Author: sparta

    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Google Play Unveils Its 2025 Best Apps and Games Selection
    Google Play Unveils Its 2025 Best Apps and Games Selection

    The conclusion of 2025 is drawing near, which signifies the emergence of the “best of the year” compilations. The Google Play Best of 2025 compilation will actually be released on Tuesday, as Google has identified this year’s champions across various categories, as detailed below. In a blog entry, Google mentioned that the Best of 2025 accolades “honor the exceptional apps, games, and books that have dazzled us with their brilliance, creativity, and quality.” The company further remarked that this “excellence reflects our relentless effort to transform Google Play into more than just a store, but into an experience completely tailored to you.” However, the primary importance for users and developers lies in the actual list of outstanding apps, games, and books that the company has disclosed. Owners of Android devices can download some of the following applications if they aren’t already using them, while developers can study them to gain insights into what captivates consumers and Google regarding app design and content.

    The top app of 2025 is Focus Friend by Hank Green, an application designed to assist you in finding your concentration. “It’s the crucial, beneficial (and adorable!) app we all required this year,” Google states. The leading overall game of 2025 is a Pokémon title, Pokémon TCG Pocket. Google clarifies that the game “surpassed expectations” to provide a genuine digital rendition of the legendary trading card game.

    Luminar, an AI application that enables users to generate “breathtaking, high-quality images,” is deemed the best multi-device application of 2025, according to Google. The racing game Disney Speedstorm has been recognized as Google Play’s best multi-device game of 2025. “From its stunning visuals to its responsive controls, every aspect has been fine-tuned for seamless play across PC, tablet, or mobile,” Google asserts.

    Google’s top apps and books of 2025

    Alongside the four major victors mentioned above, Google has also identified the top apps and games of 2025 for specific categories, as follows:

    Best apps of 2025:

    Best games of 2025:

    In addition to apps and games, Google has selected the best books of 2025 that are available on Google Play, featuring fiction, nonfiction, and children and teen titles. Here are two picks for each category, with additional selections available in Google’s blog post:

    Fiction:
    – Favorite fantasy: “The Raven Scholar” by Antonia Hodgson (ebook)(audiobook)
    – Favorite thriller: “Famous Last Words” by Gillian McAllister (ebook)(audiobook)

    Nonfiction:
    – Favorite memoir: “This American Woman” by Zarna Garg (ebook)(audiobook)
    – Favorite business book: “The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living” by Amina AlTai (ebook)(audiobook)

    Kids & Teens:
    – Favorite picture book: “Wind Watchers” by Micha Archer (ebook)
    – Favorite middle-grade book: “Very Bad at Math” by Hope Larson (ebook)

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on 9 Top Suggested Ikea Smart Home Electronics
    9 Top Suggested Ikea Smart Home Electronics

    essential smart home devices that you ought to incorporate into your setup. The wonderful aspect of Ikea is that it displays customer feedback on its main website, which is ideal for understanding what others are utilizing and their experiences to date. Fortunately for you, we’ve conducted the research and discovered nine Ikea smart home gadgets that users highly recommend.

    Symfonisk Sonos Wi-Fi Bookshelf Speaker

    The Symfonisk Sonos Wi-Fi Bookshelf Speaker presents a compact yet robust option for anyone aiming to enhance their home audio experience. It combines a sleek design with Sonos’ renowned sound quality, establishing it as an excellent choice within the speaker selection of Ikea smart home gadgets. Offered in both black and white, it integrates perfectly on shelves or desks without occupying excessive space. Additionally, it is compatible with all major music streaming platforms, allowing you to delve into a significantly larger library.

    This speaker is available for $179.99

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on New Legislation in California Expected to Change Online Browsing Habits
    New Legislation in California Expected to Change Online Browsing Habits

    already provides a similar option in the user settings of Firefox, so it isn’t exactly a new feature. However, despite the fact that Google’s new desktop web search application isn’t a conventional browser, it still allows web searching, making it intriguing to observe how user data will be managed there.

    What alterations does this new legislation bring?

