portal Archives

AppWizard

June 3, 2026

Australia warns of crypto investment scams on messaging apps

Australia's financial regulatory authority, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has issued a cautionary note about a rise in investment scams that exploit messaging apps and social media, particularly targeting younger individuals. These scams often start with enticing ads on social media promoting stock trading tips, leading victims to messaging apps where they are misled into thinking they are receiving legitimate investment advice from impersonated figures. Victims are then directed to counterfeit digital asset trading platforms, resulting in lost funds and additional withdrawal fees. Research from Moneysmart reveals that 23% of Australians aged 18 to 28 own digital assets, with 66% taking a speculative approach to investing, and 29% influenced by social media personalities. Additionally, 72% of Gen Z respondents encountered social media ads for digital assets, and 41% were approached to invest in cryptocurrencies. ASIC has proposed measures to mitigate risks, including avoiding sharing personal information from social media, verifying investment platforms through AUSTRAC, and acting quickly if something seems suspicious. The Australian Parliament passed a digital asset framework bill in April requiring digital asset platforms to obtain an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) within a year to comply with new regulations.

Winsage

May 31, 2026

Microsoft U-turns on ‘infuriating’ Copilot update

Microsoft introduced a floating button for its Copilot assistant in the bottom-right corner of Office applications to enhance accessibility. However, this change faced backlash from users, leading Microsoft to revert the button to its original location in the ribbon at the top of the screen. Users can now choose from three options regarding the Copilot button: keep the floating button, dock it to the side, or return it to the ribbon. Microsoft noted that only about 3.3% of Microsoft 365 users currently pay for Copilot and is recalibrating its approach to integrating AI across its platforms. The company remains committed to introducing AI agents to the Windows taskbar as an optional feature, which will answer questions, automate tasks, interact with files and applications, and act on behalf of the user.

AppWizard

May 31, 2026

Minecraft Live From TwitchCon Rotterdam Makes Multiple Reveals

Minecraft Dungeons II will feature a new enemy called the Twisted Warden, described as slow-moving but powerful. The game will allow players to explore various biomes and a deep dark portal. It is set to launch later this year on multiple platforms, including Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Game Pass. Additionally, a collaboration at Twitchcon showcased a Minecraft Arena with real-life representations of biomes and a large Twisted Warden. A LEGO set for Dungeons II was also revealed, featuring LEGO Minecraft Chicken Mounts. Furthermore, a sequel to A Minecraft Movie has been announced, titled A Minecraft Movie Squared, with returning and new voice actors, including Kirsten Dunst as the character Alex.

AppWizard

May 29, 2026

Acer’s launching a Linux handheld for streaming your PC games

The Acer Nitro Blaze Link is a handheld gaming device designed primarily for cloud gaming, featuring a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. It has 1GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 8GB of eMMC storage, focusing on streaming games rather than local gameplay. This device is positioned as a budget-friendly alternative in the handheld gaming market, contrasting with the Logitech G Cloud, which had 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage but struggled with its pricing and performance. The Nitro Blaze Link aims to attract users looking for accessible gaming solutions without significant financial investment.

AppWizard

May 29, 2026

Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney slams Valve over Steam Deck price hikes — mocks founder Gabe Newell over rising costs of megayachts

Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, criticized Valve for increasing the price of the Steam Deck's 1TB model to 9, attributing the price hike to shortages in memory and chips. He acknowledged the overall rise in component costs but deemed Valve's increases excessive. Valve's CEO Gabe Newell is known for his luxury yacht collection, including a 365-foot superyacht valued at around a billion dollars. Valve has not yet announced pricing for the Steam Machine, which is expected to be priced similarly to other gaming PC builds, potentially exceeding ,000, without subsidies to compete with PlayStation or Xbox.

