sensor Archives

AppWizard

April 7, 2026

SteelSeries tested its new gaming mouse with a car and dishwasher, but I just played games with it

The SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 is a gaming mouse featuring a TrueMove 26K optical sensor with a maximum sensitivity of 26,000 DPI, six buttons, and a switch lifespan of 80 million clicks. It weighs 68g and offers connections via Lightspeed 2.4GHz wireless and USB-C, with a polling rate of up to 4kHz wirelessly and 1kHz wired. The battery lasts up to 120 hours at 1kHz polling rate and up to 200 hours via Bluetooth. It has an IP54 waterproof rating and comes with RGB lighting, a USB-C wireless dongle, a USB-A to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-C adapter, and Bluetooth connectivity. The price is .99 / £99.99. The mouse features a unique translucent shell design, water and dust resistance, and impressive battery longevity, but has a shape that may not suit everyone, a slippery shell material, and side buttons that may be overly long.

AppWizard

April 4, 2026

If you’ve got a CMF Watch, the Nothing X app is taking over: this is what you need to know

Nothing will phase out the CMF Watch app, removing it from app stores on April 3, and users are encouraged to migrate to the Nothing X app. Full functionality of the Nothing X app is expected by July 19, 2026. Users must begin transferring their data now, which will deactivate their CMF Watch app accounts. The Watch 3 Pro, launched in July 2025, features a four-channel heart rate sensor, 131 sports modes, a 1.43-inch AMOLED display, dual-band GPS, and a battery life of 13 days. CMF Watches offer budget-friendly options and have received a million investment from Optiemus to enhance their capabilities. CMF operates independently from Nothing, headquartered in India, and has created around 1,800 jobs.

BetaBeacon

April 1, 2026

5 of the best new Android apps you need to try this April

Adaptive Theme is a free app developed by xLexip that uses your phone's ambient light sensor to automatically trigger dark mode when conditions fall below a darkness threshold you set.

AppWizard

March 22, 2026

This app gives Android the automatic dark mode feature it desperately needs

Dark Mode is popular among Android users for its eye protection benefits at night, but scheduled switching can feel limiting. The third-party app Adaptive Theme offers a dynamic solution by toggling between dark and light modes based on ambient light detected by the phone's sensors. It automatically switches to light mode in bright environments and dark mode in dim settings, providing a hands-free experience. The app features a user-friendly interface with a master switch, Brightness Threshold settings, and a Current Brightness display for real-time sensor readings. Adaptive Theme does not require root access but needs permissions typically restricted by Android, which it accesses through the third-party app Shizuku. Users may need to experiment with brightness thresholds to find their ideal settings, and the mode switch only occurs after the device is unlocked. Despite some limitations, Adaptive Theme enhances the user experience and raises questions about why such a feature isn't integrated into stock Android.

Tech Optimizer

March 19, 2026

Federal Circuit Finds that Antivirus Software is Abstract and Remands for Alice, Step Two

Columbia University faced a setback in its patent dispute with Gen Digital Inc. regarding U.S. Patents 8,074,115 and 8,601,322, which relate to an innovative virus detection method developed in the early 2000s. The method involved evaluating the behavior of suspicious code using an emulator and a model of expected behavior derived from data across interconnected computers. Columbia initiated legal proceedings in 2013, and after various developments, a jury awarded Columbia over million in royalties for willful infringement in 2022. However, the Federal Circuit ruled that the patent claims were not sufficiently specific and remanded the case for further examination of whether the claims could constitute an inventive concept. The ruling emphasized that patent eligibility is determined by the precise language of the claims.

Tech Optimizer

March 19, 2026

Building a High-Performance Postgres Time Series Stack with Iceberg

Postgres extensions, specifically pg_lake, pg_partman, and pg_incremental, provide a vendor-agnostic, open-source solution for managing high-performance time series data. PostgreSQL serves as the foundation, while pg_partman automates time partition management, pg_lake connects Postgres with data lakes for offloading cold data, and pg_incremental processes append-only data in batches. These extensions are maintained by the Postgres team at Snowflake. An example system for monitoring temperature readings uses local storage for recent data and transitions cold data to an Apache Iceberg table on S3. The process includes creating a partitioned table in Postgres, establishing an Iceberg table, using pg_incremental for data appending, eliminating old partitions with pg_partman, and querying from both local and cold tables to optimize storage and costs. A time-partitioned table enhances performance by allowing efficient deletion of outdated data, speeding up queries, and reducing fragmentation.

