Author: Dave Warren Hans Co

{ "de-DE": "Dave Co ist seit fast einem Jahrzehnt Content-Writer. Nach einem kurzen Abstecher in Artikel- und Essaytexte konzentriert sich sein Portfolio vor allem auf Copywriting und Informationsinhalte – mit besonderem Fokus auf Software, Apps und digitale Tools.", "en-US": "Dave Co has been a content writer for the better part of a decade. After a brief stint in article and essay writing, his body of work primarily focuses on creating copy and informational content, with a focus on software, apps, and digital tools.", "es-ES": "Dave Co lleva gran parte de la última década trabajando como redactor de contenidos. Tras una breve etapa escribiendo artículos y ensayos, su trabajo se ha centrado principalmente en copy e información práctica, con foco en software, apps y herramientas digitales.", "fr-FR": "Dave Co est rédacteur de contenu depuis près de dix ans. Après un bref passage par l’écriture d’articles et d’essais, il s’est surtout spécialisé dans le copywriting et les contenus informatifs, avec un accent sur les logiciels, les applications et les outils numériques.", "it-IT": "Dave Co lavora come content writer da quasi un decennio. Dopo una breve parentesi tra articoli e saggi, la maggior parte del suo lavoro si concentra su copy e contenuti informativi, con particolare attenzione a software, app e strumenti digitali.", "ja-JP": "", "nl-NL": "Dave Co is al bijna tien jaar content writer. Na een korte periode met artikelen en essays richt zijn werk zich vooral op copy en informatieve content, met een focus op software, apps en digitale tools.", "pl-PL": "Dave Co od prawie dekady pracuje jako autor treści. Po krótkim epizodzie z artykułami i esejami skupił się głównie na copywritingu i treściach informacyjnych, zwłaszcza o oprogramowaniu, aplikacjach i narzędziach cyfrowych.", "pt-BR": "Dave Co atua como redator de conteúdo há quase uma década. Depois de uma breve fase escrevendo artigos e ensaios, seu trabalho passou a se concentrar principalmente em copy e conteúdo informativo, com foco em softwares, apps e ferramentas digitais.", "social": { "email": "", "facebook": "", "twitter": "", "linkedin": "" } }

Tinder revives its classic Blind Date feature

Tinder has brought back a classic feature called Blind Date, which pairs its members without letting them see each other’s profile and photos yet. Instead, it offers them a chance to interact and chat first so they can gauge interest and compatibility.

When it comes to the online dating scene, Tinder is one of, if not, the most popular apps in the market today. By the end of 2021, it had nearly 10 million subscribers using its services. While there have been many competing services through the years, none has yet to match the level of brand recognition and standing it has.

Blind Date joins its Fast Chat line-up of features that provide other in-app experiences like Hot Takes and Swipe Night. The way it works is that Tinder will pair its members based on what they have in common and have them start chatting from there. To help break the ice, it also offers answer prompts and mini-games to help make the interaction less awkward.

If both participants decide to match, only then will they be able to see each other’s profiles and photos. Tinder says this experience reflects the modern dating habits of the Gen Z group, who value authenticity—while also tapping into their 90’s nostalgia with a callback to dating in a pre-smartphone world.

Let’s face it, dating is hard. Online dating has made the endeavor more accessible, but it has also made it less involved and intentional. This Blind Date feature is a step in the right direction for Tinder and is a move that, hopefully, will bring more people closer together.

Google Chrome to receive new animated download icon

Google Chrome‘s traditional download bar will soon be replaced by an animated download button that is more streamlined and offers more useful information about progress and details.

The ever-popular Chrome web browser is constantly receiving updates that all aim to improve its overall user experience. One particular addition that came back in December 2021 introduced a new download icon that’s located along the top toolbar, right of the URL address bar.

Chrome is used and enjoyed by millions of people all across the world, for both daily web browsing and productivity. While it has established a name for itself when it comes to speed and stability, the overall user experience is not quite on par with other competing options in the market. One aspect that could use more work is how it handles downloading files over the internet.

