UI elements Archives

Winsage

May 29, 2025

Microsoft is ruining Windows customization

Customizing a Windows PC has become increasingly complex and frustrating due to several factors. Microsoft has introduced more locked-down UI elements with Windows 10 and 11, which complicates the customization process. Frequent and substantial updates alter UI elements and introduce new features, creating challenges for developers of customization tools to maintain compatibility. Microsoft has also removed certain legacy features that facilitated customization, limiting the capabilities of these applications. Additionally, some customization apps are labeled as malware, discouraging users from installing them and hindering the customization ecosystem. As a result, many users feel that the joy of customizing their Windows experience has diminished, as streamlined interfaces lack the flair and personality of earlier versions.

AppWizard

May 27, 2025

This week in PC games: Elden Ring Nightreign and a giantess dating sim

The author woke up at 6 AM on a bank holiday and observed a squirrel in a treehouse. A wave of new PC games is set to launch this week, including: - May 27: - Sol Cesto: A caffeinated roguelike in Steam early access with a unique art style. - Small Spaces: An interior design toolkit for small apartments. - May 28: - To A T: An adventure game featuring a boy in a T-pose and a sandwich-making giraffe. - Kabuto Park: A creature collector inspired by beetle battles. - May 29: - Islands & Trains: A sandbox city builder. - May 30: - Debugging Hero: An ARPG with a magical sword that allows players to manipulate enemy stats. - Deadly Quiet: An immersive sim and 4-player co-op horror game. - Doodle Empires: A strategy game where players draw their own territories. The author also mentioned needing to attend to a squirrel funeral and clean up a mess caused by the Snickers bar.

Winsage

May 25, 2025

6 reasons OneCommander is my favorite free file manager for Windows, and it’s not even close

OneCommander is an alternative file management solution for Windows 11, featuring a modern and customizable user interface with various themes. It offers a dual-pane view for side-by-side folder management, tab management for quick access to multiple locations, and a sidebar for pinned locations and recent history. The application provides swift navigation, allowing folders to open instantly, and includes advanced file preview capabilities for various file types without needing to open them separately. OneCommander simplifies file creation with templates and includes a note-taking feature for organization. Its File Automator toolkit allows for bulk renaming of files using presets or custom RegEx rules.

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

Google reveals vibrant Material 3 Expressive, coming soon to a Pixel near you

Google has unveiled its new Android design refresh, Material 3 Expressive, which will debut with the Android operating system and extend across the Google app ecosystem. This design builds on the previous Material You system and features "springy" animations, brighter colors, and innovative shapes. The development was informed by user research involving over 18,000 participants, indicating that users can locate important buttons up to four times faster than with older interfaces. Future Android iterations will emphasize playful animations, a bolder color scheme, improved typography for better contrast, a wider variety of button shapes, and more legible status bar icons.

Winsage

May 6, 2025

Microsoft Reveals New Windows 11 Start Menu and Upcoming Copilot+ Features

Microsoft has announced upcoming features for Windows 11, including a redesigned Start Menu, enhancements to Click to Do, and improvements in Windows Search. Key features for Windows Insiders using Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs include an AI Agent in Settings, new Click to Do actions for scheduling and messaging, dynamic lighting controls in Photos, a Paint sticker generator, object selection in Paint, an improved Snipping tool, and rich image descriptions in Narrator. Additional features for all Windows Insiders include a new Start Menu with a phone companion sidebar, AI actions in File Explorer, updates to Notepad, Copilot improvements, and a Microsoft Store AI Hub. Notably, Copilot+ PC experiences will not be available in all markets until later, with some features expected to arrive in the European Economic Area in 2025.