    <

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Gemini 3 Pro Benchmark Results Unveiled Before Release
    Gemini 3 Pro Benchmark Results Unveiled Before Release

    the timeline for when Google will reveal Gemini 3 Pro remains uncertain, yet the next-gen Gemini AI model has surfaced in online leaks for the past few weeks, sparking theories that a launch could be on the horizon. Recently, there have been claims that Google might debut Gemini 3 Pro together with Nano Banana 2, the upcoming AI image model also disclosed in leaks. Fast-forward to mid-November, and details about the Gemini 3 Pro model card have emerged online, featuring benchmark tests that assess Google’s latest models against its prior version, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and its chief competitors, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5 and OpenAI’s recently launched GPT-5.1 model, which is currently the standard in ChatGPT.

    The document seems to be authentic, with user cheaty sharing a screenshot of the benchmark, a link to the Google page where the Gemini 3 Pro model card was located, and an archived download link for anyone to use to view the model card. The benchmark is

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Users Recommend This Complimentary Substitute for Adobe Photoshop
    Users Recommend This Complimentary Substitute for Adobe Photoshop

    Affinity icon on a computer screen with Canva app view displayed on mobile.

    Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

    Adobe’s Photoshop is a remarkable tool for photo editing and visual design with virtually no real competitors. While there are other options available, none quite rival the extensive array of features, user-friendly interface, and comprehensive tools that Photoshop offers. However, Adobe’s fees can be quite steep, and the company has made some frustratingly anti-consumer choices in recent years. This has led to actions from the FTC against the company. Therefore, it’s refreshing when new competition emerges, such as Affinity, a free Photoshop-inspired alternative now owned by Canva. It claims to provide genuine creative freedom with a multitude of photo editing and design tools within a single app. But is it worth trying?

    Both regular users and reviewers appear to be fond of it; some are contemplating abandoning Photoshop entirely. Available for Windows and macOS as a desktop application rather than a web app, Affinity offers integrated professional-quality photo-editing tools organized into distinct palettes. The application features separate workspaces or desktops for vector, pixel, and layout editing, allowing flexibility to use multiple tools simultaneously. Additionally, the interface can be customized to include all your preferred and frequently used features. An iPad version is expected to be released soon, and Affinity incorporates optional AI tools from Canva. In other words, you can choose to edit manually and completely avoid using the AI if you prefer. The primary requirement is that you must have a Canva account to access it and will need to log in to start the app.

    Is Affinity genuinely free, and will it remain free to use?

    <source media="(max-width: 428px)" srcset="https://www.bgr.com/img/gallery/users-swear-by-this-free-adobe-photoshop-alternative/is-affinity-truly-free-and-is-it-going-to-stay-free

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Acquire an Apple Watch Series 11 or Ultra 3 at a Low Expense via Fitness Rewards
    Acquire an Apple Watch Series 11 or Ultra 3 at a Low Expense via Fitness Rewards

    ### John Hancock’s Vitality Program: Obtain a Free Apple Watch Through Fitness

    For years, John Hancock has been offering its Vitality Plus life insurance program participants an inventive method to acquire an Apple Watch at a very low cost by encouraging frequent physical activity. Recently, the program has broadened to incorporate the new Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, giving even more choices for those focused on health. Here’s a comprehensive overview of how the program operates and how you can take advantage of it.

    #### Secure a Free Apple Watch as an Exercise Reward

    John Hancock’s Vitality program enables life insurance clients to accumulate “points” for participating in consistent exercise. These points can be used to reduce the monthly fees for a new Apple Watch. The journey starts with an initial payment of $25 plus tax for the watch, followed by 24 monthly payments. Notably, the more active you are, the lower your monthly costs will be.

    **Steps to Initiate:**
    1. Sign up for a Vitality member account and complete the Vitality Health Review (VHR).
    2. Purchase your Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 11, or Apple Watch Ultra 3 and make the initial $25 payment plus tax. Keep in mind that opting for a higher-tier model may necessitate an additional charge.
    3. Utilize your Apple Watch to monitor workouts across multiple categories, including walking, running, cycling, and swimming.