It used to be that downloads are individually displayed across a bar located at the bottom. It’s handy for glanceable information, but it can get cluttered real quick just like how tabs can often get out of control. The new download button aims to address this by consolidating them all inside a drop-down list, accessible via the top toolbar row to the right.

What’s more, the icon itself is animated to help indicate download progress. Clicking on it will show a small pop-up window containing Recent Downloads. There’s a Show all downloads button at the bottom should you wish to browse through all of your files. There’s no official word yet on when the revamped download manager will be implemented, but it should make its way to the Chrome Canary channel any time now.

Manage overdue tasks with Google Calendar

Google’s latest update to its Calendar app offers deeper integration with tasks. It is now much easier to view and manage overdue tasks via a new “Pending” section, which has been made available across its web and mobile versions.

This new feature comes shortly after the application received an update back in December 2021 that added an option that allows users to repeat tasks with customizable rules and conditions. It was a move that would potentially offer better productivity tracking and management.

Google Calendar has come a long way since its first inception. It has constantly been receiving updates through the years. These incremental additions all aim to help users boost the efficiency and quality of their work and productivity—some of which might have gone unnoticed to this day.

The new Pending section will appear as a drop-down menu that will highlight the number of overdue tasks that you might have missed or overlooked over a 30-day period. It details the date it was created and when it was originally due. From there, you can take immediate action from within the app, including editing the task condition or marking it as complete.

This update comes as a small but thoughtful one that adds more utility to the already quite robust Google Calendar. Considering millions of people use this particular app on a daily basis for work and general productivity, it’s a win-win scenario for everyone. It’s already available via the web app, while Android and iOS users can expect it on February 17 and March 1, respectively.

Google assures that Stadia has a great future ahead

Google is promising a “great future” for Stadia and assures gamers that more games are to come. This statement comes after a recent report that the company is shifting its focus away from the consumer side of the platform.

Instead, it will be placing it into a back-end service called Google Stream, in an effort to license the streaming technologies behind it to other companies. However, many in the industry are viewing this as a demotion and theorize that Stadia will be nothing more than a technology platform to power up other services.

When Stadia was first introduced to the world, it brought hopes for a game streaming service, backed by Google, that would rival the likes of Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. What ended up happening was a case of overpromising and under-delivering.

The promise of Stadia was every gamer’s dream—the ability to play your games on any device without any lag thanks to Google’s powerful cloud servers. After dealing with so many hiccups since launch, though, the company itself seems to have thrown in the towel. The hope for a comeback into cloud gaming is all but non-existent now.

While it is technically true that Stadia still has a great future ahead, it won’t be the one that Google nor gamers had envisioned for it. Also, since its internal development team and game studio have already been shut down, it’s not the same branch anymore. Google is already eyeing a partnership with exercise equipment and media company Peleton for a possible game called Lanebreak.

Amazon to increase Prime’s pricing in the US

Amazon is set to increase the price of its Prime subscriptions in the US soon. The new pricing scheme will apply to both new and current subscribers and will go into effect in the coming weeks between February and March 2022.

This news is rather opportune and coincides with the recent price changes that have also been taking place over at Netflix, given the sizable share loss that it suffered and the less-than-optimistic forecasts going into the new year.

Amazon Prime is essentially an all-encompassing subscription that offers a wide range of perks and services, such as free shipping and exclusive offers when shopping over at its e-commerce site. Subscribers will even gain access to Prime Music and to Prime Video‘s ever-expanding catalog of movies and shows that have made waves in the past couple of years.

As for the exact pricing, monthly fees will go up from $12.99 to $14.99 for US users. Meanwhile, those who will opt for an annual plan will see an uptick from the former $119 to $139—a rather sizable increase of 16%. New subscribers can expect to pay these updated fees starting February 18, 2022. Current subscribers can expect these prices to reflect on their plans starting March 25, 2022.

