Software

Palworld has finally released the content update for its infamous Terraria collaboration, and, aside from adding a brand new weapon class straight from the indie survival RPG, the update also brings plenty of new pals, a new island, and refreshing game mechanics. Thus far, the Terraria community seems unconvinced, but things on the Palworld side of the pond are decidedly more rosy.

The 13th release of the year, which is also the last one of 2024, speeds up and further enhances the security provided by CachyOS while also improving compatibility thanks to RustiCL, which replaces the default OpenCL driver. Additionally, CachyOS 241221 comes with the Bluetooth service enabled by default.

A rumor has revealed that iOS 19 will be compatible with iPhones as old as the iPhone XR, launched in 2018, which recently became old enough to enter elementary school.

Apple's planned onslaught on the smart home includes the creation of the OEM's own doorbell, according to the latest rumors. The accessory is thought to integrate with equally smart locks that may or may not also be made by Apple and be controlled by the rumored HomePod Smart Home Display.

AFMF 2 is now official for the ROG Ally gaming handhelds, and Asus is promising a big FPS boost with this new AMD frame-gen technology. To be specific, the company says that the tech can offer over 2x uplift.

CheckMag Buying Windows keys directly from Microsoft is expensive but more importantly, it's just not an option for older operating systems such as Windows 8.1 or Windows 7. This is where platforms like G2A and Kinguin come in as they allow one to buy legit, working keys for a fraction of the original price.

Garmin has issued a new update for the Forerunner 165, Forerunner 255, Forerunner 265, Forerunner 955 and Forerunner 965, shortly after rolling out Software Version 21.19 globally. This time, it has finalised Software Version 21.20, which should resolve touchscreen and Connect IQ crash issues.

The Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K and Play HDMI sync box 4K devices are currently receiving firmware version 2.4.2. The latest model, released earlier this year, gets three changes via the update. These include a new setting as well as various signal-related bug fixes.

Grml, an Austrian Linux distribution based on Debian, has returned with version 2024.12. While it drops x86 support, this update is the first to bring this minimal, live Linux distro to 64-bit ARM hardware. In addition to these, Grml 2024.12 also comes with fresh Debian 13 software packages alongside many minor tweaks and fixes.

There are a good number of image editing features available on Google Photos, and a new one has just been rolled out. Called Quick Edit, it makes quick enhancements before sharing. However, it can take time for the feature to reach all users.

Roku is rolling out an update to its Roku TVs and streamers that brings a handful of features to its smart home cameras. The features which were first announced in October include support for pinning camera feeds to the TV screen while watching a show or movie.

The final release of the year sees Kali Linux dropping support for 32-bit kernels while sporting GNOME 47 and Python 3.12. Additionally, the update labeled 2024.4 comes with 14 new tools, a major refresh to the Kali NetHunter store and website, as well as more supported devices, pushing the list up to a total of 100.

WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg added a “pineapple is delicious on pizza” checkbox after a court order removed a prior login prompt. The move has sparked criticism over professionalism and leadership in the community.

A new Home Assistant release, version 2024.12, is now available. The update for the smart home automation software brings new features like scene editor modes and a download snapshot button. Plus, there are several additional integrations, and the company has teased more voice features that will be coming later in December.

This year's last major update, labeled 2.43 "Storm Warning" by Gaijin, brings quite a few exciting pieces of military hardware to War Thunder. Alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Rafale jets, this refresh also brings the M44 and PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, several ships, the Attica location for ground battles, and more.

Suunto is bringing new functions and improvements to several of its wearables as part of a free update. These include improved precision for outdoor activities, improved energy efficiency and new content to coincide with the upcoming Christmas season.

Garmin is rounding off the year with a new stable update for the Enduro 3, Fenix E and Fenix 8. While the company has pushed hundreds of bug fixes to the trio in the last few months, it has found a bunch more that have arrived alongside a few other improvements.

The Fenix 7 and Fenix 7 Pro are eligible for a new stable update, as are counterparts like the Enduro 2 and Tactix 7. While the update does not add any new features, it should address an outstanding issue that could cause Garmin's Connect IQ service to crash.

Google DeepMind, the AI branch of Google, announced Veo 2 today, a new version of the company's AI-powered video generation tool. Alongside the video generator, DeepMind also announced a new version of Imagen 3, an image generation tool.

Sharge has now revealed that its first-gen AI glasses will debut in early 2025. In the meantime, the brand has also now disclosed that the upcoming smart wearables will have a camera rated for up to 4K photos and 1080p videos. The "all-day fit" glasses will also integrate "crystal clear" open-ear audio and the "market's largest" battery.

Nvidia's newly released "Nvidia app" for RTX cards is allegedly cutting the performance in some games by quite a significant margin. User reports that have emerged on X suggest that, in games like Black Myth Wukong, the Nvidia app can reduce performance by a double-digit margin.

The second One UI 7 Beta is here for the Galaxy S24 series. The new update fixes several bugs and adds a few new features.

Nothing has announced that it has prepared Android 15 previews for two more of its Phones. The new Nothing OS 3.0 Open Betas are available for oldest and newest members of the brand's primary, Glyph LED-lit smartphone series. They unlock new system animations and features such as Shared Widgets, although their use comes with risks for both devices.

Huawei rolls out a new operating system. EMUI 15 promises new features and certain visual enhancements. The update is also set to simplify multitasking for greater productivity.