    #### How to Accumulate Points

    The monthly amount you pay for your Apple Watch directly correlates with the points you earn from exercising. Here’s the monthly payment framework based on accumulated points:

    **For the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3:**
    – **Zero points:** $15.50 each month
    – **240 points:** $12.25 each month
    – **360 points:** $7.00 each month
    – **500 points:** $0.00 each month

    **For the Apple Watch SE:**
    – **Zero points:** $9.25 each month
    – **240 points:** $7.25 each month
    – **360 points:** $4.25 each month
    – **500 points:** $0.00 each month

    **Accumulating Points:**
    – A “Standard” workout gives you 20 points daily, which consists of:
    – **Step count:** 10,000 steps
    – **Active calories:** Based on benchmarks from the Apple Health app for gender, height, and weight.
    – **Heart rate:** 60% of max heart rate for 30 minutes.

    – An “Advanced workout” yields 30 points per day, which encompasses:
    – **Step count:** 15,000 steps
    – **Active calories:** According to the Apple Health app standards.
    – **Heart rate:** 60% of max heart rate for 45 minutes.

    For additional details and to enroll, check out the

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Apple Faces Exit of Another Prominent Product Designer After Jonny Ive’s Departure
    Apple Faces Exit of Another Prominent Product Designer After Jonny Ive’s Departure

    Bloomberg. Chowdhury’s exit is viewed as particularly significant due to his “increasing visibility within the design team.” Apple’s industrial design group, which was previously led by Jony Ive, is among the most esteemed and vital teams in the organization. The team, by its very nature, is limited in size. Therefore, the departure of even one designer can lead to a substantial effect.

    Chowdhury first came on board at Apple as an industrial designer in January 2019. Throughout his nearly six years with the company, he likely contributed to the design of many Apple products. Bloomberg reports that he was instrumental in the creation of the iPhone Air. Importantly, reports of disappointing sales had no bearing on Chowdhury’s choice to leave the company. It is also noteworthy that the iPhone Air, from a design standpoint, ranks among the most remarkable products we’ve seen from Apple in quite a while.

    Apple’s design department has experienced numerous exits in recent years

    <img class="gallery-image " src="https://www.bgr.com/img/gallery/apple-loses-another-top-product-designer/apples-design-group-has-seen-numerous-departures-in-recent-years-176

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Cloudflare Service Interruption Affects X, ChatGPT, and Various Other Platforms
    Cloudflare Service Interruption Affects X, ChatGPT, and Various Other Platforms

    Cloudflare Outage Demonstrates How a Single Point Can Disrupt the Modern Internet

    What you should know:
    – Cloudflare—a critical internet infrastructure provider—has experienced a severe outage, disrupting a significant portion of the global web.
    – The situation was identified as a worldwide issue involving “extensive 500 errors” and an “internal server error.”
    – The breakdown rapidly incapacitated major services, including X, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, creative platform Canva, and favored online games like League of Legends.

    Typically, the internet is chaotic, but today, November 18, 2025, it ceased to function as a utility and transformed into a high-stakes, worldwide comedy of errors.

    Around 6:00 am ET, a substantial section of the internet went offline. The culprit was Cloudflare, a firm that provides essential network infrastructure for numerous websites. Thus, when it fails, the digital realm struggles to recover.

    Users attempting to access everything from X to the film review site Letterboxd encountered the universally dreaded “internal server error on Cloudflare’s network.”

    Cloudflare acknowledged this as a worldwide problem with “extensive 500 errors.” To complicate matters, the company’s own diagnostic tools and API also became nonfunctional, leaving the team addressing the issue without their usual support.

    The list of affected services was extensive, highlighting how integral Cloudflare is to our daily activities. Not only did social media platforms go offline, but AI applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT also became unavailable. Creative workers couldn’t access Canva, and famous online games like League of Legends were similarly down.

    One of the most ironic aspects of this outage was that services designed to monitor internet issues, such as Downdetector, were also impacted. When the site intended to report outages is also down, it indicates the severity of the predicament.

    Cloudflare conceded that the situation was serious, stating it was “investigating an issue that affects multiple customers.” The company did not provide a specific explanation, but it is notable that Cloudflare had scheduled maintenance at its Santiago (SCL) data center that same day, from 12:00 to 15:00 UTC.

