support Archives

Winsage

October 11, 2026

Windows 11 version 26H2 is rolling out now — here’s how to get the update now and get the most out of the 2026 update

Microsoft is gradually introducing the Windows 11 2026 Update (version 26H2) to compatible devices. The update is optional and requires manual installation for users who want it before the general rollout. Users on versions 25H2 or 24H2 can update without a complete reinstallation, while those on version 23H2 or earlier must perform a full in-place upgrade. To install the update from Settings, users should open Settings, click on Windows Update, enable the toggle for getting the latest updates, check for updates, download and install, and restart the device. If the upgrade option is not visible, it may indicate incompatibility. The Media Creation Tool can be used for creating bootable USB media for users upgrading from older versions like 23H2 or Windows 10, but it requires a complete reinstallation. Steps include downloading the tool, selecting the USB drive option, and following prompts to create the installation media. Users can also download the Windows 11 version 26H2 ISO file from the Microsoft support website, mount the ISO, and run setup.exe to complete the installation.

AppWizard

October 11, 2026

What’s the difference between Android Automotive and Google Built-In?

Car manufacturers are moving away from phone mirroring applications like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to adopt native infotainment systems, supported by Google's Android Automotive and Google Built-in software. General Motors (GM) has chosen Google Built-in since 2023, abandoning Android Auto. Google Built-in allows access to applications like Google Maps and the Google Play Store, and is used by sixteen automotive brands including Honda, Volvo, Chevy, Nissan, Ford, BYD, and Renault. Android Automotive is a customizable software solution for managing vehicle functions, while Google Built-in consists of licensed applications. Google is integrating advanced AI features, such as the Gemini chatbot, into its infotainment systems, enhancing capabilities like real-time traffic updates and voice-activated assistance. GM is also developing a proprietary AI assistant alongside integrating Gemini.

AppWizard

October 11, 2026

Two Steam games generated $560,000 across 135,000 sales in five years, but the co-creator only took home $15,000 annually, leaving him driving a 2012 Mazda — high Chinese refund rates, Steam’s 30% fee, and publisher cuts eat most of the profit

Omer Develioğlu, co-founder of Northend Games, reported that his indie titles, Northend Tower Defense and Deepstone Rift (Early Access), generated a gross income of 0,000 from approximately 135,000 units sold on Steam over five years. After expenses and revenue sharing, he and his co-founder received only ,000 to split, resulting in an annual income of about ,000 each. A significant portion of their sales, around 53.3%, came from China. Steam charges a standard fee of 30% on sales, which deducted ,000 from their earnings. Additionally, U.S. withholding taxes reduced their total earnings further, leaving them with ,300.

AppWizard

October 11, 2026

Steam Machine Verified vs Steam Deck: 47 vs 38 Games [2026]

Valve has revealed that as of October 5, 2026, the Steam Machine has 47 verified games, surpassing the Steam Deck's 38 verified games. Three games—Dragon’s Dogma 2, Control Resonant, and The Blood of Dawnwalker—were upgraded from Unsupported on the Steam Deck to Verified on the Steam Machine. The Steam Machine's verification standard requires a resolution of 1080p at 30 frames per second, while the Steam Deck requires 800p at 30 frames per second. The Steam Machine is powered by hardware comparable to an AMD Radeon RX 7600M, while the Steam Deck uses a custom RDNA 2 APU. The analysis of the top 100 best-sellers shows that 38 games are Verified on Steam Deck and 47 on Steam Machine, with 28 playable on Steam Deck and 23 on Steam Machine. There are 19 Unsupported titles on Steam Deck and 15 on Steam Machine. Valve's compatibility documentation states that any game verified on Steam Deck is also guaranteed to be verified on Steam Machine.

AppWizard

October 11, 2026

3 Budget Android Phones That Work Without A Google Account

Google is working on a new Android Developer Verification system to enable users to sideload third-party app stores like F-Droid and Aurora. Budget-friendly Android phones that operate without a Google account include the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G, Motorola Moto G Play 5G (2026), and Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, all priced under 0. The TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G, launched in 2025 for 0, features 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, and a 5,010 mAh battery. It offers one major Android OS upgrade and two years of security patches. The Motorola Moto G Play 5G (2026) was initially priced at 0 in November 2025 but has increased to 0. It includes 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and a 5,200 mAh battery, with two years of major Android OS upgrades and three years of security patches. The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G debuted in January 2026 at 0, featuring an Exynos 1330 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and a 5,000 mAh battery, with six major Android OS upgrades and six years of security patches. All devices allow users to avoid Google account sign-in and related background processes for improved performance.

Winsage

October 11, 2026

Microsoft is giving Windows 11’s legacy UI dark mode instead of killing it, now in Hyper-V

Windows 11 is introducing dark mode support for various applications and features, including file-operation dialogs and the Hyper-V Manager tool. Recent updates have applied dark mode to several key dialogs within Hyper-V Manager, such as the New Virtual Machine, Export Virtual Machine, Import Virtual Machine, New Virtual Hard Disk, Edit Virtual Hard Disk, and the virtual machine settings page. The Virtual Switch Manager and Virtual SAN Manager also now support dark mode. These features are currently available in Windows Server and Windows 11 preview builds but are not yet in the production channel. Hyper-V Manager allows users to choose between light and dark themes, although switching requires a restart of the application. Microsoft plans to extend dark mode to more legacy areas of Windows and is working on rebuilding certain dialogs using WinUI, with dark mode support already appearing in preview builds for various components.

Tech Optimizer

October 11, 2026

A practical guide to cost optimization with Lakebase Postgres

Lakebase is a fully managed Postgres database designed for modern application development, featuring an architecture that separates storage and compute with a serverless compute layer. This design allows for cost efficiencies through various mechanisms: 1. **Branching**: Developers can create isolated environments for development, testing, or experimentation without duplicating storage costs, as branches share the same underlying storage. 2. **Autoscaling**: Lakebase adjusts compute resources based on activity levels, allowing users to pay only for the compute they use. It can scale down during low activity and can be suspended entirely after inactivity, reducing costs to zero. 3. **Read Replicas and High Availability**: The separation of storage and compute allows for adding read replicas and high availability without incurring additional storage costs, as these instances utilize the same storage layer. 4. **Synced Tables**: Integration with the Databricks Intelligence Platform enables efficient data syncing, allowing users to sync only the necessary working set of data, which helps avoid unnecessary storage and sync costs. 5. **Sync Modes**: There are three sync modes (Snapshot, Triggered, Continuous) for transferring data from the Lakehouse to Lakebase, each with different cost implications based on data freshness requirements. 6. **Right-sizing Compute**: Users can set the initial compute range during project provisioning to avoid over-provisioning and unnecessary costs. 7. **Monitoring and Metrics**: The Lakebase Metrics dashboard provides insights into working set size and cache utilization, helping users optimize their compute sizing and performance. 8. **Point-in-Time Restore (PITR) and Snapshots**: PITR maintains history for recovery within a configurable window, while snapshots offer discrete recovery points. Both are priced lower than standard storage, making them cost-effective options for data recovery. Lakebase costs are categorized into compute, storage, and serverless pipeline compute for syncing data. Compute is measured by CU usage, while storage includes branch storage, PITR history, and snapshot storage, all tracked separately. Users can access detailed usage and cost information through system billing tables.

Tech Optimizer

October 11, 2026

Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL now supports direct querying of Apache Iceberg and Parquet data in your data lake

Amazon has introduced a new capability for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL that allows users to query operational data alongside data stored in data lakes formatted in Apache Iceberg and Apache Parquet. This feature enables direct access to Iceberg REST Catalog-compatible catalogs, eliminating the need for data duplication or relocation. The integration of DuckDB within Aurora PostgreSQL allows users to query live operational data, including uncommitted writes, alongside data from data lakes using standard PostgreSQL syntax. This capability is available on Aurora PostgreSQL versions 17 (starting with 17.11) and 18 (starting with 18.6). Users must create an Aurora PostgreSQL cluster, attach an IAM role with the AuroraAnalytics feature, and enable the aurora_analytics extension to utilize this feature. They can create foreign tables referencing Iceberg or Parquet data in the data lake, and query them using familiar PostgreSQL commands. Aurora optimizes query performance through techniques like predicate pushdown and column pruning, and users can monitor query behavior with metrics provided by aurora_analytics_stat_statements(). Direct querying of Apache Iceberg and Parquet data is available across all commercial AWS Regions and AWS GovCloud (US) Regions without additional charges, aside from incremental Aurora compute and Amazon S3 request costs.

AppWizard

October 11, 2026

Googlebook improving ‘Better Together’ Android sync features, Samsung support rolling out

The launch of Googlebook has generated interest due to its integration with Android devices, but initial rollout revealed inconsistencies in the "Better Together" sync features. Google is addressing these issues through updates, including support for Samsung devices. Core functionalities linking Android phones with Googlebook include app streaming, notification synchronization, and the "Continue On" feature, though not all features are performing as expected. Users have reported that while Instant Hotspot works effectively, other features are slow or unavailable. Google has announced improvements to simplify the setup process and resolved a bug related to the QR code used for pairing. Users should ensure their Google Play Services is updated to version 26.37 and Cross-device Services to version 1.0.1346. Initially, there was a lack of support for Galaxy smartphones, but recent updates have allowed Samsung users to utilize the "Better Together" features. To maximize the experience with Googlebook, users should confirm their phone runs Android 17, check Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, use a private home Wi-Fi network, and verify relevant app versions and settings. Some Samsung Galaxy users have reported successful integration of the features following updates, indicating that initial compatibility issues have been resolved.

Winsage

October 11, 2026

Windows PCs that are not up to date will lose Windows Update itself in 2027

Windows machines that are not current with updates will face changes in access to Windows Update due to two critical certificate expirations on May 17, 2027, and June 19, 2027. Supported versions must install specific security updates before these dates to maintain access. - Windows 11, version 25H2 and later: No action required. - Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025: Must install the September 2025 Windows security update or later, before June 19, 2027. - Other in-support Windows 11 versions and Windows Server 2022: Must install the July 2026 Windows security update or later, before June 19, 2027. - In-support Windows 10 versions: Must install the July 2026 Windows security update or later, before June 19, 2027. - Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2016: Must install the July 2026 Windows security update or later, before May 17, 2027. - Any other Windows version: Upgrade to a supported release to maintain access. Devices that are up to date will continue receiving updates without interruption, while those that are behind will lose access to Windows Update services after the expiration dates. Out-of-support versions will lose access entirely. The notice regarding the certificate expiration was posted on October 8, 2026, and reiterated on October 10, 2026.