writing Archives

AppWizard

April 30, 2025

Google Drive for Android could soon get Gemini-powered features (APK teardown)

Google Drive will introduce Gemini-powered features on the web to enhance user experience and productivity, allowing users to summarize files and folders, engage in discussions, retrieve quick facts, and create new images or files. These features are not yet available on the Google Drive app for Android, but an APK teardown of version 2.25.170.0 indicates that they may soon be integrated into the mobile app. Some features enabled in the latest release include summarizing folders, responding to inquiries, and assisting with writing tasks, while advanced functionalities like summarizing specific files and creating new images are still pending. The rollout of these features may occur in phases, with further enhancements expected in future updates.

AppWizard

April 28, 2025

‘Stories are our bread and butter’: Larian is building a special team to lay out the plot of its games years in advance

Larian Studios is developing two new projects simultaneously, with a focus on storytelling. CEO Swen Vincke stated that they are creating a backlog of stories for future games. The studio is working on a new role-playing game codenamed "Excalibur" and has established a dedicated storytelling team. Their previous titles, particularly Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3, received critical acclaim for their character-driven narratives.

Winsage

April 26, 2025

Complete your PC setup with Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro for one low price

Microsoft is offering a bundle that includes Microsoft Office Professional 2021 and a Windows 11 Pro license for .97, significantly discounted from the regular price of 9.99. This offer is available for one more day. The Office 2021 suite includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. Windows 11 Pro features enhanced productivity tools such as Snap layouts, multiple virtual desktops, improved voice typing, and an AI-powered Copilot virtual assistant. The bundle is intended for PCs that require a new license and will not work on systems that cannot access Windows Update for Windows 11. The offer expires tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. PT, and stock is limited.

Winsage

April 25, 2025

Windows is testing a better profanity filter, **** yeah

Microsoft has released new features in its latest Insider builds, including a revamped profanity filter for voice typing in the Windows 11 Beta Insider build (26120.3941). Users can activate voice typing with the WIN+H shortcut, and the voice recognition capabilities are similar to those on smartphones. Users can choose to replace swear words with a "bleep" effect or allow them to be included. Additional features include Recall and Click-to-Do, which can be launched with a Bluetooth pen, allowing users to access frequently used functions related to files or applications. A new privacy feature enables users on work or school accounts to restrict Windows Search from accessing personal photos, enhancing security for sensitive content.

Winsage

April 22, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5562 (Dev Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5562 (KB5055642) has been released to the Dev Channel, introducing new features and improvements. Key updates include: - New Text Actions in Click to Do: - "Practice in Reading Coach" allows users to enhance reading fluency and pronunciation. - "Read with Immersive Reader" offers a distraction-free reading environment with customizable text options. - Finding Photos Saved in the Cloud via Windows Search: Users in the European Economic Area can search for cloud-stored photos directly from the taskbar by describing them. - Improvements for Voice Access: Users can add custom words to the voice access dictionary and discover new features through an immersive experience. - Improved Windows Search: Users can disable cloud content searching via settings. - File Explorer Changes: Folders opened from outside File Explorer will default to opening in a new tab if an existing window is open. - Widgets Improvements: Notification settings can be controlled per feed or dashboard. - Windows Security Update: Additional details for Pluton TPM chips will be displayed in the Windows Security app. - Settings Update: The printer renaming dialog has been updated to align with Windows 11 visuals. - Fixes: Resolved issues include Start menu crashes, color display issues in snap layouts, slow loading times for search, and voice typing issues in the Chinese layout. - Known Issues: Some apps may not install from the Microsoft Store, and Windows Recovery Environment may not function properly after the update. - Reminders: Users can remove Recall at any time, and updates in the Dev Channel are based on Windows 11, version 24H2.

Winsage

April 22, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3872 (Beta Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3872 (KB5055640) has been released to the Beta Channel for Windows 11, version 24H2. This update includes new features, improvements, and fixes. Key features include: - New text actions in Click to Do: "Practice in Reading Coach" for reading fluency and "Read with Immersive Reader" for a distraction-free reading experience, available on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs. - Enhanced Windows Search for locating cloud-stored photos by describing content, available to Insiders in the European Economic Area. - Voice Access improvements: users can add custom words to the dictionary and discover new features through an immersive experience. - Users can disable cloud content search on their Copilot+ PCs. - File Explorer will now open folders in a new tab by default if an existing window is open. - Notification settings in widgets are being improved. - Windows Security will show additional details for Pluton TPM chips. - The printer renaming dialog has been updated. Fixes include resolving issues with the Start menu, windowing, search on the taskbar, input, Task Manager, and voice access. Known issues include initial build version discrepancies and non-functionality of Quick Assist for non-administrator users. Insiders will receive updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 via an enablement package.

Tech Optimizer

April 21, 2025

Best practices to handle AWS DMS tasks during PostgreSQL upgrades

The AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) provides a managed solution for migrating and replicating databases to AWS, supporting both homogeneous and heterogeneous migrations. It allows seamless data migration from PostgreSQL databases to any supported target and vice versa. Open-source PostgreSQL regularly releases new versions, and Amazon RDS aims to support these within five months. Upgrading PostgreSQL instances is essential for security and compliance. Minor version upgrades focus on security and bug fixes without adding new functionalities, while major upgrades can change system tables and data formats. AWS DMS tasks require careful management during PostgreSQL upgrades. For minor upgrades, ongoing DMS tasks should be stopped and then resumed post-upgrade. For major upgrades, replication slots must be dropped before the upgrade, which will invalidate ongoing DMS tasks. After the upgrade, a new CDC-only task should be created to resume data migration. Minor version upgrades of the target PostgreSQL database do not affect AWS DMS CDC tasks, but major upgrades require stopping the DMS task, performing the upgrade, and ensuring compatibility with the replication instance before resuming the task.

AppWizard

April 20, 2025

Stop Watching and Start Memeing at ‘A Minecraft Movie’

A Minecraft Movie has been released, blending gaming and cinema, and appeals to both nostalgic fans of the game and new audiences. The film features a classic narrative with a villainous duo, Malgosha and Chungus, and includes humor and clever dialogue. Jennifer Coolidge plays Vice Principal Marlene, while Jack Black and Jason Momoa portray Steve and Garrett, respectively. The film includes comedic scenes, such as a product placement moment with Coolidge's character hitting a villager with her Jeep Cherokee. The audience, including fans and families, reacted positively, and the film is seen as a potential cultural touchstone for Gen Alpha.

BetaBeacon

April 19, 2025

What Is ‘Idle Mine’? This Free iOS and Android Game Pays Real Bitcoin

Idle Mine is a mobile game that allows players to earn real Bitcoin rewards by running a gem mining operation and gradually increasing earnings over time.

AppWizard

April 18, 2025

PC is the definitive way to play The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

Sony's exclusives on PlayStation hardware are known for their seamless performance, but PC ports can vary in quality. The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered has been released on PC, offering a polished experience and various customizable graphics settings, including level of detail, texture quality, shadow quality, NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency, AMD Anti-Lag 2, and upscaling technologies like NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS. While the gameplay experience is generally smooth, some minor graphical glitches may occur. The game has received patches since launch to improve performance. It retains a stunning aesthetic, enhanced by modern PC capabilities, making it a worthwhile investment for both newcomers and those who have played it on PS4 or PS5. Players are encouraged to check their system's specifications to ensure compatibility for an optimal experience.