AppWizard

May 28, 2026

I tried playing PC games on my phone, and the only thing that worked was a community rebuild of the most controversial app in the scene

Winlator is an application that enables Windows games to be played on Android devices by combining Wine with x86/x86_64 translation layers. The Snapdragon 8 Elite processor has compatibility issues, particularly with its Vulkan driver, making it less suitable for mobile gaming compared to the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Users often resort to experimental drivers like Vortek to improve performance, but results can be inconsistent. The fragmentation of Winlator into various forks complicates the user experience, as each fork addresses different issues. GameHub, developed by GameSir, offers a more user-friendly experience but has faced criticism for invasive permissions. GameHub Lite is a modified version that improves performance and reduces tracking features. Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 provided a better gaming experience than the Snapdragon 8 Elite, benefiting from mature drivers and compatibility with GameHub Lite.

AppWizard

May 27, 2026

How this 20-year-old went from building worlds in Minecraft to making Hollywood movies

Kane Parsons, a 20-year-old filmmaker, began creating intricate worlds at age 10 and is set to release his debut feature film, Backrooms, on May 28. The film follows an architect-turned-furniture store owner who discovers a hidden portal leading to a maze of unsettling rooms, prompting his therapist to rescue him. Parsons was inspired by an internet image related to the "Backrooms" concept, which he initially interpreted using 3D graphics software, leading to a viral YouTube video with over 78 million views. He signed a deal with indie studio A24 and collaborated with notable industry figures, including horror producer James Wan and director Osgood Perkins. The film features actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve and represents Parsons' vision of a haunting journey through a labyrinthine reality.

AppWizard

May 27, 2026

World of Warcraft housing expert recreates The Burning Crusade’s iconic login screen on their in-game PC

In World of Warcraft, player housing has led to creative designs, including a decorative version of the Dark Portal gifted to players after the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary. A notable creation by Reddit user 'Idibegajranolegaj' features a miniature recreation of the Burning Crusade loading screen on a tiny PC, complete with a monitor, neon purple tower, desk lamp, hand-crafted keyboard, and a cozy gaming chair. The interactive setup allows players to engage with UI buttons on the monitor. The original concept was intended as a Windows XP wallpaper, but the arrival of the portal inspired this transformation.

AppWizard

May 26, 2026

Google ranks the best AI for building Android apps, and the winner isn’t Gemini

Google launched the Android Bench benchmarking portal in March to help software developers evaluate AI models for Android app development. The leaderboard was updated last week to include open-weight models and new metrics for latency, tokens, and cost. Matthew McCullough, Google's VP of Product for Android Development, stated that the goal is to provide a benchmark for evaluating large language models (LLMs) in Android development. As of May 18, GPT 5.5 is the top AI model for Android app development, with Gemini 3.1 Pro and GPT 5.4 ranked as joint leaders. Android Bench evaluates LLMs based on real-world challenges and tasks sourced from public GitHub repositories. Other benchmarking tools in the Android ecosystem include Jetpack Microbenchmark, Jetpack Macrobenchmark, Firebase Performance Monitoring, Android Vitals, Apptim, and Android Performance Analyzer. The overall benchmark score on Android Bench is calculated using four core values: Confidence Interval Range, Average Latency Score, Average Total Tokens Score, and Average Cost. The test harness for Android Bench is publicly available on GitHub.

AppWizard

May 25, 2026

Over 200 Fake Android Apps Are Quietly Stealing Money From Phone Bills

Zimperium identified a sophisticated malware campaign that exploited nearly 250 Android applications, posing as popular games and social media platforms. The malware ensnared users into premium subscription services without consent, using techniques like JavaScript injection and interception of one-time passwords. The campaign primarily targeted users in Malaysia, Romania, Thailand, and Croatia, with the malware capable of reading SIM cards and activating for specific mobile carriers. Zimperium first detected the scam in March 2025 and monitored it until at least January 2026. Google stated that none of the compromised applications were available on its app store and emphasized that Android users are protected by Google Play Protect. The hackers deployed three malware variants, with the first using an automated subscription engine, the second targeting users in Thailand with premium SMS messages, and the third combining SMS fraud with real-time notifications to attackers via Telegram. The campaign primarily affected Malaysian SIM card users, with significant activity also in Thailand and Romania. Despite the campaign's last known activity in January, parts of its infrastructure remain operational. The attacks highlight vulnerabilities in application security and the challenges of policing app downloads from third-party marketplaces.