Huawei has made its Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 rival official outside of China today (December 13, 2024). The Mate X6 comes with a 7.93-inch "ultra-high-resolution" flexible OLED display enhanced with its OEM's latest X-True Display technology. It is also equipped with Kunlun Glass 2 durability, triple rear Xmage cameras and Harmony OS productivity features such as Live Multi-Task.

Adobe is rolling out a new feature for its Camera Raw plug-in that removes reflections from glass windows. The feature called Reflection Removal is AI-based and works on glass windows that cover the field of view.

Galaxy phones in the US are finally getting a built-in call recording feature. It’s rolling out first to the Galaxy S24 series with the latest One UI 7 beta update.

Google has announced Android XR as the operating system that will power headsets and smart glasses in the future. The OS, created in collaboration with Samsung, will make its debut in a Samsung headset that will be available for purchase in 2025.

Google is making a big deal of its new Gemini 2.0 model. The first model, Gemini 2.0 Flash, is already live, accompanied by new AI agent experiences such as Project Astra and Project Mariner.

The EaseUS AI Media Player enables users to understand video media from 30+ languages even when native subtitles do not exist with real-time generation and translation of subtitles.

Apple has announced that various iPhones, iPads and Macs will be eligible for a fresh round of AI features in the next few days. Having debuted Apple Intelligence language earlier this year, Apple has confirmed that the functionality should now begin working in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK, among other changes.

The trendy smartphone OEM Nothing has announced that the first brand from its affordable spin-off CMF can now upgrade to Android 15 - sort of. The Phone 1's inaugural Open Beta unlocks the latest Nothing OS 3.0 features such as Shared Widgets, the AI-powered Smart Drawer and re-sizeable app pop-up windows. However, switching to the build right now comes with some caveats.

Software giant Adobe is patching a number of vulnerabilities in products including Acrobat and Acrobat Reader, InDesign, Illustrator, and Substance 3D Modeler. The most affected product, it turns out, is Experience Manager.

Introduced earlier this year, the Sora AI model for generating videos from text has moved up to Sora Turbo, which is much faster. Now, it comes as a standalone product available at Sora.com for ChatGPT Plus and Pro users. The videos generated can be up to 1080p in resolution and 20 seconds long (or shorter).

The Raspberry Pi 5 isn't exactly a gaming power house, although it certainly is a popular device for building retro emulation machines. PS2 emulation is spotty at best on the Pi 5, so the idea of running PS3 titles on the same hardware seems akin to flying pigs. Nevertheless, RPCS3 now has an arm64 build working on the Pi 5, and it performs better than you might think.

Garmin has delivered a fresh update for the Fenix 8 on its Beta Program. Also available on the Fenix E and the Enduro 3, the update should address a bug that can cause the Connect IQ app to crash at random.

Garmin has just released a new set of stable updates to the Fenix 7, Fenix 7 Pro and Tactix 7. However, it is already testing a follow-up that resolves a crash that could affect its Connect IQ service.

After more than two decades in development, the service management daemon GNU Shepherd has finally reached the 1.0-labeled milestone. Its highlights include transient and timed services, log rotation, integrated logging, as well as improved service insights. Additionally, the deprecated GOOPS interface is now gone.

English AI Grandma makes scammers furious. Polite but incredibly annoying, Daisy Harris is indistinguishable from a real person and wastes fraudsters' time on the phone. In the original footage released, you can now see how O2's latest invention is driving scammers mad.

Integrating Firefox and Thunderbird with GNOME components on top of the Window Maker window manager and a Debian core, Window Maker Live is a live Linux distro that has just moved from version 0.96.0-0 to 12.8. As its name suggests, this update comes with all the goodies from the Debian 12.8 "Bookworm" release.

The Copilot Vision AI can see everything users do in the Microsoft Edge web browser and provide verbal recommendations, information, planning help, and gaming tips when prompted. All data processed by Copilot Vision will be deleted after each session, but all answers will be retained.

Arch-based Manjaro Linux is back with an update that relies on the new LTS Linux kernel, which is 6.12. This refresh, with version number 24.2 and known as "Yonada," is available in three editions. These are GNOME 47.2, KDE Plasma 6.2, and Xfce 4.18. The embedded versions and community editions have not been updated yet.

Sharge might be best known for its innovative cyberpunk charging gadgets - although the brand has announced that it will also offer "Everyday AI" for all with what might be the first in a series of smart wearables. The loomos glasses are framed as a rival for Meta's Ray-Bans thus far, with support for audio as well as integrated cameras that may or may not connect to an on-board assistant. They are also touted to be more efficient and responsive compared to similar devices from other brands.

Google has once again postponed the date for discontinuing the ability to convert the Stadia Controller from Wi-Fi mode to Bluetooth mode. However, Google no longer sells the controller for those willing to buy one.

The smart home company has now released its Android app alongside a factory Matter-enabled version of its smart radiator valve, the Eve Thermo. The caveat is that the Android app at launch can only work with Google Home and can only support the Eve Thermo.

You can now try out Grok without subscribing to X Premium. The free version is powered by Grok-2 model and lets users ask up to 10 queries per 2 hours.

Xiaomi has designed its latest version of Android to act as much of a hub for with the rest of its smart devices as possible. Now, the OEM is reportedly trying to find a way to make that "interconnectivity" compatible with hardware from other brands, specifically Apple. The putative upgrade might let smartphones like the Xiaomi 15 gain improved control over accessories such as AirPods.