powers Archives

AppWizard

June 4, 2025

Massive Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Leak Reveals TMNT, SpongeBob, Avatar, and Minecraft Crossovers With Full Gameplay Footage

A leak regarding Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has revealed crossover content featuring franchises such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), Avatar: The Last Airbender, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Minecraft. The TMNT content includes a "Pizza Van" in four color variants and a themed race track set in New York City. Avatar content features Aang on a hoverboard and a "Bending Gates" mechanic for elemental powers. Minecraft is represented with a character selection menu hinting at a Minecraft-style character and themed vehicles. SpongeBob SquarePants will also be a playable racer with a unique vehicle and track. The leaks confirm the presence of TMNT, Avatar, and Minecraft, with potential for more franchises to be announced. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is expected to launch later this year.

AppWizard

May 30, 2025

Google TV might be adding a proper sleep timer for nighttime watching

Android TV currently has a basic sleep timer feature, but it is limited, particularly in the Google TV ecosystem. Recent updates to the Google TV Home app suggest that Google plans to enhance the sleep timer functionality significantly, as indicated by code strings found in version 1.0.756918669. The new features may include the ability to pause and resume sleep timers, notification warnings at various intervals, and interactive functionalities that allow users to extend the timer directly from notifications. This marks a shift from relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for sleep timer interfaces to a more integrated experience within Google TV.

AppWizard

May 29, 2025

Ex-Dragon Age lead hopes Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 pulls an ‘Expedition 33 or Baldur’s Gate 3’ by leaning into the combat-light, roleplaying-heavy gameplay of the tabletop version

Fraser Brown from PC Gamer has reignited optimism among fans for the sequel, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, following a recent preview. David Gaider, known for his work on Dragon Age, has also expressed enthusiasm for the original game and hopes for the sequel, envisioning it as a deep RPG that captures the political intrigue and character-driven narratives of the tabletop experience. Gaider emphasizes the importance of character relationships over combat in the tabletop version and desires a game that fully embraces these elements. Fraser's preview describes Bloodlines 2 as a mix of chaotic action and intricate storytelling, featuring visceral encounters and complex moral dilemmas, while also providing rich roleplaying opportunities and engaging character interactions.

Winsage

May 23, 2025

Microsoft gives a trio of Windows 11 apps some nifty new AI powers, but not everyone will get them

Microsoft is enhancing its Windows 11 applications with AI-powered features, particularly in Notepad, Paint, and the Snipping Tool. Notepad will receive an AI-driven text generation feature in preview version 11.2504.46.0, allowing users to generate text by right-clicking in the document. This feature requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, providing 60 AI credits monthly for users on Personal or Family plans. The Snipping Tool will introduce a 'perfect screenshot' feature that refines selections for precise cropping and a color picker for identifying colors on-screen, supporting HEX, RGB, and HSL codes. Paint will feature a new 'welcome experience' to guide users, an AI object selection tool for easier editing, and a sticker generator for creating custom stickers based on prompts. These updates aim to integrate AI into everyday applications, although concerns exist about potential feature bloat in Notepad and the requirement for a Copilot+ PC with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for many features, which may limit accessibility.

Winsage

May 21, 2025

Announcing new Microsoft Dataverse capabilities for multi-agent operations

Microsoft Dataverse is a secure and scalable platform that integrates enterprise data with agent functionalities, serving as the backbone for organizations to manage business and operational data. It powers Microsoft Copilot Studio, enabling developers to create agents that execute adaptive tasks while ensuring human oversight. Key features include AI-powered search, prompt columns for embedding generative AI, and the Dataverse Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, which transforms structured data into interactive knowledge for agents. The MCP server offers capabilities such as querying data, engaging with knowledge sources, creating/updating records, and executing custom prompts. Dataverse knowledge is integrated into Copilot Studio, connecting structured and unstructured data from various sources to create a unified knowledge network. Data in Dataverse is pre-indexed for near-real-time analytics, and integration with Microsoft Fabric allows for easy exploration of this data. Dynamics 365 data is now accessible within Microsoft 365 Copilot, streamlining workflows. New knowledge sources and connectors have been introduced, including Snowflake, SAP, and Confluence, enhancing agent capabilities. The Power Platform connector SDK simplifies the integration of external structured data into Power Apps and Dataverse. A centralized Tools hub in Copilot Studio allows for the management of reusable functionalities across agents. Additionally, three new managed agents are available in preview, designed to automate document workflows, generate executive briefs, and process inbound leads, facilitating quick implementation and scalability for organizations.

AppWizard

May 20, 2025

Blades of Fire review

Blades of Fire is an action game featuring a hero named Aran, who possesses godlike powers and a tragic backstory. The game emphasizes exploration over combat and is set to be released on May 22, 2025. It is developed by MercurySteam and published by 505 Games, with a price point of £50. The game was reviewed on a system with an Intel i9-13900HX, RTX 4090, and 32GB RAM.

Winsage

May 20, 2025

Microsoft open sources Windows Subsystem for Linux

Microsoft has announced the open-sourcing of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which has evolved since its introduction in 2016. WSL was initially designed to enable Windows to run ELF executables natively through a compatibility layer. Compatibility challenges led to the development of WSL2, introduced to testers in 2019. By 2021, Microsoft decided to remove WSL code from the Windows ecosystem to align with the rapid updates of the Linux community. As of 2024, Microsoft has transitioned to a new WSL package, moving away from the original WSL component bundled with Windows. Nearly all previously closed code for WSL is now available on GitHub at Microsoft/WSL, allowing developers to contribute to its evolution. However, the kernel-side driver lxcore.sys and other related components remain part of Windows and are not open-sourced. Microsoft has acknowledged the community's role in shaping WSL but has not clarified the project's future management or the establishment of a steering committee.

AppWizard

May 14, 2025

APK Full Form in Android: Explained for Gamers and App Lovers

APK stands for Android Application Package, which is a file format essential for distributing, installing, and managing mobile applications on the Android platform. An APK contains all the necessary code, resources, and instructions for an app to run on Android devices. Key components of an APK include DEX files (app code), assets and resources (images, sounds, layouts), certificates and security signatures (for verification), and the AndroidManifest.xml file (which outlines permissions and components). When an app is installed, the APK is unpacked, permissions are granted, and its integrity is verified through digital signatures. APK files support various applications and games, allowing for manual installations and updates, and they ensure universal compatibility across devices. Users can adjust security settings to allow installations from unknown sources, but Android restricts this by default for safety.

Tech Optimizer

May 14, 2025

Best Antivirus Software (2025): ESET Recognized as Top Cybersecurity Solution by Software Experts

ESET is recognized as a leading antivirus provider in 2025, known for its robust security solutions that effectively combat rising cyber threats such as phishing, ransomware, and zero-day exploits. The company's offerings include heuristic and behavioral detection, ransomware and phishing protection, exploit blocker technology, and low resource usage, ensuring minimal impact on system performance. ESET provides various products for home users, including ESET HOME Security Essential, Premium, and Ultimate, as well as a Small Business Security package for up to 25 devices and scalable solutions for larger organizations. Pricing for home products starts at .99/year, with multi-device and multi-year discounts available. ESET operates in over 200 countries, utilizing a global network for real-time threat intelligence and maintaining a commitment to effective digital security since its establishment in 1992.

Winsage

May 9, 2025

Huawei’s Kirin X90 may be the company’s ‘Apple Silicon’ moment — Matebook Pro 2025 features in-house hardware and software

Huawei introduced its Matebook Pro 2025 laptops, powered by the Kirin X90 system-on-chip (SoC) developed by its HiSilicon subsidiary. The Kirin X90 features a 10-core layout (4+4+2) with 20 threads and is expected to utilize a combination of Taishan V121 architecture for prime cores, Taishan V120 for performance cores, and a standard Cortex design for efficiency cores. The Matebook Pro operates on HarmonyOS, a new operating system independent of Linux and Android, allowing Huawei to reduce reliance on Microsoft. The Kirin X90 is anticipated to be manufactured using SMIC's 7nm process node, which may limit its performance. The success of HarmonyOS will depend on developers transitioning existing applications to the platform. The Matebook Pro is set to be released on May 19.