It’s a well-known fact that the majority of smartphone owners use a protective case of some kind. While some cases offer added functionality — such as a kickstand, a place to store credit cards, or magnetic charging — the number one reason people use cases is that phones are made of glass and break easily.

In a new interview with Inverse, Google Pixel design lead Claude Zellweger discussed how the company approaches phone design, specifically regarding case usage. Interestingly, Zellweger admits that, starting with the Pixel 8 series, Google has started designing phones with case usage in mind from the beginning.

By now, you’ve probably seen the Rabbit R1 — the $199, bright orange, AI-powered companion gadget — all over the internet. It’s been making waves for its retro-inspired design, reasonably approachable price tag (with one colossal asterisk), and its vaunted ability to quickly answer straightforward questions. Unfortunately, you’ve probably also seen almost every reviewer under the sun roasting the Teenage Engineering-designed companion for its limited set of day-one features, app integrations that only work with a healthy dose of luck, and its tendency to get the more complicated queries completely wrong.

So, which version of the Rabbit R1 is real, and which would vanish when put into a magician’s hat? Is it a capable AI companion powered by a cloud-based “Large Action Model,” or is it just specialized hardware for a platform that should be an app (and, in some ways, provably already is)? Let’s find out!

Over the past six months, Google has been hitting Gemini hard. It seems Gemini is now in everything Google does, including the Android operating system, the most popular mobile OS in the world. Meanwhile, Apple hasn’t done that much at all with generative AI and large language models (LLM). All signs point to that changing very soon — just not through Apple itself.

Over the past few months, we’ve learned that Apple has been in discussions with both Google and OpenAI (which owns ChatGPT) about using their respective LLMs to power future features coming to iOS. Now, according to industry analyst Mark Gurman, Apple’s deal with OpenAI might be close to finalized.

Google has made its bed and must now lie in it: There is no such thing as a budget Pixel anymore.

Looking at the new Pixel 8a, a few things regarding Google’s strategy and priorities became abundantly clear to me. The definition of a “Pixel phone” has evolved, and with it, the feasibility of a budget phone that fits this new vision. Let me explain.

We have an exciting list of shows for you, from supernatural Korean dramas and reality television revolving around strange houses to spooky true-crime dramas set in coastal Ireland. Get ready to explore brand-new shows and returning titles as we answer the question: What are the new streaming shows this week? And where can we watch them?

This list is updated every week, so you never run out of binge-worthy options for the weekend. 

The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 (a.k.a. the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 in Europe) has an incredibly long list of features considering it costs under $50, which we currently recommend for budget shoppers in our best fitness tracker guide. Every year the next Mi Band arrives bringing further refinements to the series, often delivering features previously reserved for much more expensive devices. Although we still have plenty of time before a new model, here’s my wishlist for what I’d like to see next year from the Xiaomi Mi Band 9.

A hardware back button

The Mi Band 8’s entire UI is navigated through touch, which can be a bit tricky with such a small display. I’d wager this is mostly about cutting costs, but it’s also likely at least a little bit about sticking with the Mi Band’s very barebones, minimalist philosophy. Still, a physical back button would make navigating the UI significantly easier, even if it might add a tiny bit of bulk over the current model and would clutter up the design slightly.

Back in November 2023, Google quietly rolled out a feature to the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2. The feature would tell an owner that their smartwatch was done charging via phone notification. It was a highly requested feature, which is why its seemingly sudden disappearance is so unfortunate.

Some Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 owners have started to notice they are no longer receiving the battery full notification. One of our own writers also reports that they have not seen the notification in the last few weeks. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even an entire thread on Google’s community page full of owners who claim the same or report never seeing the notification in the first place.

If you’re someone who uses Google Chrome as your browser of choice, or a Chromium-based browser, you’ll want to make sure you’re running on the latest update. Google has just released a patch that fixes a serious zero-day vulnerability.

First reported by Bleeping Computer, Google has released a note about a stable channel update for Chrome. The note in question says that the company is “aware that an exploit for CVE-2024-4671 exists in the wild.” This vulnerability is a high-severity issue that has been classified as a “user after free” vulnerability.

The new Pixel 8a might be getting all the limelight right now, but Woot is offering the top-spec model of one of its predecessors at less than the asking price of the latest Android phone. The 512GB configuration of the Google Pixel 7 Pro is down to just $479 from the online vendor — $620 less than it retailed for 18 months ago.

Google Pixel 7 Pro for $479 ($620 off)

Details about Walmart’s new 4K Google TV streaming box first emerged just last month after a listing was spotted on the Bluetooth SIG website. Since then, some people have already managed to get their hands on the device early. Now Walmart has confirmed a launch window for the Onn Pro.

In a statement to 9to5Google, Walmart revealed it will be launching the Onn Pro soon. No exact date was given, but the company did say that the device will be available to everyone “this month.” It was also confirmed that the streaming box will go on sale for $49.88.

Everyone seems to have a love-hate relationship with Windows. The newer versions of Windows are quite nice, but Microsoft has the habit of overdoing things often and spoiling a good thing, like the forced Copilot integration. Microsoft seems to be testing some new changes for the Windows 11 Start Menu, mainly by adding in floating widgets, in case you didn’t already have some elsewhere on your desktop.

X user Albacore spotted support for “Start Menu Companions” on Windows 11 beta, build 26212 (h/t The Verge). As the leaker describes, these companions are apps that provide Adaptive Cards that display on a floating island alongside the Start Menu.

