Software

CheckMag After-market head units from big brands with Car Play and Android Auto support tend to start at around $250. Even then, they offer a screen that isn’t much bigger than your smartphone. Most relatively modern cars will need a costly dashboard facia, wiring loom and a willingness to dismantle your dashboard. However, there are alternatives.

The sixth update to Q4OS 5 Aquarius is now available with the Debian Bookworm 12.7 updates, the Debian stable 6.1.0-25 kernel, as well as various fixes. The Calamares installer now sports custom desktop profiles, while all the live media now sport new Debian Shim and Grub bootloader binaries.

CheckMag Through the years, Meta's Quest VR headsets set themselves as the premiere choice for inexpensive standalone VR gaming. A competitor from the East rose up to challenge their reign, but it made the mistake of forgoing one crucial aspect that let the Quests remain successful and uncontested.

While it continues to keep things spartan by providing just the old-school command-line interface, Peropesis 2.7 comes with file system archiving and ISO management tools, as well as various updated components, tweaks, and fixes. Although larger than for previous versions, the Peropesis 2.7 ISO file has just 282 MB in size.

New Bluetooth Core Specification version 6.0 introduces advanced features like Bluetooth Channel Sounding for precise distance measurement, Decision-Based Advertising Filtering for efficient scanning, and ISOAL Enhancement to reduce latency in audio streaming.

RedMagic's upcoming tablet is now backed to launch with class-leading power packed into a small package. Nevertheless, it is also set to debut with the type of battery traditionally associated with Android slates with displays larger than its currently rumored size. The Gaming Tablet 2 will also debut with much faster charging than the vast majority of its peers.

During the End of Summer Sale, the Epic Games Store is slashing prices on a vast collection of games, from smash-hit AAA titles, like Cyberpunk 2077 to indie masterpieces, like Jusant and Dead Cells. The sale ends on September 16.

Google has finally decided to bring new thermometer-related features to Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL devices sold in Europe. Rolling out through a new Pixel Thermometer app update, the features allow the flagship trio to measure skin temperature and store results either directly in the app or in the Fitbit app.

Arriving a tad later than anticipated, GhostBSD 24.07.1 promises increased performance and stability thanks to the transition from using packages based on the team's own ports to using FreeBSD PKGBSD packages. Additionally, this update comes with an improved NetworkMGR, two security tweaks for OpenSSH, and more.

Google has integrated its Gemini assistant into the Gmail app for Android devices so that users can ask the AI specific questions about their mailbox. Previously, this was only possible in the web version.

As of the iOS 18.1 beta 3, iPhone users outside of the US can access Apple Intelligence features, as long as they jump through a few small hoops to get them. Users in China and the EU are still left in the cold, however, and users will still need to change their keyboard and Siri language to US English.

The optional KB5041587 update for Windows 11 PCs allows users to send files to Android devices via Windows Share and also features an improved Scan mode, as well as some changes in the Widgets Board for the EEA region. A few bugs are also ironed out, but the recent dual-boot issue remains unresolved for now.

The successor of Xiaomi HyperOS, the company's new Android skin, is expected to bring Android 15 to compatible phones. As for when HyperOS 2.0 will be available, a leaked image on Coolapk, a popular Chinese social media, suggests October 10.

Honor will introduce the Magic V3 smartphone to global customers at an upcoming IFA 2024 event as the world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness. Myopia is a growing health problem that affects up to 80% of children worldwide. AI Defocus selectively blurs the screen image to help reduce myopia progression due to long hours of phone use.

In response to the rise of Linux gaming, primarily due to the Steam Deck, the Dolphin team has decided to collaborate with the community to make the widely used unofficial Flatpak distribution of the Dolphin emulator official.

Garmin has quietly released a new update for one of the smartwatches it introduced earlier this year. Rolling out now, the update is said to improve the device in over half a dozen areas.

The OPPO Enco X3s are now backed to launch with vast improvements compared to their X2 predecessors. Their upgrades are now said to include Bluetooth 5.4, support for the LHDC 5.0 codec and IP55 dust and water resistance. Then again, these specs will seem eerily familiar to fans of the new OnePlus Buds Pro 3.

With a history of no less than 14 years, Polish-made 4MLinux is a lightweight distro that includes a collection of classic Linux games, support for virtually all multimedia formats, and can also be used for troubleshooting and rescue purposes in a live bootable environment. Version 46.0 comes with GTK 4 and greatly improved file support.

Balatro continues its summer of updates with the second of three free updates. The update features its first-ever collaboration with popular titles, including The Witcher 3, Dave the Diver, Vampire Survivors, and Among Us.

After a massive launch followed by AI-fuelled controversy and dwindling player counts, Foamstars will go free-to-play in October 2024. The 4v4 arena shooter will also drop the PlayStation Plus account requirement for online play. Until October, Foamstars will still cost $29.99 via the PlayStation Store.

OPPO's allegedly upcoming third-gen tablet is now rumored to land as the Pad3 Pro rather than the Pad3. It is said to owe its new moniker due to an upgrade to the fastest version possible of the flagship-grade Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor: something that can't be said for its pre-existing internationally-available sibling the OnePlus Pad 2.

One of the issues plaguing the Zen 5 CPUs with dual-CCDs is inter-CCD latency. According to reports, the CCD-to-CCD latency in the Ryzen 9 9950X is ~180 ns, more than double the amount of the Ryzen 9 7950X. Fortunately, AMD is reportedly preparing a fix for the issue.

Described as "a new app that makes it easier for you to discover and install many of our best Google services," Google Essentials will hit HP brands first, including Envy, Pavilion, Spectre, and Victus. The suite will include Google Play Games and will allow the user to easily switch between a laptop and a smartphone.

Volkswagen has announced that owners of new cars like those of the ID.7 series will have a new way to pass the time while charging soon. Their software is about to upgrade to support AirConsole, a wireless system that can turn devices like smartphones into controllers for games on infotainment systems.

Although Paint 3D will soon be dead and gone, it looks like the ancient Windows Control Panel will gain "walking dead" status. After over a decade of rumors and official statements regarding the deprecation of the Control Panel, now it seems that Microsoft is not going to take it out of the picture for good too soon.

RedMagic has confirmed that a new version of its Android tablet is on the way. The device is projected to land as a premium slate with high-performance, Snapdragon Elite Gaming-ready specs. It can be reserved in the brand's native China with at least 1 on-trend screen size option from now.

The Open Source Media Center (OSMC) Debian-based Linux distro has just been updated with Kodi 21.1 Omega. In addition to a set of bug fixes, the new version, labeled 2024.08-1, comes with improved remote keymap messages, updated and improved translations, Vero V full range video output, and more.

Apple has announced that it will indeed comply with the directives of the European Union's Digital Markets Act that require it to enable alternatives to in-house apps such as Safari, Apple Photos and the App Store by the end of 2024. However, these new iOS and iPadOS features will be region-dependent.

A paid software called Lossless Scaling has been tested on Steam Deck OLED. At the core, the software can scale resolutions and add frame generation. These two can make games feel a lot smoother on the gaming handheld.

Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, has been arrested by French authorities. The detention is allegedly linked to an ongoing investigation into Telegram's operations, which focuses on insufficient content moderation and lack of cooperation with law enforcement agencies. French authorities claim that Durov's inaction allowed many crimes to be committed through Telegram, and the platform has become a hub for organized crime.

OPPO is tipped to unleash the upcoming Find X8 series of premium smartphones on the global market with the most up-to-date version of Android possible. ColorOS 15 is said to come with a major overhaul in terms of user interface (UI). These new features are now available to some owners of the OEM's current flagships in the form of its first beta.

Google has just started shipping the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. Unlike in previous years, Google's latest flagships have shipped with the same version of Android as their predecessors. However, it is already possible to update the trio to Android 15.

Supposed to launch on June 18 with Copilot+ PCs, the controversial Windows Recall feature now has a new date of arrival. Scheduled to return in October, this piece of code for NPU-equipped hardware will only be available to Windows Insiders Program subscribers, with an all-out launch forecasted for 2025.

Next year, Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Earlier today, Ubisoft announced the return of the franchise with Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, a title that brings back the world of Enroth and allows the exploration of Jadame for the first time.

