Expanded billing choice and lower fees on Google Play

I thought my old Android phone was useless, but this app turned it into a great gaming handheld

Beacon Game Launcher is an Android app that unifies multiple emulators and Android games into a single console-like interface. Rather than emulating anything itself, it acts as a front-end that scans local game folders, scrapes artwork and metadata, and presents everything in a gamepad-first UI with multiple view options (gallery, grid, list, PS Vita-style bubbles). The author argues that the biggest gap in Android retro gaming has always been the fragmented front-end experience, and Beacon solves that — making an old Android phone paired with a gamepad a viable budget gaming handheld.

3 simple settings I changed to stop my Pixel from overheating

Ba cài đặt đơn giản giúp giảm nhiệt cho Pixel 10 Pro: kích hoạt Adaptive Charging (trì hoãn sạc 20% cuối đến gần thời điểm sử dụng), bật Adaptive Battery (hạn chế hiệu suất app dựa trên thói quen dùng máy) và vô hiệu hóa hoạt động nền của các app cụ thể. Những thay đổi này không loại bỏ hoàn toàn tình trạng nóng máy nhưng có thể kéo dài tuổi thọ pin theo thời gian.

Lập trình viên nên đọc bài này để hiểu cách tối ưu hóa hiệu suất thiết bị Android—không chỉ giúp máy Pixel 10 Pro hoạt động ổn định hơn trong các ứng dụng nặng mà còn tiết kiệm pin và giảm stress cho bộ xử lý khi phát triển ứng dụng yêu cầu nhiều tài nguyên.

4 apps I always remove from every Samsung Galaxy phone

A Samsung Galaxy user shares four preinstalled apps they always remove: Samsung Browser (replaced by Chrome for cross-device consistency), Samsung Notes (replaced by Google Keep for web accessibility), Samsung TV Plus (unused ad-supported streaming service), and Samsung Global Goals (a charity app they prefer not to use). The author clarifies these aren't truly bloatware — they're decent apps — but cross-platform compatibility with iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Windows PC makes Samsung's ecosystem apps redundant for their workflow.

I turned an old Android phone into a home server, and it outperformed my Raspberry Pi

An old Android phone running Termux can serve as a capable home server that outperforms a Raspberry Pi in several ways. The phone's UFS storage is significantly faster than microSD cards commonly used in Pi setups, and even older flagship Android chips tend to be more powerful than typical SBC processors. Setup involves installing Termux, disabling battery optimization, and assigning a static IP. Services like Jellyfin, Tailscale, ad-blockers, file servers, and lightweight databases run well. The main caveat is battery longevity when kept plugged in constantly, which a smart plug can help manage.

Control an Android Phone with Gemini 3.5 Flash Computer Use

Gemini 3.5 Flash has built-in Computer Use capability that lets it control Android devices by analyzing screenshots and issuing structured actions like taps, swipes, and text input. This guide walks through setting up an Android emulator on Mac without Android Studio, installing Python dependencies, and running an agent loop that connects the Google GenAI SDK with ADB to execute model-requested actions. Supported mobile actions include open_app, click, type, long_press, drag_and_drop, press_key, go_back, wait, list_apps, and take_screenshot, all using a normalized 0-999 coordinate grid. The guide also covers connecting to physical or remote devices and notes on extending to iOS, adding production robustness, and handling safety decisions.

Google Finance gets a dedicated app for Android

Google has launched a dedicated Android app for Google Finance, offering watchlists, real-time market data, live financial news, and an AI-powered 'Key Moments' feature that explains stock movements. An iOS version is planned for later. The move puts Google in direct competition with Yahoo Finance and Robinhood. Alongside the app, Google is rolling out portfolio tracking globally on the web, letting users view holdings in a single dashboard and interact with an AI research tool using natural-language queries. New AI task features allow users to set up automated briefings and performance summaries based on their watchlists or portfolios.

4 useful widgets I always add to every Pixel phone right away

A personal rundown of four home screen widgets the author adds to every Pixel phone: Google Keep for quick note access, Google Clock for at-a-glance alarm confirmation, The Weather Network for daily planning, and Google Calendar for a simplified view of the day's meetings. Each widget is chosen for speed and convenience over opening the full app.