AppWizard

May 2, 2025

The best Oblivion Remastered mods

The modding community has become essential to the experience of Bethesda RPGs, particularly with the launch of Oblivion Remastered. Modders are updating existing mods and creating new ones, although the introduction of Unreal Engine 5 alongside Gamebryo may slow the maturation of the modding scene. Key mods include: - Oblivion Script Extender: A crucial tool expected to support complex customizations. - Ultimate Engine Tweaks: Helps alleviate performance issues by allowing players to disable certain visual effects. - Universal Achievement Unblocker: Prevents mods or console commands from blocking achievements. - Better HUD: Provides smaller compass options and minimalist designs for a more immersive experience. - No HUD No Effects: Toggles off UI elements and visual effects for distraction-free gameplay. - Unleveled Item Rewards: Ensures players receive optimal quest reward items. - Difficulty Slider Fixed: Balances difficulty settings for a consistent challenge. - Auto Local Map: Automatically opens the local map when entering an interior space. - First Person Horse: Allows first-person riding, despite some clipping issues. - Faster Sleep and Wait: Speeds up the waiting process for players.

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

Unlocking Multilingual App Development with Android Studio Translation Plugin

The Android Studio Translation Plugin is a tool for Android developers that facilitates the localization of applications by integrating directly into Android Studio. Key features include real-time translation previews, batch processing for multiple strings, a translation memory system for consistency, API connectivity with services like Google Translate, and support for over 100 languages. To set up the plugin, developers must install it through Android Studio's plugin marketplace, configure settings for source and target languages, and connect to a translation API. Translating an app involves selecting strings in the strings.xml file and using the plugin to translate them, with real-time updates in the layout editor. The plugin enhances developer workflow by automating localization tasks, reducing the risk of errors, and allowing for simultaneous translations. It also helps maintain translation consistency and improves app quality by identifying missing translations. Real-world use cases demonstrate its effectiveness in scaling applications for international markets, such as an e-commerce app that translated over 500 strings and an educational app that localized content for various Indian languages.

Winsage

March 20, 2025

Typing on a gamepad gets less annoying with this new Windows keyboard

Microsoft has introduced a dedicated keyboard layout for the touch keyboard in Windows 11, specifically designed for gamepad users, as part of Build 26100.3613. This layout allows users to type and navigate using Xbox controllers, featuring button accelerators like the X button for backspace and the Y button for the spacebar. The keyboard keys are vertically aligned to improve navigation. Users can activate the gamepad keyboard by accessing the touch keyboard and selecting Keyboard layout > Gamepad. Additionally, Windows 11 includes accessibility features such as Live Captions, Narrator Mode, and Voice Typing to enhance usability for all users.

AppWizard

March 14, 2025

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC Patch 5 Released, Bringing Various Performance & Optimization Improves

Nixxes has released Title Update 5 for the PC version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which includes performance enhancements and optimizations. Key updates include: - Upgrade of DirectStorage to version 1.2.3 to reduce stuttering during city traversal, especially for GPUs with less than 8GB of VRAM. - Optimized performance when playing as Venom, fighting Symbiotes, and in related cinematics. - Improved DLSS Ray Reconstruction to reduce noise in shadows of facial details. - Fixes for UI issues during Prowler side quests when frame generation and upscaling were enabled. - Resolved issues with the Hunter Blinds minigame controls and Photo Mode responsiveness. - Improvements to screen space reflections to prevent flickering when viewing large bodies of water. - Various crash fixes, stability improvements, and performance optimizations. - Enhancements related to ray-traced reflections, ambient occlusion, and shadows. - General user interface bug fixes and improvements.

Winsage

March 7, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27808 (Canary Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27808 has been released to the Canary Channel. There are no plans to release SDKs for the 27xxx series builds. A significant update to the Task Manager has been initiated, aligning CPU utilization metrics with industry standards, and a new optional CPU Utility column is available on the Details tab. Several fixes have been made, including resolving issues with popular games, printing bugs, blank search windows, Settings app crashes, inaccurate battery icon colors, and BitLocker performance. Known issues include a d3d9.dll crash affecting application launches and a warning for Copilot+ PCs transitioning to the Canary Channel regarding the loss of Windows Hello PIN and biometrics. Enhancements to the Microsoft Store include a new spotlight design and updates to the Downloads page. Insiders in the Canary Channel are reminded that builds may not correspond to specific releases and may evolve or be removed. A clean installation is required to exit the Canary Channel.