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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.

Winsage

May 30, 2025

Microsoft Edge Game Assist is now available

Microsoft Edge Game Assist is now available to all users on Windows 11, following its preview launch last November. It is an in-game browser designed specifically for PC gamers, allowing players to access game guides, connect with friends, and listen to music without leaving their games. Users can open Game Assist by pressing Win+G, which integrates features like tips for popular games, access to platforms like Discord and Spotify, and the ability to pin content above the game. The tool is designed to enhance multitasking and maintain immersion during gameplay. Feedback from the preview phase has led to improvements in the interface and functionality, including keyboard shortcuts and enhanced support for over 80 games. Game Assist is available wherever Microsoft Edge is accessible, with enhanced content currently offered in English only.

AppWizard

May 28, 2025

Google might be working on a new Gemini UI that makes sense on tablets

Google is enhancing the user experience of its Gemini platform on tablets with a new beta release that features a tablet-friendly layout, including a sidebar for quick access to chats and a hamburger menu for navigation. The updated design includes shortcuts for starting new conversations and searching past discussions, as well as a modified prompt bar that highlights tools like “Deep Research” and “Canvas.” A new “Search History” function allows users to retrieve past chats using keywords. The latest beta version (v16.20.48.sa.arm64) for Android mirrors the web interface, with a left-hand sidebar for navigation and practical shortcuts for new and archived chats. Users can switch between different Gemini models using a dropdown menu, and a full-screen mode option is available to hide the sidebar for a distraction-free view. The timeline for the widespread rollout of the tablet-optimized layout is currently uncertain.

AppWizard

May 28, 2025

Metroidvania game Bolt & Wahlington announced for PC

Publisher OKJOY and developer Team Orca have announced the Metroidvania action-adventure game, Bolt & Wahlington, featuring a Siamese cat protagonist navigating floating ruins. The game will launch on PC via Steam, with a beta test scheduled for June. Players will pilot a mech aboard the mobile fortress Whalington, utilizing unique gameplay mechanics such as transforming into a mouse, exchanging health points for keys, and morphing the mech into different forms. The game encourages exploration in a non-linear world filled with hidden areas and secrets. It features a hand-drawn 2D comic aesthetic and includes cat-centric elements, such as saving progress in cardboard boxes and encountering quirky feline characters.

Winsage

May 28, 2025

Windows 11’s Snipping Tool gets a handy upgrade it should’ve had from day one

Microsoft has updated the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 to version 11.2504.38.0, introducing a built-in color picker that allows users to determine exact color values from their screen in HEX, RGB, and HSL formats. The color picker operates by hovering a dropper icon over any area of the screen. Users can also zoom in or out for precision using Ctrl and the +/- keys. Additionally, an AI-powered feature called Perfect Screenshot intelligently resizes screenshots based on selected content. Users can access this feature through keyboard shortcuts by holding the Ctrl key while invoking the Snipping Tool. These features are currently being tested for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels, with a gradual rollout expected.

AppWizard

May 26, 2025

This new Android launcher is my new must-have app for foldable phones

Foldable smartphones often face software limitations, particularly with launchers, leading users to choose between restrictive first-party options and inadequate third-party alternatives. Octopi Launcher has emerged as a promising solution, recently launching in beta on the Play Store. It offers unique configurations tailored to both the smaller cover screen and the larger display of foldable devices, allowing users to customize layouts for different orientations and purposes. Users can create up to four distinct layouts, with options for portrait and landscape modes, and can easily set up new layouts with intuitive prompts. Octopi excels in widget management, allowing independent sizing of widgets and app icons without compromising icon size. It supports overlapping and stacked widgets, enhancing visual appeal. The app drawer offers customizable options, including traditional icon shapes or tiles that display app names. While Octopi is impressive, it is still in development, with limitations in its gesture library and basic search functionality. It is best suited for foldable phones, although it can still benefit traditional devices. Overall, Octopi Launcher is tailored for heavy customizers and shows promise for future updates.

Winsage

May 22, 2025

You’ll never manually crop screenshots again thanks to this new Snipping Tool feature

Microsoft is updating the Snipping Tool to version 11.2504.38.0, introducing a Perfect screenshot feature that uses AI to intelligently resize selections for precise screenshots. Users can access this feature by selecting the Perfect screenshot button or by holding the Ctrl key while selecting a region. Additionally, a color picker feature will allow users to obtain exact color values from their screen. Both features are available exclusively on Copilot+ PCs. Furthermore, Paint will receive an AI-powered sticker generator and an Object select tool, while Notepad will introduce an AI-powered Write function for text drafting. Access to these functionalities requires a Microsoft account and a subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Enterprise, or Copilot Pro.

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad updates with new features begin rolling out to Windows Insiders

Windows 11 has rolled out updates for Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad for users in the Canary and Dev Channels. Paint (version 11.2504.451.0) introduces three features: 1. A sticker generator that creates custom stickers based on user prompts, accessible via the Copilot menu. 2. An object select tool that uses AI to isolate and edit elements within images. 3. A new welcome experience that guides users through the app's features. Snipping Tool (version 11.2504.38.0) adds: 1. A perfect screenshot feature that captures content precisely without needing cropping or resizing. 2. A color picker tool that allows users to inspect or select color codes from their screen. Notepad (version 11.2504.46.0) features: 1. An AI write feature that helps users draft text based on prompts, with options to keep or discard generated content. Access to the sticker generator, object select, and AI features requires signing in with a Microsoft account, and some features are exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.

AppWizard

May 22, 2025

Pixel Phones Get a Taste of Material 3 Expressive in Android 16 Beta

Google I/O 2025 has concluded, and the Android 16 QPR1 Beta has been launched, introducing the Material 3 Expressive design language. This update is the first Quarterly Platform Release following the stable Android 16 Beta program and is primarily aimed at developers and testers. It enhances user experience with a fresh visual design, which will also extend to Wear OS 6. Key features of the update include a redesigned user interface with increased space for widgets and apps, new system icons in the status bar, a colorful quick settings panel, expanded customization options, and enhanced controls for home and lock screens. The beta is available for various Pixel devices, including Pixel 6, 7, 8, and 9 series, as well as Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Can Microsoft Turn PC And Cloud Dominance Into AI Supremacy?

Microsoft is advancing an "agentic" future in enterprise computing by leveraging its strengths in Windows PCs and Azure cloud. At Build 2025, executives presented a vision of an "open agentic web" where intelligent software agents operate across devices and applications. Currently, 15 million developers use GitHub Copilot, and 90% of Fortune 500 firms have developed AI agents using Microsoft tools. GitHub Copilot is evolving into a proactive coding agent capable of performing complex development tasks autonomously. Azure AI Foundry is introduced as a unified environment for AI applications, hosting over 1,900 AI models and enabling enterprises to select optimal models for their needs. Windows is transforming into an AI platform with features like AI-driven shortcuts and local AI model access. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) and NLWeb are central to Microsoft's strategy, promoting openness and interoperability among AI agents. Copilot Tuning allows organizations to customize AI agents for specific business contexts, while Copilot Studio supports multi-agent orchestration. Microsoft's integrated AI approach contrasts with competitors like Google and Amazon, positioning it as a leader in providing comprehensive AI solutions.