Sheets Archives

Winsage

March 27, 2026

Announcing Babylon.js 9.0

Babylon.js 9.0 has been released, marking the most extensive update to date, featuring new tools and enhancements for web developers. Key features include: - Clustered Lighting: Accelerates per-pixel lighting calculations by grouping lights into screen-space tiles and depth slices, improving performance in scenes with many lights. - Textured Area Lights: Area lights now support emission textures, allowing images to be used as light sources for realistic lighting effects. - Node Particle Editor: A visual tool for creating complex particle systems using a non-destructive node graph interface. - Particle Flow Maps and Attractors: Introduces flow maps for controlling particle movement and gravity attractors for dynamic effects. - Volumetric Lighting: A system for realistic light scattering through fog and haze, with configurable parameters for artistic control. - Frame Graph: A Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) system for managing the rendering pipeline, optimizing GPU memory usage by over 40%. - Animation Retargeting: Allows animations from one character to be applied to another with different skeleton structures, enabling animation sharing across diverse characters. - Advanced Gaussian Splat Support: Enhancements for Gaussian Splatting, including support for multiple file formats, shadow casting, and the ability to create and modify splat data programmatically. These features enhance the capabilities of Babylon.js for creating immersive web experiences.

AppWizard

March 25, 2026

As a Thomas superfan, Thomas and Friends Wonders of Sodor would have blown my four-year-old mind

The author had a childhood fascination with Thomas the Tank Engine, influenced by their grandfather, a train enthusiast. In the late 90s, special Thomas-themed days were held at the railway where the grandfather worked, allowing children to ride in Thomas replicas. The author recalls a cherished experience of riding in the cab of a Thomas engine. The release of "Thomas and Friends: Wonders of Sodor" evokes nostalgia for the author, who, as a video game journalist, critiques the game for its clunky interface and design flaws while acknowledging its charm and alignment with the series' essence. The gameplay includes scenarios like a race involving Thomas and Gordon, with interactive elements that would appeal to young fans. However, the game has accessibility issues, such as a lack of checkpoints, which can frustrate players. The mechanics seem more suited for adult train simulation enthusiasts, raising questions about the game's intended audience.

BetaBeacon

February 16, 2026

5 Android Game Features Players Didn’t Know They Needed

- Android's adaptive haptics provide layered, context-sensitive feedback in games. - Play Asset Delivery and progressive loading systems allow players to start interacting before the full file finishes installing. - Google Play Games cloud sync automatically backs up achievements, saved data, and progression levels. - Many Android games now have offline functionality and smart data optimization to reduce bandwidth usage. - Game Mode APIs allow developers to adjust performance based on system temperature and battery levels. - Android supports more granular notification channels for games to improve user engagement. - Usability-driven retention is crucial for the growth of mobile gaming revenue.

AppWizard

December 27, 2025

Recap: Expressive Android, but Material ‘3.5’ apps

Both Apple and Google plan significant redesigns of their operating systems for 2025. Google's Material 3 Expressive has received positive feedback for its implementation across devices, aiming for a more unified interface across Android versions, though updates to first-party applications are seen as incremental rather than transformative. The redesign includes a taller search app bar in Google Workspace apps, but inconsistencies arise as some applications cannot utilize the new design. A transition back to a shorter bottom navigation bar in some apps does not improve content space. A floating toolbar in Google Chat raises usability concerns, and the overall interface appears more cluttered due to increased use of containers. Buttons have become larger, with mixed reactions regarding their proportions. The new motion-physics system introduces appealing animations, but the functionality of Google apps remains largely unchanged, leading to a sense of familiarity rather than a transformative experience.

Winsage

November 27, 2025

Windows 11 Notepad now lets you create tables like in Microsoft Word, and it’s free

Windows 11’s Notepad now includes table generation capabilities, allowing users to create organized notes and lists. This feature is being rolled out and will be available to all users soon. Notepad previously received an update for rich text formatting, enabling options like bold and italic. The new table feature allows users to easily add tables by clicking a button on the formatting toolbar and selecting the number of columns and rows. Notepad supports Markdown-style tables and offers user-friendly editing options. Performance tests show that the new features do not negatively impact the application's efficiency. Users can disable new features through the Settings menu, including formatting tools and the file recovery feature. Notepad also integrates Microsoft 365 Copilot, which can be turned off in the Settings.

AppWizard

November 20, 2025

Poke Genie -Remote Raid IV PvP For Android

Poke Genie has a rating of 4.7 stars and over 10 million downloads. It offers features such as an IV Checker, Remote Raid Coordinator, PvP IV Calculator, Name Generator, Battle Simulator, Moveset Ranking, Pokedex, Type Effectiveness Tool, Scan Organizer, and Power Up/Purification Simulator. The app does not require logins and operates using screenshots and screen recordings, complying with Niantic’s terms of service. It is a fan-made third-party app popular among Pokémon Go players.

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 4, 2025

We need to commit—it’s time crunchy, complicated RPGs made their mainstream comeback for good

The Dragon Age series has transitioned from classic RPG mechanics to a third-person action experience with RPG elements. Industry veterans, including David Gaider, suggest that simplifying gameplay mechanics is necessary to appeal to a broader audience, but recent successes indicate a significant market for complex systems. Baldur's Gate 3 has gained popularity by offering depth and intricate mechanics, while Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 provides a rewarding sense of progression through granular systems. Even action-oriented titles like Borderlands 4 maintain complexity, suggesting an appetite for depth in gaming. Obsidian Entertainment's The Outer Worlds 2 has received mixed reactions regarding its character builds, highlighting player value in meaningful choices. There is a desire for more robust RPG foundations in games like Avowed, which primarily focus on combat. The success of titles like Baldur's Gate 3 challenges the assumption that simplicity is key to broader appeal, indicating that players are ready for rich, intricate RPG experiences. Developers are encouraged to embrace complexity and consider difficulty settings to cater to varying player preferences.

AppWizard

November 1, 2025

Dole promotes healthy eating in Minecraft for global campaign

Dole Food Company has partnered with Minecraft to launch a global campaign titled “Make the World a Healthier Place,” promoting healthy lifestyles through education on eating habits, hydration, and nutrition. The campaign will run from October 2025 to March 2026 in countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, Greece, and the Netherlands, featuring in-store displays and social media activations. Players can unlock a Dole Banana Hoodie for their Minecraft avatar by uploading a Dole Banana sticker or Dole Pineapple tag on a microsite, which will also offer digital content like activity sheets and coloring pages. Dole will release two waves of stickers featuring Minecraft characters, including iconic figures and animals. The campaign will include Minecraft-inspired recipes such as Golden Banana Ingots and Creeper Crusher Smoothies. Dole has seen a year-over-year revenue increase of 14.3%, reaching .4 billion in the second quarter ending June 30.

AppWizard

November 1, 2025

Google’s analytical October Workspace Drop simplifies data in Sheets, bolsters AI security

Google has released updates for its Workspace suite in October, enhancing data comprehension, structure, and formatting in Sheets through Gemini AI. Key features include improved understanding of complex instructions for data manipulation. Google Drive has introduced a ransomware detection feature for desktop users, which alerts them to suspicious activity and pauses data synchronization. Gmail now includes end-to-end encryption for emails to enhance privacy and security. These updates build on August's enhancements, which featured file summaries for Chat, Video Overviews for NotebookLM, and the Veo 3 model in the Vids app, with the recent transition to Veo 3.1 providing greater creative control, improved sound capabilities, and more realistic textures.