Download of the Week

Minecraft's final major release of the year introduces an eerie new biome: the Pale Garden. This mysterious adventure brings a new mob, the Creaking, along with exciting additions like Pale Oak trees, Creaking Heart blocks, and Eyeblossoms.

Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project have joined forces to introduce the Mullvad Browser, which promises not to collect user data and prioritize privacy. The browser defaults to private mode and blocks third-party trackers.

Bluesky's latest feature is the ability to sort replies by "hotness," sparking mixed reactions, however it does reflect the platform's ongoing efforts to position itself as a true alternative to X/Twitter.

JetBrains Rider is now free for non-commercial use, introduces support for .NET 9, advanced debugging features, AI-powered in-editor prompts, customizable chat models, and new tools designed for game and remote development.

PHP 8.4 marks a significant milestone for the language, introducing property hooks which reduces boilerplate code, asymmetric visibility, and an updated DOM API. Alongside these, the update delivers performance improvements, bug fixes, and general cleanup.

While nowhere near as powerful as macOS' new iPhone screen mirroring feature, Microsoft Phone Link enables you view photos, answer calls, and reply messages straight from your Windows desktop. It works with both Android and iPhone devices.

FreeCAD 1.0 brings a host of enhancements, including UI/UX improvements, a revamped materials system, mitigation for topological naming issues, and an integrated assembly workbench, among other updates.

Blender introduces an enhanced Grease Pencil toolset, new brush assets, real-time lighting effects, and more. Additional features include improved light and shadow linking to illuminate specific objects and experimental Vulkan backend GPU support.

Previously exclusive to paid subscribers, the ChatGPT desktop app for Windows is now accessible to free users. Like its web and mobile counterparts, the app includes features such as ChatGPT search and voice mode. It is compatible with Windows 10 and 11.

Popular and free Photoshop alternative GIMP is nearing the release of its stable 3.0 version (after two decades of 2.x). This version introduces a refreshed logo, enhanced stroke selection options, and multiple quality-of-life improvements.

Starting today, VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion are available for free on both personal and commercial environments. This shift means VMware has discontinued its paid Pro versions, and the free applications now include all the features previously available in the Pro versions.

Signal's new call links eliminate the need to create groups beforehand. Instead, users can simply generate a link that can be shared. These links are reusable, and group calls can accommodate up to 50 people.

Telegram has released its first official build for Arm-based PCs. This new Windows version also resolves issues with video playback cutoffs caused by recompression and enhances video message recording on macOS.

Steam Game Recording is now officially available to all users, allowing PC, Mac, and Steam Deck players to record and share audio and video from their games. Additionally, this Steam update is the first to discontinue support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.

PowerToys 0.86 introduces a cleaner UI by grouping utilities in the navigation panel. While no new tools have been added, the Advanced Paste feature gains new "Image to Text" and "Paste to File" options, supporting text, PNG, and HTML.

Firefox now blocks third-party cookies when enhanced tracking is set to Strict mode. Firefox 132 also introduces 4K video playback for streaming services via Microsoft PlayReady, reducing battery drain and enhancing performance when watching movies.

Chrome's new Performance Detection identifies performance issues and suggests fixes, like deactivating resource-heavy tabs. You can manage alerts with "Fix now" or disable the feature in Settings.

Vivaldi 7 debuts today with a redesigned UI featuring floating tabs, new icons, and themes, and a reimagined dashboard that organizes mail, calendar, feeds, tasks, and even notes.

WhatsApp is making changes so you can now save contacts directly to your WhatsApp account, independent of the phone's contact book. This could simplify phone migration and backups as well as messaging contact management to an extent.

The Opera browser has received a new major release: One R2 improves AI image generation, dynamic themes include glass elements, and tab management has been improved with split screen.

Minecraft - Bundles of Bravery introduces Mojang's toughest survival mode to date, new bundles that expand storage of your slots, and a laundry list of other improvements and bug fixes.

WinDirStat helps you visually monitor disk space usage for files and folders. After 19 years, version 2.0.1 has been released, bringing major improvements and new features.

Windows users can now access the ChatGPT desktop app, albeit an early version limited to paid users. GPT can be summoned using the Alt + Space shortcut, though some options available on Mac and the web aren't yet included.

Chrome now supports passkeys not only on Android but also on Windows, macOS, and Linux desktops. Additionally, you can set up a PIN for easy access to your passkeys on the go.

Firefox 131.0.2 includes a security fix for a vulnerability actively exploited in the wild, where attackers can achieve code execution by exploiting a use-after-free flaw in animation timelines.