Tag: Android

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Ragnarok Online returns in a very special version for mobile devices

MMOs are not a modern invention. They are as old as the Internet itself. Even the veterans of the genre, those known for being very old and having a huge history, are relatively recent. World of Warcraft, with its 20 years, is not even that old. Neither is the game we have had great news about today: Ragnarok Online.

This Korean MMORPG by Gravity, originally published in 2002, although it wouldn’t reach the US until 2003 and Europe until 2004, had an anime style and a retro aesthetic that enamored a good part of the audience. With emphasis on the ability to customize our characters and servers, where more emphasis was placed on different game features, Ragnarok Online was a very popular game both inside and outside of Asia. And even today it still is.

That’s why it’s great news that Gravity Game Tech has decided to bring us a new iteration of the game called The Ragnarok. Designed specifically for mobile devices, it aims to recreate the gaming experience that was had in the early 2000s, with the same aesthetics, damage indicators, and combat skill animations. Seeking to perfectly replicate all the elements present in the original PC version.

This exclusive mobile release is in its pre-launch phase and, as is customary in these cases, if certain milestones are reached, players who pre-register will receive some extra benefits. For now, everyone who pre-registers will receive 100 units of Costume Gacha, 100 units of Oridecon, 100 units of Elunium, and a helmet. Additionally, if you invite a friend, you will also receive 100,000 Zeny, 2 Special Experience Potions, and 20 units of Costume Gacha.

If you used to play Ragnarok Online or you like its old-school pixelated anime aesthetic, The Ragnarok’s pre-registration is a perfect excuse to take the leap. Especially because it is a free-to-play game that you can get both on the Apple App Store and on Google Play for Android.

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Ragnarok Online is a role-playing game developed by Gravity Europe SAS for Windows. The game is set in the land of Midgard, where there has been a fragile peace for the past 1000 years after a brutal war between gods, humans, and demons.

Pizza Cat promises us to fulfill a dream: managing a pizza chain… with kittens

Pizza Cat is a classic management game that can be played with one hand and has a unique feature: all its characters are kittens.

The Internet loves cats. And with good reason. They are adorable, a little silly, and lend themselves to being drawn in a particularly funny way. There is nothing about them that makes them unlovable that can be ignored. That’s why it’s not surprising the passions they raise. Hence, it should not surprise us if we come across a good handful of cat games. Among which, the latest and most original, is called Pizza Cat.

At Pizza Cat we have one obligation: to create a pizza empire. With a twist. Here all our employees and customers are kittens. With controls designed to be easily played with one hand, it is a perfect game for mobile devices. Making it a classic management game, but more adorable. And also, designed to be comfortable to play on our phone during idle moments.

Although it is not yet available, you can already pre-register to acquire it when it is available. Pizza Cat is available for pre-registration on the App Store and on Google Play for free. As is usually the case in these games, it has in-app purchases. But you don’t have to spend money if you don’t want to, to continue growing your empire of pizza cats.

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Android 15 could permanently modify the charging of your smartphone

The battery is one of the first things that degrade in a smartphone, so if you want to keep your device for a long time, it is important to maintain the health of its battery, and Google could be preparing a new feature to help with that.

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Android Authority has found a new “charge optimization” page, hidden in the latest Android 15 beta. We say hidden because it is actually not active and cannot be accessed without modifying the code.

But the site did just that, and discovered within the page a new option to limit your phone’s charging to 80%, as you can see in the images below. An 80% limit can be useful, as only charging to 80% tends to be better for a battery than going all the way to 100%.

It is not clear exactly which phones this feature could come to, but it is expected to be deployed on the Pixel 8 line and other recent Pixel models. It may not reach other Android brands, but some, like Samsung, already offer this feature, as does Apple for its iPhones, so it makes sense for Google to catch up and do the same.

That being said, based on what Android Authority has found, it doesn’t seem like the charging limit will be customizable, while with iOS 18 users can choose a limit of 80%, 85%, 90% or 95%.

An alternative to adaptability

However, this would be a step in the right direction, and a good alternative to the adaptive charging feature that is already available on Pixel phones. It learns your charging patterns and only charges from 80% to 100% right before it expects you to unplug the phone.

However, it seems that adaptive charging will still be available, so you will likely be able to choose between adaptive charging or an 80% limit.

Android 15 could arrive in August, so we will soon find out if this charging limit is part of it or not.

Windows wants to be the best friend of your Android’s photos

A forthcoming version of Microsoft Phone Link will allow you to select and copy text from synchronized images on your Android phone.

A new feature of Phone Link will allow you to select text in photos synced from your Android phone, thus increasing the compatibility between Windows and Android for the benefit of everyone.

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A future version of Microsoft Phone Link will allow you to select and copy text from synchronized images on your Android phone. The feature is already available in preview versions for Insiders, so it will soon be available for everyone.

Phone Link (which is called Link to Windows on Android) allows you to sync calls, messages, notifications, and images – and transfer everything from your Android phone to your Windows computer. It also works in a more limited way with iOS devices, which only sync notifications, messages, and calls via Bluetooth.

The Windows Snipping Tool achieved text extraction last year, around the same time that Phone Link achieved image sharing notifications, so it has been possible for a while to extract text from phone photos with the snipping tool.

This update saves you a step and allows you to do it within the application. The feature is available in Phone Link 1.24051.91.0 and early users say it works quite well.

Android 15 could increase the autonomy of your smartphone by about 3 hours

Google’s new operating system, Android 15, could increase smartphone battery life by up to three hours.

Google had a lot to announce at last week’s Google I/O 2024 event, including many updates about Android 15, which is currently in beta testing phase.

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And among the data that Google did not provide in the presentation, but that was announced later, is that the new operating system could increase the battery life of smartphones by up to three hours.

This is courtesy of Android Authority and the Android Faithful podcast, which featured Android Platform Engineering Vice President Dave Burke and Android Ecosystem President Sameet Samat discussing some of the most critical points of Android 15.

According to Burke, thanks to some internal adjustments, Android 15 devices can enter low-power sleep mode 50% faster than Android 14 devices, which can result in significant battery savings.

Burke added that some of the devices tested by Google took three hours longer between battery charges. That’s enough to last until the end of the night if your phone normally runs out of battery in the early afternoon.

More news about Android 15

Of course, this is not a guarantee that as soon as Android 15 arrives on your Google Pixel 8 you will instantly see a three-hour battery increase. However, it is a promising indication that the software update will significantly improve efficiency.

The final and public version of Android 14 was released in October 2023, and it is likely that Google will follow the same schedule this year, so the operating system will start arriving on devices just in time for the release of the Google Pixel 9.

Google has formally revealed a series of new features for Android 15, including a new Private Space locker that remains separate from your phone. Other features, such as satellite messaging, have been seen in the code, but are not yet official.

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Burke and Samat also talked about improving the efficiency of Wear OS 5. For example, marathon runs will consume 20% less energy than with Wear OS 4. This should mean that the best smartwatches with Wear OS can also improve their battery life.

A video of the Pixel 8a has just been leaked and it looks very promising

The fact that a video of what appears to be retail units of the Pixel 8a has been leaked also suggests that the phone will be launched very soon.

If there was any doubt that the Google Pixel 8a will be released soon, a new leaked video has made it clear that it’s a matter of days or weeks before Google decides to officially unveil it.

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Shared on Twitter by leaker @MysteryLupin, the video shows the complete back of the Pixel 8a in green and blue tones (rumored to be called Mint and Bay respectively).

The design matches previous leaks, showing a dual-lens camera in the now iconic Google camera bar, a colorful back panel, and an overall design similar to the Pixel 8.

What specifications does the Pixel 8a have and when will it be released

The phone also briefly rotates towards the front, but unfortunately it has a cover, so we cannot see how the screen will be or how much bezel we will have in this model.

What we do see is the box, which contains a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-A to USB-C adapter, and a tool to remove the SIM card. Finally, the text in the video indicates that the phone has 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM, although there may be other configurations and, in fact, we have already heard that there could be a 256 GB Pixel 8a.

That’s all we can say about the phone, and although we would take this video with a grain of salt, it certainly looks like the real Pixel 8a.

The fact that a video of what appear to be retail units of the Pixel 8a has been leaked also suggests that the phone will be released very soon, which aligns with what we have heard.

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Our best guess, based on leaks and the past, is that it will be unveiled during Google I/O 2024, which starts on May 14th, so there may only be a few weeks left to wait.

The Google Pixel 8a is starting to become a reality: this is what we know

Rumors suggest that the Google Pixel 8a will come with a 6.1-inch OLED display at 120 Hz with a resolution of 1200 x 1080 pixels.

For some time now, alleged details of the next mid-range phone from Google, the Google Pixel 8a have been circulating on the Internet. All rumors point to the phone being unveiled during the May Google I/O event.

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And before its launch, the Google Pixel 8a has recently obtained Bluetooth SIG certification. The Bluetooth SIG certification (discovered by MySmartPrice) reveals the supported Bluetooth version.

Not one, but four different models of the Google Pixel 8a have received Bluetooth SIG certification (Special Interest Group), giving us details about the different model numbers that the phones could be launched with.

The alleged Google Pixel 8a models; G8HNN, GKV4X, G6GPR, and G576D have received Bluetooth SIG certification. The listing also reveals that the Google Pixel 8a models will support Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. However, these are the only details revealed by the listing.

Google Pixel 8a Release Date

Google has already announced that the Google I/O 2024 event will take place on May 14th and 15th of this year. The keynote is scheduled for May 14th, and that’s when the phone could supposedly make its debut. We will also have news about Android 15.

According to reports, Google plans to sell the mid-range phone Pixel 8a in more markets compared to its Pixel 7a: in up to 140 countries.

Pixel 8a Specifications

Talking about specifications, it is rumored that the Google Pixel 8a will come with a 6.1-inch OLED display at 120 Hz with a resolution of 1200 x 1080 pixels.

The phone could reach up to 1,400 nits of maximum brightness (the Pixel 8 reaches up to 2,000 nits). The Pixel 8a could come equipped with a dual rear camera setup with a main 61 MP camera and a 13 MP wide-angle camera.

It seems that artificial intelligence will not catch up to Android 15: good news?

As you will have noticed, they do not mention AI at any time, which seems like a statement of intent. However, it would be strange not to see AI…

Google is putting AI everywhere. Or at least that’s what it seems from the outside. What used to be Bard and now Gemini is gaining weight in Google’s strategy to conquer the world and artificial intelligence… except for its upcoming mobile operating system.

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In a published post on Friday by Vice President of Engineering, Dave Burke, the inclusion of the latest version of Privacy Sandbox in Android was announced, an addition that offers both “privacy to the user” and “effective and personalized advertising experiences for mobile applications”.

Burke was also excited about the addition of the 10 Android 14 extensions around Health Connect by Android, as it “adds support for new types of fitness, nutrition, and much more data.”

Partially sharing the screen is another novelty: allowing users to record a window instead of the entire screen. Burke mentioned the increased demand for large Android screens in tablet, foldable, and foldable formats, which surely explains why partially sharing the screen makes sense.

And this is how they think about energy efficiency in Android 15:

  • An energy efficiency mode for track sessions indicating that their associated threads should prioritize energy saving over performance: ideal for long-running background workloads.
  • The duration of GPU and CPU work can be indicated in suggestion sessions, allowing the system to jointly adjust CPU and GPU frequencies to better meet workload demands.
  • Thermal space thresholds to interpret possible thermal throttling state based on space prediction.
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According to Burke, the developer preview offers “everything you need to test Android 15 features, test your applications, and provide us with your feedback”.

And, as you may have noticed, they don’t mention AI at any point, which seems like a statement of intent. However, it would be strange not to see artificial intelligence, once it is officially launched, considering we are talking about Google.

