X Archives

AppWizard

October 7, 2026

GTA 6 to Be “Playable” on PC and Other Devices via Xbox Cloud Gaming

Rockstar Games will unveil GTA 6 next month, with the game initially available exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. PC gamers will not have a dedicated version at launch but can access the game through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Xbox has secured exclusive streaming rights for GTA 6, allowing players to play on various devices, including PCs, smartphones, and handheld consoles. To play via cloud streaming, PC players must purchase the game through Xbox, and new cloud streaming hour limitations are set for different Game Pass tiers. The game launches on November 16.

Winsage

October 7, 2026

Prime Big Deal Days Surface sales: Save up to $500 on Surface Pro and Surface Laptop 8

Consumers can find significant savings on technology during the Prime Big Deal Days, with Microsoft offering price reductions on the Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and various Surface accessories. Retailers like Best Buy are also providing competitive sales. Price dynamics may change as inventory levels fluctuate, and a curated list of attractive Surface deals is being maintained by Windows Central. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch models are not included in current listings due to the upcoming release of new versions with Snapdragon X2 processors. Older models with first-generation Snapdragon X chips are still available, but potential buyers may want to wait for the new generation. A paid Prime membership is required to access the best discounts during Big Deal Days, although a 30-day free trial is available for new users. Some deals are accessible to non-Prime members, but the best discounts are typically for Prime subscribers.

AppWizard

October 7, 2026

Google Acknowledges Day 1 Android App Performance Issues on New Laptops

Google's newly launched Intel-based Googlebooks may have compatibility issues with certain Android applications, as some apps designed for Arm chips might require developer adjustments to function optimally. The affected models include three produced by Lenovo, Acer, and Asus, which use Intel's Panther Lake architecture. In contrast, the two models from Dell and HP utilize Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips and are expected to run all Play Store apps without issues. Performance challenges are anticipated due to the incompatibility of Intel silicon with Android software. The initial wave of Googlebooks is available for purchase, with prices starting at 9 for the Acer model. Each device includes a year of Google AI Pro, Nvidia’s GeForce Now, three months of YouTube Premium, and Adobe Photoshop.

AppWizard

October 7, 2026

Googlebooks and Intel: Google’s Android app caveat

Google confirmed that most Android applications work well on both Intel and Qualcomm-powered Googlebooks, but some complex applications may need adjustments for optimal performance on Intel architecture. This need for tuning arises because many Android apps were originally designed for Arm processors. Google introduced five Googlebook models, three with Intel processors and two with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors. The application binary interface (ABI) distinguishes how compiled code relates to specific processor platforms, with arm64-v8a for Arm CPUs and x86_64 for x86-64 CPUs, explaining why some complex apps may require tuning for Intel-based devices.

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

India Orders Apple to Pull Jack Dorsey’s Offline Messaging App Bitchat

Apple has removed the decentralized messaging application Bitchat, developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, from its App Store in India following a directive from the Indian federal government under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, citing national security. The notice from Apple's App Review team, shared by Dorsey on October 3, 2026, did not specify the illegal content. The app remains available in other regions, but users in India will lose access to TestFlight testing and public beta links. This action follows a previous request made on July 23, 2026, by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to GitHub to disable access to three Bitchat repositories, invoking Section 79(3)(b) and Rule 3(1)(d). The Internet Freedom Foundation has contested the July order, claiming authorities bypassed established blocking frameworks. Bitchat, introduced as open-source software in July 2025, allows local Bluetooth mesh communication and internet messaging without relying on a central server, raising concerns for law enforcement. The timing of the restrictions coincided with youth-led protests in India, which led to a significant increase in Bitchat downloads, accounting for about 85% of the app's global downloads during a protest period from July 17-23. Despite the removal, existing installations can still communicate locally without needing app store access. Previously, in May 2023, India invoked Section 69A against other messaging applications, and China also mandated Bitchat's removal in April 2026 for similar reasons. Digital rights advocates argue the government's justification for the ban is concerning as it sets a precedent for restricting software based on technical capabilities.

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

Googlebook’s Android-integrated features won’t work with Samsung phones at launch

Googlebook is a new laptop designed for Android users, offering features like instant hotspot connectivity and notification synchronization. However, it requires Android 17 or later for full functionality, making it incompatible with devices running Android 16 or earlier. Samsung users will also face delays in accessing these features. Additionally, Googlebook lacks support for Slack's web app at launch and has reported optimization issues with applications on Intel hardware.

Winsage

October 6, 2026

This PowerToys animation is so stunning I’m sad I’ll only see it once

PowerToys is introducing a new Welcome screen designed to enhance the user experience, featuring an engaging out-of-box experience that utilizes Windows' Composition feature to render at 60 frames per second. A clip shared by Niels Laute demonstrates the animation, and further details can be found in a GitHub pull request and a Microsoft support document. This update highlights the importance of aesthetic improvements in software, suggesting that such enhancements could significantly benefit the overall user experience across Microsoft applications.

Winsage

October 6, 2026

Microsoft distinguished engineer fires back at anti-Windows 11 rage-bait, says “more developers use Windows” than Linux or macOS

Microsoft Distinguished Engineer David Fowler addressed a viral post on social media that dismissed Windows as a viable operating system for developers, asserting that Windows is the most widely used operating system among developers. According to Stack Overflow’s 2025 Developer Survey, Windows is preferred by 49.5% of professional developers, while macOS is at 32.9% and Ubuntu at 27.7%. WSL accounted for 16.8%, and Linux outside of WSL garnered 16.7%. In contrast, a poll by The Pragmatic Engineer indicated Windows usage among developers at only 12%, with macOS at 61.6% and Linux at 24.2%. The appeal of Unix tooling is significant for web, cloud, backend, and AI developers, while Windows remains popular among .NET and C# developers, Visual Studio users, and game developers. Microsoft is enhancing its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to better cater to developers' needs.

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

ASOS app ‘hacked’ as customers receive ‘weird’ notification

ASOS customers received a notification titled 'ASOS HACKED,' stating that the company's Snowflake instance had been compromised and threatening to leak data unless the company engaged with the sender. Many users expressed confusion on social media, questioning the legitimacy of the notification and speculating it could be a marketing strategy. ASOS has not yet commented on the situation.

AppWizard

October 6, 2026

Google says some Android apps may run poorly on Intel Googlebooks

Google has acknowledged that while most Android applications work well on both Intel and Qualcomm-based Googlebooks, some complex apps and games may face compatibility or performance issues on Intel x86-based devices due to their initial design for ARM architecture. Google stated that a small subset of intricate applications may need additional tuning for optimal performance on Intel platforms, but did not disclose specific details about the affected apps. To address these challenges, Google is collaborating with app developers, Intel, and Qualcomm to improve performance and compatibility. Intel Googlebooks use a hardware translation layer for ARM-designed applications, which can result in reduced performance and battery life, while apps compiled for x86 processors do not face these issues. The current Googlebook lineup includes three models with Intel Core 5 processors and two ARM-based models featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip.