power efficiency Archives

Winsage

January 13, 2026

CES 2026: Showcasing new Windows 11 PC innovations across the ecosystem

CES showcased significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) integrated into the Windows ecosystem, with various companies unveiling new products. Acer introduced the Copilot+ PCs, including the Swift 16 AI laptop with a haptic touchpad and Predator Helios Neo 16S AI gaming laptop. ASUS launched the Zenbook DUO, featuring dual OLED touchscreens, and the ROG Zephyrus Duo, a dual-screen gaming laptop. Dell refreshed its XPS brand with new laptops and monitors, while HP presented the EliteBook X G2 Series and the EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC. Lenovo revealed several new Copilot+ PCs, and Samsung introduced the Galaxy Book6 series. AMD and Intel announced new processor lines, with AMD's Ryzen AI 400 Mobile Series and Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 processors. Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon X2 Plus for enhanced AI experiences in PCs.

Winsage

January 13, 2026

Microsoft fixes 114 flaws in year’s first Windows 11 Patch Tuesday

Microsoft's January 2026 Patch Tuesday update, KB5074109, addresses 114 vulnerabilities, including a critical zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-20805) in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) that has been actively exploited. The update is applicable to Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 and includes security enhancements and updates to AI components. Other high-severity vulnerabilities addressed include CVE-2026-20816 (privilege escalation in Windows Installer), CVE-2026-20817 (elevation of privilege in Windows Error Reporting), CVE-2026-20840 (vulnerability in Windows NTFS), CVE-2026-20843 (flaw in Routing and Remote Access Service), CVE-2026-20860 (vulnerability in Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock), and CVE-2026-20871 (another DWM vulnerability). The update removes legacy modem drivers to minimize the attack surface and resolves reliability issues in Azure Virtual Desktop and WSL networking. It also changes the default setting for Windows Deployment Services (WDS) to disable hands-free deployment. Users can install the update through Windows Update, and a system reboot is required for full application.

Winsage

December 31, 2025

Unexpected Surprise: Windows 11 Outperforming Linux On An Intel Arrow Lake H Laptop

Recent benchmarks on the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 show that Microsoft Windows 11 outperformed Ubuntu Linux in several demanding workloads, including multi-threaded tasks and CPU-based rendering applications like Blender and V-RAY. The device features an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor with 16 cores and was tested with 64GB of LPDDR5-7467 memory and NVIDIA RTX Pro 1000 graphics. The performance metrics were consistent with expectations for the hardware, and the benchmarks used official binaries for both operating systems. Lenovo and Intel are investigating the results further, and the findings may indicate a broader trend in operating system performance. The original benchmarks were conducted using Windows 11 Pro and Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS.

AppWizard

December 11, 2025

Android 17 will boost Xiaomi’s app lock security to a new level

Android 17 introduces a system app locking feature, enhancing mobile security with a new permission structure called LOCK_APPS, allowing only system apps and designated launchers to execute this functionality. This feature utilizes the Biometric Prompt API for user authentication via fingerprint, facial recognition, or PIN. Users can lock or unlock apps by long-pressing the app icon on the launcher, which sends a SETAPPLOCK request to Android's core security service. The app lock will only be available on handheld devices, excluding Android Automotive, Wear OS, and Android TV. The feature is expected to debut later in the rollout of Android 17, benefiting Xiaomi devices and HyperOS.

Winsage

December 9, 2025

Windows PC gaming in 2025: Handheld innovation, Arm progress and DirectX advances

Windows has been a key platform for PC gaming, evolving significantly by 2025 with advancements in handheld gaming and performance. The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, powered by AMD Ryzen Z2 Series processors, were introduced, enhancing handheld gaming experiences. The Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) was launched for these devices, optimizing gaming interfaces. Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) was implemented, reducing load times by over 80% for some titles. System-level performance improvements included tuned power management and lower CPU overhead. Windows also focused on Arm devices, enabling local game installations through the Xbox PC app and expanding compatibility with the Prism emulator. Native anti-cheat support was introduced for Arm devices, enhancing competitive gaming. DirectX 12 advancements included features that improved ray tracing performance by up to 2.3×. Bluetooth LE Audio support was added to enhance audio quality for gamers. Upcoming innovations include expanding FSE to more Windows devices, further ASD support, and a preview of Auto Super Resolution for improved visuals in games.

AppWizard

December 1, 2025

Google Pixel Ghost Apps Bug Plagues Models 7-10 in Android 16 Update

In late November 2025, Google Pixel users reported a "ghost app" issue where apps reopen without user intervention, affecting multiple models from Pixel 9 to Pixel 10. This problem has been linked to recent software updates and has been described as a systemic glitch. Users also reported "ghost touches" on older models like the Pixel 7, where screens register inputs without contact. Complaints include apps struggling to stay closed, overheating, and inconsistent performance, with theories suggesting bugs in Android 16 and issues with the Pixel's Tensor chips. A botched privacy update may have exacerbated the problem by throttling background processes. The ongoing reliability challenges have led to a significant erosion of user trust in the Pixel brand.

AppWizard

November 17, 2025

Google will now warn about battery-hungry Android apps

Google is enhancing the Android user experience by addressing battery drain caused by applications. The company is collaborating with developers to create power-efficient apps and has introduced new "technical quality metrics" to identify apps that excessively drain battery life. A specific focus is on "excessive partial wake locks," developed in partnership with Samsung, which can significantly escalate battery usage. A new beta metric for excessive partial wake locks has been refined and will soon be available as a core vital for all developers. Starting March 1, 2026, Google will implement new standards that could affect app visibility on the Play Store. Apps that do not meet the quality threshold for excessive wake locks may be excluded from prominent discovery surfaces and could receive warnings about potential battery drain. An app is considered to have excessive wake lock usage if it holds more than 2 cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks in a 24-hour period, with a threshold for "bad behavior" set at exceeding 5% of user sessions classified as excessive over the past 28 days. Developers will receive alerts if their app surpasses this limit.

AppWizard

November 11, 2025

Android phones will soon warn you about apps that are sucking up too much battery juice

Google is implementing a new metric called "excessive partial wake locks" to reduce battery drain on Android devices. This metric identifies user sessions as excessive if an app maintains non-exempt wake locks for over two cumulative hours within a 24-hour period. Apps exceeding a threshold of 5% excessive sessions over 28 days will face penalties starting March 1, 2026. Non-compliant apps may be excluded from prominent discovery surfaces in the Google Play Store and could display a warning label indicating high battery usage. The metric was co-developed with Samsung and is now available through the Android Vitals console for developers to access and make adjustments before the enforcement date.

AppWizard

October 31, 2025

Leak claims new Intel gaming CPUs could be even slower than its current ones, which is pretty disappointing

Intel is set to launch its Core Ultra 300 series CPUs in early 2026, featuring the new 18A manufacturing process and built on the Panther Lake architecture. The series includes the Intel Core Ultra X7 385H and Core Ultra 5 338H, with performance benchmarks revealing that the X7 385H achieved a score of 20,000 in Cinebench R23 at 65W, while the Core Ultra 5 338H scored 16,000 points. The X7 385H's integrated GPU scored 6,830 in 3DMark Time Spy, nearly double that of its predecessor, but still behind dedicated GPUs like the RTX 5050. The core configuration of the X7 385H includes four performance cores, eight efficiency cores, and four low-power efficiency cores, which may contribute to its lower CPU performance compared to the Core Ultra 7 255H.

AppWizard

October 30, 2025

Android 17 Will Put Full-Screen Apps on Your Always-On Display

The Always-On Display (AOD) feature on Android devices will be enhanced in Android 17 with a new feature called Min Mode. Min Mode allows for persistent, full-screen displays from favored applications during idle periods, rather than just basic status updates. It operates using low-power technology to conserve battery life. Developers need to integrate a component called “MinModeActivity” into their apps for compatibility. Google Maps is leading the implementation of Min Mode, developing a power-efficient interface that provides essential navigation data in a monochromatic mode. Min Mode will be introduced as a new developer API, allowing various applications to display critical information while the device is idle. The success of Min Mode will depend on developers focusing on delivering essential information efficiently.