I rarely check my Junk folder, so I'm not up to date with the latest scam attempts. However, I did check it today and noticed a subject that caught my attention: "I RECORDED YOU". I immediately realized it's a crypto scam attempt, though I wanted to share it just to make anyone aware that this is truly a scam and to remove it as soon as possible.
Anyway, on a totally unrelated note, Google recently changed its extension system with an update named Manifest V3, supposedly to improve security, performance, and privacy. But, and this is a big but, with this update it also introduced a limit on how extensions can modify websites and requests. This limitation affects ad blocker extensions that need to filter out ads and trackers on websites such as YouTube. Yes, you read that correctly. Google basically broke ad blockers, but not out of greed, because they only made like $30 billion in profit last year. No, it was for the good of the users ...
Weatherback is not your regular weather app. Meaning you won't see a widget on your home screen that shows it's XX degrees and the chances of rain/other precipitations or any other boring numbers. Weatherback cleverly tells you how the weather will be in a visually pleasing, almost senzorial way. It is a live wallpaper enhancement with stunning weather effects.
Android 14 is now live, and just started rolling out to some select Pixel devices - it's also live in the Android Open Source Project. Android 14 is designed to improve productivity for app devs while enhancing performance, privacy, security, and customization for users. This release brings an expressive new look to Android with updated colors, logos, and overall design. Below is an overview of what's new in Android 14.
If you've ever tried learning a new language in the past 5 years, I'm sure you've heard of Duolingo. This is an app (Android, web and the other) that is meant to be a helpful tool when trying to learn a new language. It helps you by using gamification to keep you focused on your learning goal. Has daily quests, chests, friends that you can connect with, competing leaderboards and much more. In essence, if you want an auxiliary tool to help you learn a new language, Duolingo should be on your list.
Are you an Unity developer? I'm truly sorry for you. So what really happened? In a recent blog post, Unity announced that is making changes to its pricing model, starting from January 1, 2024. They are introducing a new Unity Runtime Fee based on the number of game installs, with the aim of covering the costs associated with each game download. This fee is meant to replace the traditional revenue sharing model.
Winlator allows you to play (some) Windows games on your Android devices - in fact it's not limited to games, you could install apps as well, but games are the main target. Winlator assembles some already existing tools, including Box (for running x86 programs on Arm devices) and Wine (for running Windows apps on Linux), and offers a better interface for using their functionalities in a user-friendly interface.
Google Play Games for PC is the ultimate Android emulator. It's actually the official Google emulator that brings Android games to Windows PCs through a dedicated desktop app. The great part is that starting in July 2023 it is now widely accessible, and there's a free beta version of it that you can join. Google Play Games for PC serves as a bridge between Android gaming and Windows 10 and 11 PCs, allowing PC owners to enjoy a diverse range of Android games seamlessly. It's important to note that this is a native Windows app, not a cloud game streaming service. This means performance. I also believe this is going to be the Bluestacks killer, even if right now only a few games are available.
Muse Chat revolutionizes workflows for game devs that use Unity, introducing fresh possibilities to real-time 3D (RT3D) projects - it is currently in a closed beta phase. Muse leverages AI capabilities to expedite the creation of RT3D games. With Muse Chat, creators can utilize AI-driven search across Unity's documentation, training resources, and support content to obtain well-structured answers, complete with working code samples, to streamline development. You can think of Muse Chat as an adapted version of ChatGPT that focuses solely on Unity information and game development/marketing.
These were the most popular Android apps and games in 2022 (in millions of downloads), grouped by category. Depressing to see TikTok being the most popular one in the world, 672 million brainwashed users per year, that's a lot.
