 3D platformer featuring a frog with jumping and tongue skills. - Confidential Killings: A detective game that could use a more imaginative name. - Quarantine Zone: The Last Check: Players act as a border guard during a zombie apocalypse, exploring moral dilemmas. - Hytale: A sandbox building RPG now in early access, developed by Hypixel Studios. - Hank: Drowning on Dry Land: A whimsical narrative game featuring a drunken, time-traveling character. - Cassette Boy: An action RPG puzzler with retro visuals and themes of object permanence. - Streetdog BMX: A game with children performing stunts on bicycles across colorful maps. - The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon: The thirteenth installment in an RPG series. - Tabulo: A roguelite chess game. - Craftlings: A blend of Lemmings and colony-building elements. - The Fortress: A first-person turn-based dungeon-crawling RPG. - NEUROXUS: A fast-paced mech shooter with a neon aesthetic. - Moving Simulator: A game reflecting the moving experience. - Lunar Ascendant: Players become the first mayor of the Moon, navigating social media and factions. James and Julian will attend preview events, while Mark and Ollie are excited about Hytale's launch. A review for Pathologic 3 is being crafted.

AppWizard

January 5, 2026

The best new Android apps to try this January

- DogEar is an app that displays rotating quotes from books on the home or lock screen, with a free version limited to three books and a subscription or one-time payment required for full access. - Where Winds Meet is a 10th-century Chinese open-world RPG for Android, featuring 150 hours of single-player content and character customization, but may require substantial downloads and performance adjustments on mid-range devices. - Seriatim presents books one sentence at a time, supporting EPUB, PDF, and plain text formats, and allows users to adjust reading pace to reduce cognitive load. - Caresleep Offline is an app that provides ambient soundtracks and customizable mixes for offline use, allowing users to create soundscapes and set sleep timers without ads or data usage. - Doki Doki Literature Club is a visual novel now available on Android, featuring remastered graphics and additional content in the Plus version, encouraging players to experience it without prior knowledge of its plot twists.

AppWizard

January 3, 2026

The PC game releases we’re most excited about in January

January typically sees a quieter period for PC gaming, with many anticipated titles debuting later in the month. Notable releases include: - January 12: Quarantine Zone: The Last Check (Steam) - Players act as a checkpoint officer in a zombie apocalypse. - January 26: Highguard (Steam) - A free-to-play hero shooter facing skepticism. - January 29: Cairn (Steam) - A mountain climbing game praised by early players. Upcoming gaming events and sales include: - CES from January 6-9. - Steam Winter Sale (December 18 - January 5). - Detective Fest (January 12 - January 19). - Board Game Fest (January 26 - February 2). - Taipei Game Show (January 29 - February 1). Early access launches in January: - January 6: StarRupture (Steam) - A sci-fi base building and defense game. - January 22: Bladesong (Steam) - Players craft blades in a dark fantasy setting. - January TBA: Echoes of Elysium (Steam) - A co-op airship survival RPG delayed from December. Major updates and events: - January 20: World of Warcraft's Midnight Pre-Expansion Content Update. - January 12: Anthem concludes its service. - January 22: Cult of the Lamb: Woolhaven expansion introduces new content. Additional game releases in January include: - January 9: Pathologic 3 (Steam). - January 12: Big Hops (Steam). - January 15: Craftlings (Steam) and Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon (Steam). - January 16: BrokenLore: Unfollow (Steam). - January 20: Mio: Memories in Orbit (Steam). - January 21: Dynasty Warriors Origins: Visions of Four Heroes (Steam). - January 22: Nova Roma (Steam) and Arknights: Endfield (Epic). - January 28: The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin (Steam) and The Midnight Walkers (early access). - January 29: Don't Stop, Girlypop! (Steam).

TrendTechie

December 25, 2025

Хакеры скачали почти весь Spotify! Вы можете получить его через торрент, но размер файла вас просто поразит.

The hacker project Anna's Archive has claimed to have downloaded 99.6% of Spotify's music catalog, amounting to nearly 300 TB of data. They reportedly acquired about 86 million tracks, focusing on those with listener engagement, which they argue represents nearly all the music users actively listen to. Spotify confirmed that the accounts responsible for the breach have been deactivated and stated that they are implementing new measures to counter such attacks.

AppWizard

December 16, 2025

Gate Guard Simulator is Papers, Please with fewer terrorists, more geese, and the chance to throw people into a moat

Gate Guard Simulator is a game where players assume the role of a castle guard responsible for vetting individuals seeking entry into a lord's domain. Players must examine the paperwork of various characters, such as monks and minstrels, while remaining alert to potential threats, including criminals and signs of disease. The game features mechanics for inspecting vehicles for contraband and offers players choices between upholding the law or accepting bribes. Earnings can be used to upgrade weapons and gear. The game is set to launch next year and is developed by Redox Interactive, with publishing by Forklift Interactive.

AppWizard

December 14, 2025

This free Android app made me love reading again, one sentence at a time

Aamir Siddiqui, a writer for Android Authority, discusses the challenge of maintaining focus while reading in a digital age filled with short-form content. He introduces Seriatim Reader, a free e-reader app for Android that presents books one sentence at a time, making reading more accessible and less daunting. The app supports various file formats, allows users to download free books and research papers, and offers customizable features such as theme options, text spacing, and animations. After using the app, Siddiqui found renewed enjoyment in reading, highlighting its potential to help others rediscover their reading habits.

AppWizard

December 4, 2025

Opera brings desktop AI features to its Android app

Opera has integrated innovative artificial intelligence features into its Android application, following previous updates to its desktop browsers. The latest update includes contextual AI, which allows users to use content from their current tab in prompts, and visual intelligence, enabling the attachment of images and files for AI analysis directly within the search bar. A new access point for AI is located beside the search box, allowing users to switch between traditional search and the Ask AI feature easily. The visual intelligence upgrade allows users to attach documents or photos for processing by the AI. Contextual AI reduces typing by using content from the current tab, ensuring that only relevant information is utilized and that user data is not used for AI training or advertising. The update is available for download through the Play Store.

AppWizard

November 21, 2025

Genshin Impact’s flashy combat and Control’s paranormal vibes collide in a new Hoyoverse game, and I’m immediately hooked

Hoyoverse has released a half-hour gameplay demo of its upcoming open-world title, Varsapura, which features elements reminiscent of Control and LA Noire. Set in modern-day Singapore, the game involves paranormal investigation, dialogue choices, stealth mechanics, and combat similar to Zenless Zone Zero. Players assume the role of a protagonist applying for a job at SEAL (Shadow Entity Analysis and Limitation), where they undergo a "mind scan" during the application process. The game introduces officer Sayuki, who discusses the Mindrot phenomenon, which generates derogatory comments in a test chamber. Players combat shadow creatures using umbrella-based attacks and can swap characters during battles. The narrative includes a personal motive for joining SEAL, with dialogue options categorized into 'Empathy,' 'Persuasion,' and 'Deception.' The gameplay features an open-world driving segment and stealth mechanics, allowing exploration of a city resembling Singapore. The visual style combines realistic art with anime character designs. Hoyoverse hints at customization options for the protagonist's appearance and is recruiting talent for the game's development.

AppWizard

November 15, 2025

NotebookLM now automates your tedious research, so you can focus on big ideas

NotebookLM has introduced a "Deep Research" feature that automatically searches hundreds of websites and compiles a sourced report. It now supports a wider range of file types, including Google Sheets, Word documents, and images of handwritten notes, allowing users to upload materials without needing to convert them to PDFs. Users can input a topic and choose between "Fast Research" for a brief overview or "Deep Research" for a more detailed exploration. The update consolidates user uploads, external web research, AI-generated summaries, and analysis into one space, and will be rolled out to all users within the next week, though some may experience delays. Users are advised to verify the relevance and credibility of the gathered materials.

AppWizard

November 12, 2025

Google Drive’s new AI audio summaries make PDFs effortless

Google Drive has introduced a feature that allows users to generate audio summaries of lengthy documents, which can be accessed through a new button in the toolbar. These summaries range from two to ten minutes and are designed to capture the essential points of documents, eliminating the need for extensive reading. The feature, called audio overviews, is currently available only in English and is being rolled out to select paid Workspace tiers, including Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Google One AI Premium, AI Ultra, and AI Ultra for Business. Users can retrieve audio files from an “Audio overviews” folder in their Drive. The rollout will begin with Rapid Release domains, while Scheduled Release domains will start seeing the feature from November 12, 2025, with a potential delay of up to 15 days for full availability.