You can now play Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat on your smartphone for free

I believe it was around this time last year when the name was officially revealed: Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat. Capcom and its partner NebulaJoy…

You may have forgotten about this game, as we talked about it over half a year ago. It was on June 8, 2023 when the news broke that a Devil May Cry game would be coming to smartphones. Today it is already available on the Play Store and the App Store.

Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat DOWNLOAD

The long and tortuous wait to finally see the Devil May Cry saga on mobile is over today. The game is now available to download on your phone and the game servers were activated yesterday, January 10th.

This mobile installment of the famous Devil May Cry series has been in the making for years, taking on various forms and undergoing all kinds of beta testing and trials.

I think it was last year around this time when the name was officially unveiled: Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat and Capcom and its partner NebulaJoy started showing the game’s appearance and revealing new details.

Tips for starting to play Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat

Time your dodges

Dodging enemy attacks is an important skill in any Devil May Cry game, and Peak of Combat is no different. In this game, you have two main methods to avoid enemy attacks: dodging and jumping.

The dodge ability has no cooldown, which means you can use it as much as you want to avoid taking damage.

In the same way, you can use your jump to avoid attacks, but if you use it right before an enemy attack, you can counter it, inflicting damage with a special move. Learning to use these mechanics to avoid damage while attacking is essential, especially towards the end of the game, where enemies are tougher.

Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat DOWNLOAD

Complete the daily missions

Daily missions are an important component of DMC: Peak of Combat, so you should get used to completing them. Every day, you will be able to complete certain objectives to earn rewards such as gems, red orbs, and other upgrade materials.

These objectives are quite easy to complete while playing normally, but remember to also complete the resource stages, such as Perfect Timing and Vine of Greed. These stages offer a wide variety of rewards and are some of the daily objectives. This will allow you to kill two birds with one stone and progress quickly in the game.

Update your character

As you progress through the game’s story mode, you will want to improve your characters as much as possible. The enemies in the story and the bosses start off fairly easy, but as you advance through the chapters, you will begin to notice a noticeable difference.

There are several ways to improve your characters: increase their level, upgrade their weapons, level up their skills, and equip and upgrade their cards. The highest level you can raise your character to is equal to the level of your Office, which increases as you play the story and spend Pizza, the currency of the game’s stamina system.

If you have a Google Pixel, this update is one of the rare and necessary ones

There is no clue about when exactly this kernel update might arrive, but it should significantly improve your Google Pixel.

We all know that Google has entered the world of mobile phones on a good note. Since it let third parties take care of creating the Pixel, the company has improved the features and capabilities of its smartphone line.

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Well, after a truly successful launch of the Pixel 8, it seems that Google is rolling out a rare but very welcome update for several models of the Pixel family. At least those powered by a Tensor chipset (Pixel 6 from 2021 onwards).

This comes from the informant Mishaal Rahman, who has detected signs of the imminent update in comments attached to a recent Android update, left by Google software engineers. In the update, they would touch the kernel for the first time.

What are we talking about

In simple terms, the core of a chipset is the low-level software that runs directly on the hardware: the basic code that communicates between the silicon and the Android operating system.

The kernel is involved in almost everything that happens on a phone, from memory management to security controls.

In the case of Google’s Pixel processors, the cores are based on Linux. The Pixel Tensor G1 and G2 currently use Linux 5.10, while the Pixel Tensor G3 (the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro) are on Linux 5.15. It seems that all these models, including the upcoming Google Pixel 9, will soon be updated to Linux 6.1.

Very low-level improvements

Since this software code is such a fundamental part of how a phone operates, it is rarely ever updated on existing phones: new versions require a lot of testing and implementation work to ensure that no unexpected issues arise in the way a device functions.

However, these kernel updates can bring many advantages. They ensure compatibility with newer components, help protect against the latest security threats, and can improve device efficiency.

There is no clue about when this kernel update could arrive exactly, but it should improve your Pixel phone when it does. Don’t expect a new list of features like the ones we get with Android updates.

When the time comes, Google should deploy these kernel updates via OTA, just like Android updates are applied. You won’t have to do anything to install them, except restart your phone when prompted.