Software

On Tuesday, January 21st, physical copies of Omega 6 The Triangle Stars will go on sale in anticipation of next month's game release. In addition to the $34.99 vanilla release, there will be a Deluxe Edition, priced at $59.99, as well as a $99.99 Signature Edition, which is limited to 300 copies and contains a card signed by Takaya Imamura.

Carrying the codename "Xia" and to be supported until 2029, Linux Mint 22.1 arrived yesterday with modernized APT dependencies by transitioning to Aptkit and Captain, Power-saver and Balanced modes (Performance mode only on supported systems), Night Light, Cinnamon 6.4 with improved Wayland compatibility, and more.

Apple has paused its AI-generated news alert summaries after the feature delivered some very questionable results. AI news summaries will, however, be back in a few weeks with tweaks to communicate when an alert summary is AI-generated.

Tesla gives its customers in China something to look forward to this Lunar New Year break as it releases a feature-heavy software update, bringing many navigation improvements.

Garmin has begun rolling out new updates for many of its recent Forerunner smartwatches. Available across models from the Forerunner 165 to the Forerunner 965, the new update package promises to address various bugs and other quality-of-life refinements.

Garmin has started rolling out new updates for two of its popular mid-range smartwatches. Available to download globally, Software Version 12.12 focuses on resolving outstanding issues that shipped with earlier stable software updates.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is one of the few Android tablets on the market with a 144Hz display, fast charging and the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Now, it also has Android 15 worldwide thanks to its latest software update. OxygenOS 15 for the Pad 2 confers new UI, AI and system features on the slate.

PayPal subsidiary Honey is now being sued by the influential PC hardware review group GamersNexus. It is taking legal action as a response to claims made by YouTube channel MegaLag concerning the browser extension's “deceptive trade practices”. GamersNexus editor-in-chief Steven Burke asserts that Honey needs to be taken to account in this manner given the damage done to content creators and consumers alike.

Although it comes with the same Linux kernel as its predecessor, namely 6.11, the latest Tuxedo OS update sports the latest KDE Plasma update, as well as Vim 9.1, QT 6.8.1, and Firefox 134.0.1. The LibreOffice package also got a minor update, from 24.8.0 to 24.8.3. Several other components were also updated.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series launch is getting close, but the leak train is still rolling. One of the recent leaks shared the official posters of the lineup, and one of the images gave a glimpse of a new Galaxy AI feature. Update: Images removed per Samsung's request.

DJI will no longer prevent US drone owners from flying their drones in restricted no-fly zones — i.e. in controlled airspace, near wildfires, or in and around other sensitive areas. Instead, the responsibility to avoid these restricted areas will now fall entirely on drone operators.

Honor has just released the Magic7 Pro globally. Now, the company has confirmed that the device will receive better software support than the Magic6 Pro to see it through the entire 2020s.

Over a week after owners of the Sony Xperia 1 V began confirming receipt of the Android 15 update, owners of the smaller Xperia 5 V now have similar bragging rights, with users receiving an OTA weighing in at just 1 GB but bringing Android 15 and all its goodies.

Third-party frame rate upscaling tool Lossless scaling has been recently updated to version 3. This new version of the tool has been put to the test, with the Asus ROG Ally X gaming handheld seeing up to 3x FPS boost.

CheckMag When I got the notification that my Nighthawk R7000 reached "end of life" I started down the rabbit hole of looking to install custom firmware to keep what is otherwise perfectly functioning hardware secure. While I didn't manage to keep my R7000 in service, I did find this hidden gem of a router.

In addition to the Apple- and Google-operated services, no less than five alternative stores will host the launch of Candy Crush Solitaire. Already receiving registrations, the upcoming mobile game will launch on February 6th to bring together two iconic titles, namely Solitaire and Candy Crush.

The global OnePlus 13 has received its first software update. The update brings the Gemini Nano AI model, offering on-device AI capabilities to the new flagship phone.

Based on the Debian 12.9 "Bookworm" base, MX Linux 23.5 includes the Xfce 4.20 core packages and multiple other updates, including visual tweaks and security fixes. The Xfce, KDE, and Fluxbox ISOs come with the 6.1.123 kernel, while AHS takes advantage of the 6.12.8 liquorix core.

The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra should be arriving next week during Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event. Ahead of its January 22 showcase, the company has teased what may well be a new and more advanced version of its maligned Bixby digital assistant. Update: Images removed per Samsung's request.

The Aurzen Zip has only just debuted as the world's most portable projector on Kickstarter, yet has already accrued about 35 times its original funding goal. It packs up-to-date DLP technology and the inbuilt battery power to keep it playing for up to 1.5 hours at a time in a body that can fold down to be nearly twice as compact as a top-end iPhone.

The MatePad Pro 13.2 2025 is Huawei's latest big OLED screen flagship tablet with the option of a non-glare PaperMatte version of that display. It is only available in China at the moment - however, that might change soon as the high-end slate has been spotted gaining approval to launch in a different country.

The third-party software Lossless Scaling has been updated to version 3. This new update promises gamers better upscaling, lower GPU load, improved latency, and, most importantly, up to 20x frame generation mode.

Real-time AI subtitling without the use of any cloud services is the latest schtick from the open-source VLC video player. VideoLAN demoed the feature in a video last Tuesday, pledging support for over 100 languages.

Users of certain Polar smartwatch models are set to benefit from several significant improvements. These include enhanced navigation, new watch faces and improved training functions.