About seven months after the release of GNOME 46, GNOME 47 Beta arrives roughly a month before the testing will end, as the final version should arrive on September 14th. This new pre-launch release comes with hardware encoding for screen recordings, support for tablet tool pressure ranges, and more.

The Nvidia Earth-2 platform has just become even more powerful thanks to StormCast which is a new AI model for emulating atmospheric dynamics at a scale "larger than storms but smaller than cyclones" with speed and precision reportedly so good, traditional CPU-powered techniques stand no chance against it. Nvidia names Taiwan's National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction as one of the first institutions to employ this new technology.

While Samsung has yet to share details of the upcoming One UI 7 beta, the update with Android 15 was expected to land this month. However, per the latest report from Sammobile, it seems that the update has been postponed to September.

Contrary to what is rapidly becoming the norm, iPad-exclusive design app Procreate has declared itself to be staunchly against “all forms” of generative AI. The video, posted on X, has gained applause from thousands of creatives.

CheckMag It looks as though the long-awaited GIMP 3.0 release may be soon upon us, with the GNU Project announcing a string freeze for the latest developer preview build. Between overhauled colour management tools, a refined UI, and, finally, a simple stroke selection tool, GIMP 3.0 is looking to be a big release for the free, open-source Photoshop alternative.

In addition to the Help me write and Refine my draft shortcuts on iOS and Android devices, Gemini in Gmail now comes with the Polish feature. This option uses the power of AI to refine email drafts and is available on both mobile devices and the web. Sadly, it is only available to Workspace customers.

The XG27ACDNG has almost the exact same name as another member of the ROG Strix series of OLED monitors, but comes with a number of crucial differences. It is rated for a refresh rate of 360Hz despite its QHD resolution - which, moreover, is not glossy. The new display also boasts a powered USB-C port alongside support for HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4.

The latest Game Ready Driver software package from Nvidia, labeled 560.94 and released yesterday, comes with DLSS support for several games launching these days, including Star Wars Outlaws, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and Final Fantasy XVI (the demo version). The new GeForce RTX 4070 with GDDR6 instead of GDDR6X is also supported.

Nvidia released its latest official drivers for Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris. In addition to improved support for a variety of features in the open-source OSes, the Nvidia 560 graphics drivers also default to using open-source GPU kernel modules.

Born in 2017, Artix is a rolling-release distro partially based on Arch Linux. The latest update, labeled 20240819, arrived yesterday. The most obvious change is that LXQt and LXDE are no longer coming with the community editions. Also, XFCE is now the default desktop environment in community-gtk.

Mere hours after launch, Black Myth Wukong has shattered Steam records, having accrued 2.2 million concurrent players on Steam a mere 12 hours after launch. The only game it has not yet surpassed in peak player count is PUBG: Battlegrounds, which peaked at 3.2 million players in 2018.

Often hailed as one of the best lightweight Linux distros that can run from a USB stick while also supporting persistency, EasyOS was born in 2017, and its roots can be traced all the way back to Puppy Linux. Now, version 6.2 is available with a complete recompile in OpenEmbedded, sporting multiple package updates.

Although Apple began supporting podcasts in June 2005, the Apple Podcasts app arrived in the summer of 2012, finally becoming a part of iOS in late 2014. Now, those on other platforms can use it as well on virtually any web browser, as the service works great on Firefox, Edge, Safari, Chrome, and more.

Introduced in 2017, the Google Play Security Reward Program offered up to $20,000 for discovering remote code execution bugs. However, this initiative allowed Google to collect data that is now used for automated checks, and since fewer malicious apps are being reported, this initiative will be terminated on August 31st.

According to multiple insiders familiar with the matter, Amazon is planning to take Amazon Pay out of the e-commerce app for the Indian market and turn it into a standalone app. The reason for this is the lack of attention Amazon Pay is currently suffering from in its current format.

The dust has now settled on Google's Pixel 9 launch event. While the company did not discuss expanding the functionality of its thermometer app, it seems that it has now started quietly publishing an update that adds new features to not just the existing Pixel 8 Pro but also the new Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL.