• went a little overboard with this one and spent quite a lot of time improving the project after getting feedback that it could use a bit more depth and functionality
• expanded the news section so it no longer shows just a single article. added a proper news carousel with navigation controls, indicators and multiple stories that can be browsed directly from the dashboard
• getting the carousel to fit naturally into the existing minimal design was actually more annoying than expected. had to rework the layout, add the bottom indicators and build separate previous/next controls without making the section feel too heavy
• added subtle fade-in animations while switching between news stories so the content transitions feel smoother instead of changing instantly
• replaced the old Leaflet background tile layer after the previous provider’s API access stopped working due to an expired key. switched the project over to a different tile source and reconfigured the map so the location-aware background keeps working
• spent some time testing the map again after the tile provider change and made sure the new layer still works properly with the existing location detection and background setup
• added one of the more personal features to the dashboard too: a small laptop battery status panel in the top section that shows the current battery percentage, charging state and other available battery information
• the idea was pretty simple because my laptop’s battery is absolutely cooked and drains way too quickly 😭 so now i can just glance at the new tab and immediately see how much battery i have left and whether it’s charging
• also polished a bunch of smaller UI details around these features, cleaned up some component logic and made sure the new additions still fit the original minimal design instead of turning the dashboard into a completely overloaded interface
• spent the remaining time testing the updated dashboard and fixing small rendering and animation issues that came up while putting everything together

there’s actually another feature i’m working on right now which i’m pretty excited about, but i’ll save that one for the next devlog. hopefully i can get it finished soon and add it to the project properly :)

and yes, the ultimate goal is still getting that macbook somehow, so apparently even my new tab page is now part of the grind :)