Apps
RECAPP Brings Free Recycling Service to Dubai

RECAPP, the UAE’s first free-of-charge door-to-door recycling service, has announced its expansion into Dubai. Residents of the emirate can now schedule pickups for recyclable materials at their convenience and collect points they can redeem for gifts offered by RECAPP partners. At this stage, the RECAPP service is available to residents in Umm Suqeim, Jumeirah, Business Bay/Downtown, Al Barsha, MBRM City – District One – Meydan, Arabian Ranches 1, and Springs/Meadows/The Lakes.
Jérôme Viricel, General Manager of RECAPP at Veolia Middle East, said, “We are thrilled to bring RECAPP to Dubai after achieving tremendous results in Abu Dhabi, where we have empowered thousands of residents to take up recycling by providing a free, accessible, convenient service. Launching RECAPP in Dubai will enable us to significantly expand our base of recyclers, furthering our mission of supporting local communities as they strive to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.”
RECAPP was initially launched in Abu Dhabi by Veolia Middle East, the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Since its launch in November 2020, RECAPP has built a community of 15,000 registered users in Abu Dhabi and collected 150 tonnes of recyclables, including transparent and opaque plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
RECAPP empowers each individual in their recycling process by offering an easy and efficient way to schedule pick-ups for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. After segregating recyclables from general waste at home, residents can simply download the Go RECAPP application from the App Store or Google Play, and schedule a pick-up time at their convenience. RECAPP will then collect the recyclables from the user’s doorstep and recycle them, completely free of charge.
The collected recyclables will be transported to RECAPP’s newly-opened warehouse in Al Quoz, where the plastic bottles and aluminum cans will be segregated and baled, with a daily segregation capacity of 1 tonne. Each time a user recycles, points are accumulated based on the weight of the collected recyclables, and the user can redeem the points with RECAPP’s reward partners. Alongside Agthia with Al Ain Water and 1971 Store, Carrefour, Upfill, and De L’Arta, RECAPP has welcomed Cotton Home to its portfolio of reward partners.
To this end, RECAPP is collaborating extensively with Agthia, and has begun building partnerships with Coca-Cola, Nestlé, FrieslandCampina, PepsiCo and Unilever, with the goal of capturing recyclable post-consumer packaging and ensuring it is effectively recycled. These efforts are in line with the UAE Circular Economy Policy to adopt sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Apps
Experience the ChatGPT ‘Make It More’ Trend: Generate Weird AI Images

AI art generators occupy a peculiar space, capable of rendering diverse scenarios, from a cosmic skateboarding dog to a coffee cup adrift in the ocean. Setting aside ethical considerations, some creations may not initially meet expectations, necessitating user prompts to refine the AI-generated output.
Yet, what if the aim isn’t to craft a polished piece of AI art? Enter the “make it more” trend, where ChatGPT users task DALL-E to generate an image and subsequently request the bot to amplify certain aspects. For instance, Justine Moore prompted DALL-E to create a bowl of ramen, then instructed it to make it spicier. The iterative process led to increasingly absurd results, culminating in a bowl of noodles shooting fire beams into outer space.
A Dad getting increasingly Dad-ier pic.twitter.com/1EUFECmnT3
— Justine Moore (@venturetwins) November 27, 2023
While the Make It More trend gains traction on ChatGPT and DALL-E, allowing users to experiment with various image transformations, it also raises concerns about resource utilization. The AI processing involved consumes power and energy, prompting considerations about the trend’s efficiency and environmental impact. Nevertheless, these prompts contribute to OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to enhance AI capabilities across platforms like ChatGPT and DALL-E.
Apps
Samsung Internet is Now Available for Download on Windows PCs

Samsung’s default browser, Samsung Internet, has expanded its reach to desktop computers and laptops, now available for download on the Microsoft Store. One notable feature is the ability for users to sync their browsing data between their Galaxy devices and computers.
Upon launching the browser, users can import their browsing history, bookmarks, and search engines from other applications like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge by signing into their Samsung Cloud account. The browser also supports add-ons and extensions from Chrome and Edge, accessible through the Chrome Web Store.
Samsung Internet for Windows offers familiar features such as incognito mode, light and dark modes, and ad-blocker support. The design elements show similarities to both Chrome and Edge, providing a sense of familiarity for users of those browsers. A useful security feature allows users to delete bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and other data upon signing out, catering to those who share computers.
Despite its promising features, the browser’s PC debut is marred by a lack of complete sync support. Currently, only browsing history, bookmarks, and search engines can be imported, with no support for transferring saved passwords from Galaxy devices to computers. This omission may be addressed in future updates.
In May, Samsung Internet received an optimisation update for Galaxy tablet users. Toggleable features were introduced, allowing users to control the placement of the browser’s address, bookmark, and tab bars. The update also included a warning for users with a high number of open tabs, informing them that opening another tab would result in the deletion of the oldest tab.
Apps
Google Clarifies the Cause of Missing Google Drive Files

Many Google Drive users recently experienced the unsettling disappearance of their files, prompting concerns. Google has now identified the root cause, attributing the issue specifically to the Google Drive for Desktop app. While assuring that only a limited subset of users is affected, the tech giant is actively investigating the matter and promises timely updates.
To prevent inadvertent file deletion, Google provides the following recommendations:
- Avoid clicking “Disconnect account” within Drive for desktop.
- Refrain from deleting or moving the app data folder, located at:
- Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Google\DriveFS
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/DriveFS
- Optionally, create a copy of the app data folder if there is sufficient space on your hard drive.
Before Google officially addressed the issue, distressed users took to the company’s support forum to report deleted files. One user from South Korea highlighted a particularly severe case where their account reverted to May 2023, resulting in the loss of anything uploaded or created after that date. Additionally, the user emphasised that they had not synced or shared their files or drive with anyone else.
As Google delves deeper into resolving this matter, affected users are advised to heed the provided precautions. The company’s commitment to ongoing updates reflects its dedication to swiftly addressing and rectifying the situation. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of proactive measures to safeguard digital data, especially as users navigate cloud-based platforms such as Google Drive.