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Travel Frog: The new addictive mobile game

Taking me back to my Neko Atsume days

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If you were into Neko Atsume while it was out, this is the game for you: Tabi Kaeru (旅かえる) meaning “Travel Frog” in English.

If you haven’t heard of Neko Atsume, shame on you — just kidding. It was a mobile game that was developed by Hit-Point Co., Ltd. that was released on October 20, 2014. It grew in popularity by its simple game mechanic of collecting adorable cats. It was difficult to resist trying this game out when the graphics were impossibly cute. This pretty much sets you up for what Tabi Kaeru (旅かえる), a new game developed by the same company, achieves.

Well, here it is: The perfect cute game where, even if you have minimal understanding and not as much involvement, you will feel satisfied. As much as this game is completely in Japanese, it doesn’t quite matter. You can play along with context clues and wander about figuring out what seems to work and what doesn’t.

The game has enough visuals to walk you through most of what you’re meant to do despite not really speaking or understanding Japanese. In fact, Neko Atsume and Tabi Kaeru (旅かえる) make waiting a valuable aspect of the game.

In Tabi Kaeru (旅かえる), you meet an adorable small frog that wanders about, leaves you postcards, and occasionally stays home. You’ll first get bombarded with Japanese instructions once you’ve installed but don’t fret. Most of the things you need to play in this game have context clues and the game is filled with them.

This game is addictive without needing your full and dedicated attention. You collect clovers to buy food, charms, and items to set your frog on his journey. You’ll meet different friends on the way as you’ll occasionally check if your frog has returned home from his travels. I’ll let you know how I progress in the game soon, but there’s just something satisfying about seeing your frog travel around mysterious and cinematic places. Play it with me here (Android, iOS).

SEE ALSO: Razer Phone Review: Best smartphone for gaming?

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New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

Rolling out globally now

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New users on X might soon face a tough time on the platform. The social media website will likely start charging new accounts a small fee for the right to post on the platform.

Now, the fee isn’t a new one. Almost six months ago, the company tested the paid system in New Zealand and the Philippines. New users in those countries had to pay a dollar per year for the ability to post and reply to content.

As spotted by X Daily News on the same platform, the company might be ready to take the experiment to a larger market. New text strings have shown that the policy is rolling out worldwide.

The policy is designed to combat a wave of bots appearing on the platform. By preventing new accounts from creating posts, X hopes to stave off the standard behavior of bots these days. You might have noticed them as OnlyFans creators in unrelated posts, peddling NSFW content on their bio.

Though the global rollout was only just spotted, owner Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed the change. Replying to X Daily News, Musk says that it is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” He says that the current breed of bots can easily bypass simple checks these days.

SEE ALSO: X will no longer let you hide your blue checkmark

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Disney+ might get always-on channels similar to cable TV

Featuring content from Marvel, Star Wars, and classic Disney

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Disney+ | Disney Plus

The burden of choice on streaming platforms is real. If you’re like us, you’ve spent hours just mindlessly scrolling through titles on Netflix or Disney+ without watching anything. Netflix, at least, has a Play Something button to fight off that irresistible urge. Now, Disney+ is reportedly trying something different: always-on channels.

If you already cut cable from your lives, you’re likely missing traditional channels or networks that have pre-determined programming. It was a flawed system that eventually ended up with mediocre content and a downpour of ads. However, cable did allow us to keep watching without deciding what comes next.

Now, according to The Information, Disney+ is working on adding those channels to its streaming service. Naturally, these channels will include content from the platform’s library such as Marvel, Star Wars, and its list of classic animated films.

Strangely, the reported feature might still have ads in between programs. Though the addition of ads does mean a better similarity with real television, users still have to be paying subscribers to access the channels. Even if you’re already paying for Disney+, you might still get hit with ads.

Disney has not confirmed the reports yet. The platform might launch a version of the feature outside of the scope included in this report. It’s also unknown when these always-on channels will launch.

SEE ALSO: Macross to be available on Disney+

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Google might offer satellite connectivity soon

Starting with the Pixel 9 series

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A few years ago, Apple unleashed one of the most interesting features for the iPhone today: Emergency SOS. Designed for those who like their fair bit of the outdoors, Emergency SOS allows users to contact emergency services without network coverage. Other manufacturers, however, are struggling to adopt the same feature. Now, Google might soon join Apple in providing satellite connectivity for its users.

Despite the convenience, satellite connectivity hasn’t taken off as much as the industry expected it to. For one, a network of satellites isn’t the easiest thing to maintain. Apple is still currently offering its services for free, a gamble that may or may not pay off. Now, the iPhone maker won’t be alone.

According to Android Authority, Google might start offering the same service to Pixel 9 users. Starting with this year’s upcoming flagship, the company is reportedly teaming up with T-Mobile to create satellite connectivity for its users. The telecommunications network is teaming up with SpaceX for the feature.

The same report describes how the feature might work. Once activated, the feature will ask users of their situation: is everyone breathing, are people trapped, are weapons involved, among others. The phone will then relay this information to emergency authorities for a rapid response.

Unfortunately, pricing remains a mystery. While Apple is still offering its satellite connectivity for free, other brands might put the burden of cost on the end user. Hopefully, they won’t, but a paid version is unfortunately expected at this point.

SEE ALSO: Should you be excited for Apple’s satellite connectivity?

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