Starting today, Google’s ChromeOS 130 update with Quick Insert, Focus Mode, Welcome Recap, and other features is rolling out. Chromebook Plus models with NPU also get exclusive special features in 130, such as the new recorder app with AI, enhanced mic, camera effects, and Gemini AI tools like “help me read” summaries.

There’s a long list of changes in 130, but here are some highlights. Quick Insert is a way to add emoji, GIFs, or links to recently visited sites and access AI features from a menu. On most devices, that means using the launcher or Google button plus f on your keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook to replace the launcher key with a new button that activates Quick Insert with a single press, but more devices launching next year will have it, too.

Focus Mode lets you activate do not disturb and schedule time to reduce distractions while you work, while Welcome Recap is an opt-in feature that summarizes whatever you were doing last so you can reopen apps and tabs to get back to work quickly.

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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Groomed at the age of 8

‘Problems with the design of Snapchat’

Record offending

As it continues its painstaking search for microbial life on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover has also been reporting other other-worldly happenings occurring during its adventures.

Just recently, for example, one of its many onboard cameras captured some remarkable footage of a solar eclipse as Phobos — one of Mars’ two moons — passed between the red planet and the sun.

“Ever feel like someone’s watching you?” Perseverance said in a post on social media that included the video of Phobos. “That’s how I felt when I observed this transit of the martian moon Phobos! The pupil in this ‘googly eye’ is the potato-shaped moon, and the iris is our sun.”

Ever feel like someone's watching you?

That's how I felt when I observed this transit of the Martian moon Phobos! The pupil in this "googly eye" is the potato-shaped moon, and the iris is our Sun. Learn more: https://t.co/jUYoXY1jpK pic.twitter.com/7izVWOHEPH

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— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) October 30, 2024

“Captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z on September 30, the 1,285th martian day of Perseverance’s mission, the event took place when the potato-shaped moon passed directly between the sun and a point on the surface of Mars, obscuring a large part of the Sun’s disc,” NASA’s JET Propulsion Laboratory, which is overseeing the rover mission, said in a post on its website. “At the same time that Phobos appeared as a large black disc rapidly moving across the face of the sun, its shadow, or antumbra, moved across the planet’s surface.”

Named after the god of fear and panic in Greek mythology by astronomer Asaph Hall in 1877, Phobos is about 157 times smaller in diameter than Earth’s moon, and is only about 17 miles (27 kilometers) at its widest point, compared to the 2,159.2 miles (3,475 kilometers) of Earth’s moon.

NASA’s Mars rovers have been capturing footage of Phobos since 2004, providing scientists with plenty of data to learn more about it. For example, it’s been found that Phobos’ orbit is almost perfectly in line with Mars’ equator and relatively close to the planet’s surface, causing a fast orbit in which it loops around Mars in a mere 7.6 hours. Phobos is moving closer to Mars by about six feet every 100 years, a descent that suggests it will collide with the planet — or break up due to gravitational stresses — in about 50 million years’ time.

There are a variety of email apps for Android on the Play Store. Several developers of the major desktop email clients have developed versions for mobile devices. However, there is one in particular from Mozilla that, after more than two decades, was still lost from the ecosystem. That just changed with the release of an official Thunderbird app for Android.

After a long wait, Thunderbird receives an official app for Android

The name Mozilla probably sounds familiar to you, as it is the developer of the popular Firefox web browser. The nonprofit foundation is also responsible for other useful open-source tools. In addition to Firefox, Mozilla offers Thunderbird as a fairly popular email client. The primary focus of the app was desktop computers and laptops. Now, Mozilla is changing its strategy by releasing an official version of its email client for Android.

Interestingly, Firefox has had a mobile app for years, so it’s intriguing that it took so long for Thunderbird to have one. Anyway, the wait is finally over. Mozilla had already released a beta version of the official Thunderbird app for Android in early October. It seems that everything went well during the beta, as it didn’t take Mozilla long to roll out a stable version for everyone.

App developed on the K-9 email client code

It’s noteworthy that Thunderbird isn’t exactly a development from scratch. Its developers built it on the open-source code of K-9, a veteran email app that Mozilla acquired. Mozilla has been working on the Thunderbird app for Android since 2022 with direct collaboration from the original K-9 team. So, if you were a K-9 user back in the day, you might see some similar features. However, everything looks much more modern, and the new client includes a plethora of new options inherited from the desktop client.

If you want to give Thunderbird a try, you can download it from the Play Store right now.

A new report from Mistplay sheds light on some of the behaviors of mobile gamers and their relationship with their games — including how monetization affects them. According to their 2024 Mobile Gaming Growth Report, mobile growth in 2025 is going to be marked by new marketing initiatives and new monetization models as developers and game creators attempt to user acquisition costs and scale revenue. Mobile gaming creators are also predicted to use brand collaborations and reward programs to reinvigorate user interest and retention.

According to Mistplay, mobile gaming faces several challenges when it comes to keeping players invested in their games — the goal is to avoid users “churning” out of a game and never returning to play. One of the findings in the report shows that there are several causes for player churn: 77% of gamers surveyed say they leave due to poor balance between gameplay and monetization, and 66% say it’s a similar dissonance between gameplay and in-game ads.

Ramanand Reddi, Mistplay’s Chief Product Officer, said in a statement, “As mobile game publishers face continued challenges heading into 2025, the core opportunity lies in rethinking the traditional approach to growth and manifesting that mindset across all teams. Those who can fully embrace adaptability and innovation, to drive incremental revenue and combat rising [customer acquisition cost], will ultimately unlock sustainable growth for their games.”

Player advertising and alternative monetization

Mistplay’s report shows that one of the most reliable methods for reaching new players is in-app advertising. 67% of players report finding new games in that fashion, with a large amount of gamers also reporting finding new titles on social platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. However, the report also shows that 48% of players report being overwhelmed by the amount of games being offered — meaning there is a point of oversaturation.

Another part of the report also details more about consumer behaviors. According to Mistplay, 75% of players do extra steps before installing a new app, including researching for more information and reading reviews, meaning that maintaining a good reputation is another important factor in avoiding player churn. Players report to Mistplay that they have left a game because it “feels too pay-to-win” (77%) and because of disruptive ads (71%).

Given how informed players are, Mistplay suggests that game developers can offer alternative monetization options. These can include subscriptions, premium titles (where the whole game has a single set cost) and direct-to-consumer web shops. At present, some of these options aren’t as successful with consumers as others — only 14% of players surveyed have engaged with DTC shops. But the report also shows there is room for growth with those options.

Mistplay’s report reads: “DTC web shops are an emerging strategy, rapidly scaling alongside a resurgence of subscription models and continued exploration of IP collaborations for new IAP. This shift aims to improve margins, diversify beyond the traditional app store monopolies, and adapt to changing player behaviors. Investing in these up-and-coming monetization models early will open the door to growing [lifetime value] as adoption rates increase over time.”