Tag: Phones and Gadgets

Adi Shankar’s creativity knows no boundaries. Well, initially, the man gained huge fanfare after coming up with Castlevania, which ran from 2017 to 2021. And now, with Devil May Cry, he has doubled fans’ expectations for his future projects. With his badass characters, dialogues, and 2000s vibe, the anime started capturing millions of hearts within a couple of hours of its release. While every episode of Devil May Cry was a thrilling ride, the final moments hit differently.

The White Rabbit Had a Great Fall

The White Rabbit is the ultimate villain of Netflix’s Devil May Cry. Well, he isn’t a major character in the video games, but Adi Shankar made him one in the 2025 reboot project. And I’m glad he introduced us to the badass manga-inspired villain. That’s because he made the story way more intriguing for us and for the main protagonist as well. 

White Rabbit wanted a homeland for the demons of Makai, also known as hell, where they could live peacefully. The Demon world was full of toxins, and no one, including the demons, could live there. So, he wanted to merge the human and demon realms so that the latter could survive. The ambition of the White Rabbit led him to a war against humans and the Darkcom. 

During the final fight, the blade of one of the White Rabbit’s minions touches Mary, paralyzing her. However, before she gets killed, Dante makes a heroic entry and kills the demon who is supposed to kill Mary. The White Rabbit looks at him and says, ‘Before we begin, don’t you want to visit your father’s homeland?’ Dante agrees to go with him, but he asks the White Rabbit not to do anything to Mary.

After returning, Dante clashes with the White Rabbit and his army. While he is combating the demon army, the White Rabbit removes his mask and reveals his true identity to Mary. After that, the episode shows a flashback in which Mary and her peers kill the White Rabbit’s loved ones. Mary ridicules him and says that she should’ve known that such psychotic ruthlessness only a human can have.

White Rabbit is determined to kill her, but before he can do any harm to the Lady, Dante distracts him, and after that, the two engage in a duel. The former knows that Dante will not spare his life this time, so he falls into the river to protect himself. However, it isn’t the end for him; instead, he returns and consumes a demon. Following that scene, he transforms into a deadly monster who gets slashed by Dante in the concluding moments of the final episode.

William Baines Reveals His True Colors

William Baines has carried a clean reputation since the start. He makes the civilians of the U.S. believe that he is the savior of humanity who can go to any extent to save their kind. However, as the story moves forward, darker truths emerge. After White Rabbit falls into the river, Baines asks his soldiers to leave all the dead bodies of the demon facing up so that their photographs can make it to the front page of the newspaper. Dante asks Mary why she trusts the man who hasn’t done anything besides giving orders to the soldiers. He also mentions that Baines never really cared who among the soldiers died in the fight against the demons.

Mary explains that Baines may look hard, but he loves his people. However, the Vice President calls her an ‘attack dog’ the next moment while talking to a soldier.

”More of a trained attack dog, brimming with anger and violence that serve their purpose. Though sometimes she must be brought to heal”- William Baines

Baines also makes Mary feel useless when he asks her about the amulet, and all she can say is that she was paralyzed at that moment, so she doesn’t know where the necklace is.

Mary Betrays Dante

Following the fall of the White Rabbit, Dante seeks a partnership with Mary. He believes that the Lady is good enough to be taken as a partner-in-crime. Initially, she showed interest in the proposal, but we didn’t know she had some other plans for the future. After Dante turns his back toward her, Mary injects her with a serum and arrests him after he collapses. She says that now that she knows what Dante’s blood can do, she can’t take the risk of letting him go with Sparda’s sword.

An Unwanted Guest Arrives

During the fight with White Rabbit’s demon form, Dante learns that his brother, Vergil, is alive. However, he doesn’t know that Vergil is all grown up now, and he has nothing to do with humanity. In fact, he has transformed into a demon who is all set to push the sapiens to death. Well, that’s what his arrival at the end of the series suggests.

After freeing the demons from the prison and killing the guards, a knight stands in front of them and asks to show Mundus some gratitude, as he is the one to bless them with freedom. After that, the knight turns into Vergil, who says, ‘The sapiens and their armies don’t know what storm they ride into. I am that storm.’