    This outage mirrors previous major disruptions, like the infamous Amazon Web Services (AWS) failures. It underscores how heavily the modern internet relies on a few central infrastructure providers. Initial reports indicated some improvement in locations like the UK, but US users soon encountered additional error notifications.

    Read More
    • sparta
    • Comments Off on Lumia 2 Earrings Released with Enhanced Tracking Capabilities Exceeding Smartwatches
    Lumia 2 Earrings Released with Enhanced Tracking Capabilities Exceeding Smartwatches

    Step aside, intelligent rings.

    (Image credit: Lumia)

    Key information to consider

    • Lumia 2 introduces the first global smart earrings designed to monitor health indicators such as blood flow and sleep patterns.
    • These customizable earrings come in various styles and finishes, suited for different types of earrings utilizing cutting-edge ‘SwitchBack’ technology.
    • The earrings deliver comprehensive insights regarding hydration, nutrition, and posture, aiding personal health choices for a price of just $249.

    This represents the type of fashionable technology that I support. Fitness gadgets that effortlessly integrate with your style, resembling earrings, and the unique aspect is their customizability. Today (Nov. 17), Lumia unveiled the Lumia 2, the world’s inaugural smart earrings that monitor blood flow to your head.

    The company claims that the Lumia 2 is crafted from platinum and titanium and can be styled in multiple formats, including Huggie Hoops, Cuffs, and Ball Studs. They are offered in six finishes, notably Gold, Silver, and Clear. Moreover, they can attach to any push-back earring through their ‘SwitchBack’ technology, although this functionality is currently pending patent approval.

    Initially, these smart earrings were mainly aimed at assisting those with chronic ailments such as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and Long COVID, but Lumia has now declared that these earrings will be accessible to the general public.

    • sparta
    • Comments Off on WhatsApp Security Flaw Exposes 3.5 Billion Phone Numbers, Possibly Including Yours
    WhatsApp Security Flaw Exposes 3.5 Billion Phone Numbers, Possibly Including Yours

    ### WhatsApp Security Vulnerability Exposes Billions of Phone Numbers

    A major security flaw in WhatsApp has been uncovered, indicating that the phone numbers of nearly all users worldwide were compromised. This issue, initially reported to parent company Meta in 2017, went unresolved for years, leading to a potential data exposure of unparalleled magnitude.

    #### The Nature of the Exploit

    Security experts discovered a simple exploit that permitted them to extract around 3.5 billion phone numbers from the messaging service. The experts observed that had malicious actors taken advantage of this same technique, it could have resulted in “the largest data breach in history.” The exploit leverages WhatsApp’s feature that enables users to verify if a phone number is registered on the platform, which unintentionally aids in the large-scale collection of user information.

    #### Historical Context and Oversight

    The vulnerability was first highlighted by another security researcher in 2017, who noted that WhatsApp did not set any restrictions on the number of phone number checks that could be executed. Despite this early alert, Meta did not implement necessary safeguards over the years. Recently, researchers from the University of Vienna managed to exploit the same vulnerability, successfully compiling the phone numbers of nearly all WhatsApp users in a brief period.

    #### The Scale of the Exposure

    The researchers reported that they were able to capture the first 30 million US phone numbers in just thirty minutes, continuing their efforts to amass data on a grand scale. Aljosha Judmayer, one of the researchers involved, remarked, “To the best of our knowledge, this signifies the most extensive exposure of phone numbers and associated user information ever recorded.”

    #### Responsible Disclosure and Response

    Upon discovering the breach, the researchers responsibly deleted the database of phone numbers and alerted Meta. Nonetheless, Meta took around six months to enforce a rate-limiting measure intended to curb such widespread exploitation in the future. WhatsApp has asserted that it was in the process of developing a solution and stated there is no record of malicious exploitation of the vulnerability before the researchers’ intervention.

    #### Conclusion

    This event highlights the critical necessity for prompt actions in response to security vulnerabilities, particularly in popular platforms like WhatsApp. The exposure of billions of phone numbers not only raises concerns about privacy but also emphasizes the need for strong security protocols to safeguard user information. As the digital environment continues to change, companies must emphasize user security to avert similar occurrences in the future.

    Read More