Samsung has started work on integrating the next major Android upgrade onto its smartphones, according to a new leak. Despite the software's shiny new name and status, it is reportedly about to bring features from the OEM's old UI for mobile devices back, starting with something from the current defunct TouchWiz homescreen.

A recently released piece of software on Steam, though not a traditional game, has quickly become so popular that it now ranks among the top entries on both Steam and SteamDB.

The Irish Debian-based live Linux distro focused on providing solid Internet anonymity and security is back with version 6.11. This release of Tails comes with several critical security fixes, as well as the ability to detect corrupted USB sticks before enabling the Persistent Storage feature.

Sony has now begun rolling out the Android 15 update. The update arrives via a petite 1 GB OTA and brings a slew of Android 15 UI and feature changes. Most interesting, however, is the new option to set the phone's display to its full, native 4K resolution.

The Garmin Connect IQ System 8 has arrived for app developers. Currently in beta testing, the company suggests that its latest tools make it easier to develop for its smartwatches. The release notes indicate that there are improvements relating to notifications and a new on-device watch face editor.

It looks as though Ubisoft is taking the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows seriously, with an announcement today confirming that the upcoming RPG based in feudal Japan will be delayed by another month.

Targeting experienced users and drawing inspiration from CRUX, Venom Linux has returned with its desktop based on the Openbox window manager alongside a text-mode installer. Version 20250108 sports the 6.12.8 Linux kernel, MESA 24.3.3, Wayland 1.23.1, and more. The list of options now also includes the s6 init system.

With the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows virtually around the corner, Ubisoft has given us a detailed look at what to expect from the mobility and parkour in the newest instalment to the Assassin's Creed franchise. It looks like the shinobi character will be getting most of the parkour love, with the samurai mostly relegated to combat.

The Lenovo Legion Go S will be the first third-party gaming handheld to ship with SteamOS. However, as Valve has just confirmed, the beta program for other third-party devices will be available before Lenovo’s SteamOS-powered offering hits the shelves.

The increasingly popular projector brand Dangbei touts the Freedo as the best new way to take cinema on the go. It packs the technology to beam a 450-lm 1080p Dolby Audio-enhanced image with InstanPro stabilization into a 3lb package, integrated battery included. The Freedo is now available to order through various channels.

Even before the global launch, the OnePlus 13 was believed to support Find My Device tracking with the OS powered down. We now have confirmation that this Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship phone is indeed capable of that.

Razer has unveiled ‘HyperBoost’, a complementary software that works with the Razer Laptop Cooling Pad’s smart cooling for better thermal management and enhanced performance.

Razer has expanded its Nexus app for Android and iOS with PC Remote Play. Still a subscription-free service, PC Remote Play is billed as achieving 'no compromises on visual quality or game speed' when streaming 'full-resolution games directly from PCs'.

Moving up to the 6.12.8 kernel version, Arch-based Bluestar Linux returns with a minor update. This release includes the bugfix update for KDE Plasma 6, which is labeled 6.2.5, as well as e2fsprogs 1.47.2, which is still in beta and replaces the stable 1.47.1 version from Bluestar 6.12.7.

Doublepoint WowMouse debuted in 2024 for Wear OS smartwatches and is now available for Apple Watches. The app allows users wearing Apple Watches to control their Macs by pointing and pinching with their fingers to simulate mice.

Ahead of the hotly anticipated launch of Monster Hunter Wilds, a game bundle is offering two Monster Hunter games for under $10 and four for as little as $17.99.

Garmin recently rolled out a new beta update for two smartwatch models, which includes a single fix for crashes in certain situations. The update can be installed very easily and includes all previous updates that users may have missed out on.

WhatsApp is developing a 'Chat with us' feature, allowing users to contact the support team directly through the web client. This feature provides the option to request responses from a human representative when AI-generated answers are insufficient.

HMD Global will be updating more than a handful of its devices to Android 15. However, for many of them, this will be the final OS upgrade before they reach end of life.

Arch-based German distro Bluestar Linux is back with multiple package updates on top of a new kernel. The kernel version is 6.12.7, while the list of updates includes Firefox 133.0.3, LibreOffice 24.8.4, Vim 9.1, VLC 3.0.21, Python 3.13.1, and many others.

The aptly named ebook2audiobook project has received a massive update, supporting 1,000 languages. With many more features, the 2.0 update has much more to offer readers.

A recent report has named Fitbit as one of the most battery draining smartphone apps. Both the iOS and Android versions of the software were included in the study, with the issue said to occur even when the app is just running in the background. Fitbit came joint top with a social media platform, with the top 20 worst offenders named.

The HMD Pulse Pro is the first of HMD's smartphones to be upgraded to Android 15. The new version of Android brings a performance boost, battery management improvements, and security and privacy upgrades.

The Chinese AI firm has improved upon its top-ten ranked Deepseek V2 LLM with the launch of Deepseek V3. The LLM is significantly cheaper than most competing AI due to careful optimization of the training process.

Zenwalk Linux "Santa Claus" edition (current-241227) comes with a few noticeable package updates and new additions, such as Firefox 133, Perl 5.40, Wayland 1.23.1, and more. Overall, it sports the same changes as the latest Slackware refresh. The Xfce 4.20 update also comes with multiple tweaks and fixes.

Based on Sid (the unstable Debian version), siduction has been around for over a decade with multiple desktop choices. Sadly, version 2024.1.0 discontinues three flavors, namely GNOME, MATE, and Cinnamon. The main highlight is KDE Plasma 6 and it comes in five flavors: KDE, LXQt, Xfce, Xorg, and no X.