Devil May Cry has laid a foundation for a potential second season that may bring Mundus and Vergil into action against Dante. 

We had a two-week-long wait since Minecraft Live revealed the upcoming update. Well, you can finally play the Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.80.25 preview, which introduces ‘happy ghasts’ and related content like dried ghast blocks, baby ghastlings, and a ghast-riding harness. Beyond these new creatures and items, the update also features ‘Vibrant Visuals,’ a consequential graphical change in the game’s history. With that said, let us dive into the full Minecraft 1.21.80.25 preview update notes.

Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25 Brings Vibrant Visuals

The Vibrant Visuals is a toggle option in the Experimental tab in the Create New World or Edit World screens. Once you have it enabled, Vibrant Visuals will be showing as an option in the in-game Video Settings Graphics Mode dropdown. You can select this option alongside the other existing rendering modes. As expected, Vibrant Visuals brings a next-gen-like experience to Minecraft.

You will have two presets from “Favor Visuals” and “Favor Performance“. To manually adjust the Vibrant Visuals in Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25, expand “Vibrant Visuals Options”.

Currently, Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25 works on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. Here is a list of specifications you will need to run the game on Android, iOS, and PC:

• Android: Adreno 640, Mali-G68, Mali-G77, or Xclipse 530 or higher
• iOS: A12 or M1 or higher
• PC: Running Minecraft on DX12

Moreover, the Split-Screen mode will not work with Vibrant Visuals. If multiple players are joined locally, the game will automatically switch to Fancy or Simple rendering. Although the marketplace Add-Ons, Skins, and Persona items will work with Vibrant Visuals, Worlds and Texture Packs are not compatible with the new mode at this time.

Ghasts Are Here in Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25

Ghast Blocks

The update finally brings the cute flying blocks. The game has brought the Dried Ghast Block, found in Nether Fossils or crafted from bone blocks and ghast tears. When waterlogged, it progresses through three stages over 20 minutes, emitting sounds and particles, ultimately spawning a Ghastling. Mining or removing water resets its state.

Ghastlings

Ghastlings, young Happy Ghasts, spawn from fully waterlogged Dried Ghast Blocks and follow players or passive mobs within 16 blocks. If no target is present, they idle near their spawn point. They can be tempted and fed with snowballs, and mature into Happy Ghasts after 20 minutes (faster with snowballs).

Happy Ghasts

Happy Ghasts are flying mounts for up to four players, controlled by the first rider. They are equipped with a harness and tempted by snowballs (harness tempting requires no harness). They do not panic when damaged, regenerate health (faster in rain/snow or at cloud level), and have a known health issue (currently 40, should be 20).

When mounted, the Happy Ghast’s goggles lower and align with cardinal directions. Dismounting players causes it to descend before roaming. They idle within 64 blocks of their home, or 32 blocks when harnessed, and stay near blocks. They cannot enter boats. The update also includes an updated Ghast texture.

A Ghast Harness Item Is Also Here

The new harness item allows players to ride Happy Ghasts, accommodating up to four riders simultaneously. Crafted from three leather, two glass blocks, and a wool block, the harness inherits the wool’s color and can be re-dyed. It exclusively works on Happy Ghasts and can be removed with shears, but only when the Ghast is unmounted.

Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25 Other Changes

Besides the highlight changes above, the Minecraft Preview brings a lot of other changes. These are:

• Cameras:
  • The smoothing transition between moving targets is improved when the “Experimental Creator Camera Features” toggle is enabled.
• Experiments:
  • Introduced the “Custom Components V2” experimental feature.
• Graphical:
  • Implemented a new lighting model for clouds within the “Deferred Technical Preview,” with non-configurable lighting parameters.
  • Extended the cloud rendering distance in the “Deferred Technical Preview.”
    Added pixelated reflections to the “Deferred Technical Preview,” causing reflections to align with texture texel grids.
• Character Creator:
  • Resolved an issue where custom skins displayed an incorrectly sized player model (MCPE-189739).
• Blocks:
  • Standardized the random offset range and values for flowers to match Java Edition.
  • Aligned the random offset range and values for Bamboo, Hanging Roots, Mangrove Propagule, and Nether Sprouts with Java Edition.
  • Standardized the random offset range and values for Coral Fans and Coral Plants with Java Edition.
  • Aligned the random offset range and values for double tall plants (e.g., sunflowers) with Java Edition.
  • Standardized the random offset range and values for Pointed Dripstone, Tall Grass, and Dry Grass with Java Edition.
• Editor:
  • Enabled saving structure field edits directly from within the structure panel.
• Gameplay:
  • Corrected a bug allowing players to sprint faster than swim in water.
• General:
  • Enabled the “Filter Profanity” toggle on PlayStation platforms.
• Mobs:
  • Fixed an issue where farmer villagers would occasionally become stuck while harvesting crops (MCPE-166344).
• Music:
  • Resolved a bug preventing credits music from playing when accessed via the settings menu during a paused game (MCPE-190625).
• Recipes:
  • Corrected a bug where players could craft unknown recipes despite the “dolimitedcrafting” gamerule being active (MCPE-186699).

These are all the new features introduced in the latest Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25. What do you think about the new Vibrant Visuals? Let us know in the comments below!

So, here’s a head-turner straight out of Amazon’s labs: they’ve quietly launched a rather intriguing feature called “Buy for Me.” Think of it this way – if you’ve ever stumbled upon something online that Amazon doesn’t stock themselves, well, now they’re offering to be your personal shopper. This all unfolds right within the familiar Amazon Shopping app, where “Buy for Me” has just popped up in beta.

Peeking Under the Hood of “Buy for Me”

A Limited Sneak Peek for Now

Now, before we get too excited, it’s important to know this is a limited-time experiment. Right now, it’s only live “for a select group of customers” across the US, specifically those using iOS and Android devices. Plus, the initial rollout involves just a handful of brand stores and their products.

But Keep Your Eyes Peeled for More

The good news? The company isn’t stopping there. According to their latest info, they plan to launch this feature in a broader audience with plans to onboard more brand stores and their product catalogs down the line.

How Does “Buy for Me” Actually Work?

Powered by That AI Buzzword: “Agentic AI”

Yes, you got it right, there’s another AI technology involved in this and it’s called “agentic AI” – that phrase you can’t seem to escape these days. Here’s how it works:

Navigating Search Results, With a Twist

When you enter a search query within the Amazon app, you’ll still see the typical results from Amazon itself and its marketplace sellers. But here’s where it gets interesting: Amazon mentions that “in some instances, you’ll also spot relevant products from other stores tucked away in a separate section of the search results.”

The Nitty-Gritty of Making a Purchase

This new section is clearly labeled “Shop brand sites directly.” And for some of the items listed there, you’ll notice a “Buy for Me” link. Just tap on what catches your eye, and you’ll land on the product’s page. If you then hit that “Buy for Me” button, Amazon steps in to make the purchase on your behalf, going directly to the brand’s website. You’ll still checkout using your Amazon credentials, and then, behind the scenes, Amazon securely shares your encrypted name, address, and payment details to complete the transaction on the brand’s site.

Your Privacy, Their Priority?

Amazon is keen to emphasize that they can’t peek at your past or separate orders from any of these brand websites.

Keeping Tabs on Your Adventures Beyond Amazon

Once Amazon has finalized the purchase on your behalf, you’ll get the standard order confirmation email from the brand’s store, just like you normally would. And to keep an eye on things, you can track your order’s journey within the “Your Orders” section of the Amazon app, specifically in a new tab labeled “Buy for Me Orders.” One crucial detail to keep in mind, though: when it comes to things like delivery hiccups, returns, exchanges, or any questions you might have, you’ll be dealing directly with the brand store, not Amazon. They’re just the facilitator here.

Dandadan was one of the most popular anime to premiere last year. The 12-episode anime series won everyone’s hearts with its incredible animation and unique take on the horror and sci-fi genres. If you ever wondered what chaos would befall the world if Ghosts and Aliens existed in the same universe, Dandadan plays around with the same idea. Since Dandadan Season 1 was incredibly popular, it was quickly announced that there would be a second season. Well, we finally have a release date for Dandadan Season 2.