There is a possibility that these price increases could make their way to other markets around the world, as well. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if it does turn out that way, but this is all speculative at this point. For now, US subscribers should ready themselves for the impending changes.

Twitter is working on a new Articles feature

Twitter, the popular social networking platform, is reportedly working on a new feature called “Twitter Articles” to be introduced sometime in the future. It will let its users write full-on articles for their posts, bypassing the 280 character limit that has long been a condition when creating new tweets.

When Twitter first started out, it imposed a 140 character limit for its tweets. Back then, it was great for churning out quick thoughts and making random quips about certain topics and ideas. It eventually became too constrictive for any kind of meaningful commentary, which is why the company doubled down and set it to 280 characters a few years later.

Twitter has always tried to find a way to allow its users to express themselves in a more expansive and detailed manner. If the recent rumors come to fruition, they might finally be able to write articles for their posts. Aptly named Twitter Articles, the new feature opens up the possibility for long-form writing on its platform.

The feature was initially discovered on Twitter’s official website through a hidden menu showing an option named “Create a Twitter Article“. While information about it is still sparse, a spokesperson from the company did say that they will share more details about it soon.

For long-time fans and users of the social media platform, this is great and welcome news. Considering the recent introduction of Twitter Blue, it seemed like the company was slowly shifting towards a subscription-based business model. This recent development shows that, at least, users of the free version are not being left out.

You can now link your PSN account to Discord

Discord is finally allowing PlayStation Network (PSN) users to link their accounts to it. This news comes after an initial announcement back in May 2021 that it was working closely with Sony to “bring the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile.”

It has been a few months since then, but this long-requested feature is now official and will slowly be implemented in the coming months. Owners of the PS4 and PS5 consoles are getting what they want at long last, with proper PSN integration with their Discord accounts.

Discord is an instant messaging service that was released back in 2015, and it was initially marketed as a social platform wherein gamers can come together to discuss their love for all things gaming. Since then, it has gradually become the preferred chat app for both gamers and non-gamers alike. With PSN integration now in tow, its widespread appeal is only going to get stronger.

Linking your account to Discord will let your friends see your gaming activity and see what game you’re currently playing on your PlayStation console. You can also add your PSN ID to your Discord profile so it will be easier for others to add you. The new feature can be accessed via the User Settings>Connections menu across desktop, mobile, and web versions.

This news comes after Sony made an announcement that it will be acquiring game developer Bungie, known for the Destiny games, for $3.6 billion. Do note that this feature will be a slow rollout, and will start with users in the US first. Expect more countries to be added to its list soon after. Hopefully, the wait won’t take too long.

WinRAR now works better with Windows 11 but removes support for XP

WinRAR, one of the most trusted and popular file compression programs in the market today, just received a new update that improves support for Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 desktop operating system.

WinRAR 6.1 dropped in January 2022 and it’s the first version that adds integration with the OS’ new context menu. It has also changed its list of supported iterations that will now only include Windows Vista and up moving forward. Unfortunately, this means that XP has officially been dropped.

A new contextual menu

The newly designed contextual menu in Windows 11 is now bigger and more legible. It places the most used functions like Copy, Paste, and Delete at the top to make it easier to find and use them. This move is also to address the issue of congested context menus that have plagued Windows since its XP days. The problem with this new implementation, though, is that it now hides other important application functions and options behind a “Show More Options” button.

For most users, this just means that they’ll need a few extra clicks to access their favorite application’s menu. For developers, though, they will need to push new updates to take this new layout into account if they want their programs to be listed properly in Windows 11’s context menu. Fortunately for users of WinRAR, its creator has been quick to adapt to this change. It has pushed out a speedy release for those who have already migrated to Windows 11.

It has only been a couple of months since Windows 11 was officially released to the public. But developers are keenly aware of the changes it brought and how they might affect how their programs look and behave to users and the issue with the new context menu is one such example. As a result, developers will need to act fast to push out updates, and with WinRAR 6.1, things are moving in the right direction.