AppWizard

March 3, 2026

Logitech G Study shows Esports enters its prime

A comprehensive study from Logitech G surveyed 18,000 individuals across 12 countries, revealing that nearly 8% of respondents globally would choose to pursue a career as a professional gamer if given the opportunity, surpassing traditional professions like politician (6%) and professional racer (5%). Among Generation Z, the desire to become a pro gamer rises to 15%. Two-thirds of Gen Z see esports as a legitimate professional career path, with 54% of all respondents considering esports a legitimate professional avenue. The global esports audience reached 611 million in 2024, projected to grow to 641 million by the end of 2025, with the industry valued at .1 billion and expected to reach .5 billion by 2030. Nearly half of Gen Z support adding esports to the Olympic Games, while 49% of Gen Z favor including esports in the main Olympics, compared to 21% of Baby Boomers. The 2024 League of Legends World Final attracted a peak global audience of 50 million, and over 62,000 spectators attended the 2025 Honor of Kings KPL Grand Finals in Beijing. Concerns about financial risk (42%), high competition levels (34%), and lack of support (31%) deter many from pursuing esports careers.

AppWizard

February 26, 2026

Mobile revenue remained flat across 2025, but PC gaming “sees another record year” | Sensor Tower State of Gaming 2026

Digital intelligence and analytics firm Sensor Tower's State of Gaming 2026 report reveals that mobile game revenue has remained flat, while PC and console gaming revenues have surged by 13%. In 2025, there were 52 billion downloads across all platforms, with mobile games downloaded at a rate of 95,000 per minute, although this represents a decline from 2024. Mobile game revenue increased by only 1%, indicating a shift towards retaining and monetizing existing players. In contrast, PC gaming, particularly on Steam, achieved record gains in units sold and revenue, driven by AA and AAA publishers. The shooter genre performed strongly, with Battlefield 6 as the best-selling game, followed by EA Sports FC 25 and 26. In the free-to-play category, Skate was the most downloaded title. Indie games like R.E.P.O. and Peak were recognized as top sellers. Data trends indicate that PC gamers are generally younger, while hypercasual gamers tend to be female. The strategy genre gained traction in mobile gaming, led by Last War: Survival and Whiteout Survival.

Winsage

February 15, 2026

Microsoft Blocks Credential Autofill to Fix Windows Hello Flaw

Microsoft has blocked credential autofill functionality in Windows 11 as part of the February 2026 Patch Tuesday updates to address the critical vulnerability CVE-2026-20804, which allows unauthorized access by tampering with Windows Hello authentication. This vulnerability was first identified in August 2025 and allows local administrators to inject biometric data. The restriction was documented in the January 2026 Patch Tuesday release notes. Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) operates at a hypervisor virtual trust level but is limited by hardware compatibility issues, particularly affecting AMD-based systems. Post-update, credential dialogs do not respond to virtual keyboard inputs from remote desktop or screen-sharing applications, preventing autofill during remote support sessions. Microsoft has provided a risky workaround that allows applications to operate with elevated administrator privileges, but this reintroduces the vulnerability. Organizations must now choose between disrupted remote support workflows or risking exposure to credential injection attacks, leading to operational challenges for IT teams and help desk staff.

AppWizard

February 11, 2026

Android 17 Beta 1 is here with major updates for adaptive apps, performance, and media

Google has unveiled Android 17 Beta 1, targeting developers with enhancements for app adaptability and performance. Key features include: - Mandatory app adaptability for devices with a minimum width of 600dp, requiring support for resizing and windowed multitasking. - Introduction of professional-grade camera APIs for smoother mode transitions in camera apps. - Access to metadata from all active physical camera sensors. - Enhanced audio controls for normalizing loudness and support for Versatile Video Coding (VVC). - Performance improvements, privacy and security enhancements, and connectivity updates affecting VoIP calls. - New profiles for “Medical Devices” and “Fitness Tracker” to simplify application setup. - A new engagement mode for extended reality devices. Android 17 is set to follow a release schedule similar to Android 16, with Platform Stability targeted for March 2026 and the first major stable release expected in Q2 2026. Eligible Pixel devices for the Android 17 Beta 1 update include Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, 8, 8 Pro, 8a, 9, 9 Pro XL, 9 Pro, 9 Pro Fold, 9a, 10, 10 Pro XL, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro Fold.