The studio has recently confirmed that the much-awaited Dandadan Season 2 will debut on July 3, 2025. So, we are only a few months away from getting new episodes of the popular anime series. Interestingly, the studio also announced that the first three episodes of Season 3 will have a theatrical release outside Japan. In Asia, these episodes will release on May 30, whereas the theatrical release dates for North America and Europe will be June 6 and 7, respectively.

From the beginning of Marvel Rivals, Emma Frost has been the most-wanted character for most of us fans. Well, the wait is finally over as NetEase Games has revealed the Marvel Rivals Season 2 ‘Hellfire Gala’ trailer. In the trailer, Emma Frost and Ultron have been confirmed as the next two characters. Keep reading as we share when Emma Frost is coming into the game, her abilities, and more.

Emma Frost Release Date in Marvel Rivals

Emma Frost comes to Marvel Rivals on April 11, 2025, right at the start of Season 2: Hellfire Gala. You’ll get to play her at 1 AM PST (4 AM EDT), as soon as the Marvel Rivals event for Season 2 begins. Here is a character reveal trailer of The White Queen:

Emma Frost Role and Abilities in Marvel Rivals

As per the reveal, Emma Frost is a Vanguard character, which is rare for any female characters in the game. Peni Parker is the only female character in Marvel Rivals with the Vanguard role. This means the developers planned a strong mechanic for the wealthy socialite, fashion icon, and powerful telepath. Her ability to design showcases a firm telepathic grip over her enemies, contemplating her powers from the original comics.

Emma can block damage, deal constant cheap damage, or just mind-control enemies as she pleases. She can also transform into a melee form that makes her a sturdier tank. Here is a list of all of Emma Frost’s abilities in Marvel Rivals:

Human Form

• Primary Attack (Left Click) – Psychic Ray, a normal attack that constantly damages enemies in sight.
• Secondary Attack (Right Click) – Psychic Barrier that can block projectiles, including Iron Man’s ultimate.
• E – Mind Crush pulls out a totem to attack that damages the enemy if destroyed.
• Shift – Change to Diamond form.

Diamond Form

• Primary Attack (Left Click) – Punches: This helps you use the diamond hands to punch down enemies with more damage.
• Secondary Attack (Right Click) – Diamond Kick that knocks back and damages if they hit a wall, similar to Black Widow’s kick.
• E – Diamond Back Slam is her E skill that lets you grab the enemy in front and dunk them to the ground.
• Shift – Change to Human form.

Emma Frost Ultimate

As we can see in the character reveal, Emma Frost uses her ultimate to lure enemies toward her. Once she uses her ultimate, the enemies slowly start walking toward her, and it speeds up as the diamond charge fills up. Enemies can dodge the effect by using escape abilities before the charge-up completes.

Emma Frost Team Up Ability

Emma Frost will have a unique team-up ability, allowing her to generate illusionary projections of Magneto and Psylocke. She originates this power, similar to Hulk’s role in the Gamma team-up. These illusions serve as diversions rather than dealing direct damage. Speculation exists that Jean Grey, an upcoming Marvel Rivals leaked character might also have a team-up ability with Emma.

So, are you tuning in on April 11th to try your hand at The White Queen? Which one of these Emma Frost abilities are you more excited to use in Marvel Rivals? Do tell us in the comments.

Microsoft is celebrating its Golden Jubilee and on this occasion, we decided to look back upon five of the most significant apps that the tech giant has come out with in every decade since its inception. From Word to Teams, let’s take a recap at how Microsoft changed the digital world, one iconic app at a time.

1. Microsoft Word (1983)

Let’s start off by talking about one of the oldest and still most used program by Microsoft, MS Word. This word processing tool was originally shipped as Multi-Tool Word for MS DOS in 1983. It’s key features back then was that you could control it with a mouse. MS Word 1.0 could display bold, italics and underlined text. Sad to say, the original version didn’t turn out to be the hit we know it today.

In fact, it wasn’t until the early 90s when it started gaining traction. By then, it was renamed to MS Word. This is one of the most popular word processing tool in the world period. Microsoft kept improving it in the later versions, and it became quite popular in offices and households as well. As of today, the MS Word is a part of Microsoft Office 365 suite.

2. MS Paint (1985)

MS Word might be my first program that I used on Windows, but MS Paint is where I spent most of my childhood. This popular program came out in 1985 as PC Paintbrush for MS DOS, with only monochrome color support and limited tools. Like Word, it was expanded upon in later releases, and became a big hit when it was shipped with Windows 95.

MS Paint was the go-to program for most kids, before the advent of internet and games. It allowed you to create simple sketches with its variety of tools, and even draw or perform basic edits on images. It still remains one of the highlights of Windows platform. One that is often looked upon fondly by the now grown up kids of the 90s.

3. Internet Explorer (1995)

Stepping into the World Wide Web in the late 90s, we have the infamous Internet Explorer. It was based on the source code of Mosaic, which was an even early internet browser. The first version of Internet Explorer shipped as part of the Internet Jumpstart Kit in the Microsoft Plus! Pack for Windows 95, which, of course, came in the year 1995.

Since it came bundled with Windows, the browser became an instant hit, peaking around 2003. That is, until the release of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Both of them offered far better browsing performance over what Microsoft had offered, and by the time they fixed the issues, it was already too late. Chrome significantly took over Internet Explorer by the turn of the 2000s.

Soon after, Internet Explorer was succeeded by Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer couldn’t manage to make a dent in the industry, but it did bless us with hilarious memes. Some of which still manage to get a chuckle out of me even to this day. In the third decade of Microsoft, the company also launched Outlook, which was a personal email client and Windows Movie Maker.

4. Skype (Acquired in 2011)

We’re cheating here a little bit since Skype isn’t something Microsoft developed, but an app which they acquired. It was a popular solution for making calls over the internet, a novelty back in the day. Later on, it also added support for placing video calls over the internet as well. This seems like a pretty common thing today, but it was revolutionary back in the 2000s.

Even before Microsoft’s acquisition, Skype had over 500 million monthly active users as it connected people across the globe. This number grew to a billion users after the acquisition in 2011. But Microsoft failed to innovate it any further, and other apps started to catch up. I fondly remember not wanting to use it because it had too many steps. Compare it to WhatsApp, where placing calls feels seamless.

So by 2020, Skype was on a downward trajectory, and Microsoft didn’t do much to save it either. While the app had a major cultural significance over the history of the internet, it couldn’t manage to make it big. Microsoft has announced that they will be retiring Skype in May 2025. So by the time you’re reading this, this once popular video calling app might have become a relic of the past.

5. Microsoft Teams (2017)

Microsoft Teams is the successor to Skype. The app came to being as a competitor to Slack in 2017, but little did the folks at Microsoft knew that they unintentionally dropped an alternative to Skype. It also allowed you to do voice and video calls over the internet, but it was more oriented towards business and enterprise users. It offered a collaborative environment, and offered hundreds of users to join in on a call at the same time.

The app became a necessity during the COVID-19 period, when everyone was restricted to their homes. At this time, Teams saw monumental growth, and even after the pandemic, became a popular option among users. As of May 2024, Microsoft Teams has a little over 300 million monthly active users. I am sure that number has only increased this year.

With this, we come to the end of our list. From Word to Teams, Microsoft has had a rollercoaster of a ride over the past 50 years. And I bet if it wasn’t for these programs, the company would have been in a completely different place right now. It will be interesting to keep tabs on the company and see what new innovations they bring with the turn of another decade.

After terrorising fans with the preview of what would happen if we give an ever-learning Artificial Intelligence a body in Megan (2023), the overprotective, creepy, and lethal android is coming back with Megan 2.0. Earlier, we got a teaser for this movie, but now, we have a full-length trailer at our hands and overall, it seems like this time around, Megan will appear in a somewhat positive role.

Now, one would wonder what caused this change of heart, or more appropriately, change of coding, and the answer is the rise of another bloodthirsty android named Amelia. So, without further ado, let’s talk more about Megan 2.0, its release date, who’s playing Amelia, and everything we saw in the trailer.

What Is Megan 2.0’s Release Date?