Samsung initially started rolling out One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy S22 series and its 2022 foldables at the beginning of the month. However, it ended up pausing the release after noticing some issues. But as they say, second time’s the charm, as the tech giant has restarted the rollout.

In a blog post, Samsung announced it has begun pushing out One UI 6.1 to the Galaxy S22 series, Fold 4, Flip 4, and Tab S8 series. The update is arriving for device owners in the US and several countries around the globe.

The Oura Ring can already measure a wide range of heart-related health factors like your heart rate variability and workout heart rate. Now the company is adding two new features that can tell you how old your heart really is and how to optimize your respiratory system to improve long-term heart health.

Oura has announced today that its smart ring will soon be able to measure cardiovascular age and cardio capacity. The aim of these two features is to allow users to check their cardiovascular health status and take proactive measures.

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE was already one of the best-value Android tablets you could buy at its $450 retail price, so it’s hard to make the case against upgrading with today’s deal. The 2023 Samsung slate is 24% off on Amazon right now, giving you the chance to pick it up for a record-low price of just $339.99.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE for $339.99 ($110 off)

Google has several messaging apps, but the Google Messages app is and remains one of the best texting apps for Android. Many of us use it for our SMS and RCS needs, and it gets the job done without a lot of fuss. Google was spotted working on a message editing feature for Google Messages in February, which now seems to be rolling out to beta users.

X user Jhowkira2000 mentions (via AssembleDebug on X) that Google Messages’ message editing feature is now available on some of their devices on the beta track.

The Google Pixel 8a is here after months of rumors and leaks. On paper, this is the most impressive Pixel A series Google has released to date and one of the best mid-range Android phones available to buy today. And at a time when other startups are rushing to release half-baked AI hardware, it’s refreshing to see a phone made for normal people that works the way it’s supposed to and without breaking the bank.

But there’s something utterly ‘uninteresting’ about the Pixel 8a, despite how good it is. Just look at its announcement: It came without any fanfare from Google. No press conference, just a blog post. The company didn’t dedicate a 15-minute chunk of its yearly Google I/O presentation to announce this latest budget entry. Even if this phone is supposed to bring Google’s Android vision to the masses, it’s almost as if the Pixel 8a is insignificant in Google’s eyes — at least when compared to the bigger AI picture looming in the background.

This week’s lineup is worth staying indoors for.

From rom-coms that’ll have you swooning to action flicks that’ll make your heart race faster than your Netflix bill, we’ve got a little something for everyone.

Update: May 10, 2024 (06:05 AM ET): We’ve updated the OnePlus 13 rumor hub with an early outline depicting the phone’s rear camera placement.

Original article: April 24, 2024 (5:17 AM ET): The OnePlus 12 launched globally back in January, but we’ve already seen some OnePlus 13 leaks and rumors start to trickle in. So what do we know about the upcoming flagship phone? Read on to find out all the major details and leaks we’ve managed to gather.

Microsoft has long stated its intention to build a mobile app store as an alternative to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It turns out we won’t have to wait too long to see this storefront launching.

Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed during the Bloomberg Technology Summit that Microsoft would launch a mobile game store in July. The store would launch with Microsoft’s own games before later opening up to other publishers. Microsoft will also offer discounted in-game items for titles like Candy Crush.

Have you opened a website on Google Chrome to find that no images appear on the page? Of course, the website might be the issue and have broken images. A quick way to check if that’s the case is to open the site on another browser. But if the problem isn’t limited to a single site, the Google Chrome browser might be at fault. Here’s how to fix pictures not showing on Google Chrome.

Read more: How to change the search engine on Chrome

OnePlus is having a good run with the OnePlus 12, considered one of the best Android flagships this year. But that doesn’t stop the rumor mills from working their way up to the OnePlus 13, which is expected to launch in China at the end of this year if OnePlus follows its own tradition. A new leak is giving us a very early look at the rear camera island outline for the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 13R.

Leaker Yogesh Brar has shared an outline of what the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R could look like. The caveat here is that these are still based on very early development prototypes. Hence, there will remain a probability that OnePlus could decide to make some substantial changes to the final products.

Apple released a controversial video ad for the iPad Pro this week, showing a variety of objects being crushed by a hydraulic press. Now, the company has reportedly apologized for the spot and confirmed it won’t be running the ad on TV.

The ad showed everything from a piano and record player to an arcade cabinet and DSLR camera lenses being crushed. An iPad Pro emerged once the hydraulic press was raised. The video drew a negative response from many internet users, particularly creators. Some users felt that Apple was effectively crushing symbols of human creativity, while others drew unfavorable comparisons to Apple’s acclaimed 1984 ad.

Folks using a Samsung Galaxy S24 series phone — there’s a new update heading your way. The company has started pushing out the May update for the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra in the US and Europe.

Google Messages is preparing a small but useful new feature that will prevent you from seeing messages from blocked contacts anywhere on the app.

OpenAI has been brewing up a new Google Search competitor, as per reports. The ChatGPT-powered search engine was previously expected to launch on May 9, but it looks like the company now wants to one-up Google’s all-important announcements next week.

Industry giants T-Mobile and Verizon are in discussions to purchase separate portions of regional carrier US Cellular, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.

Sources close to the negotiations state that T-Mobile is already nearing the finalization of a $2 billion deal for a significant part of US Cellular. Simultaneously, Verizon is considering a purchase of the remaining assets, although discussions remain less advanced.

When Google launched its Find My Device network last month, it mentioned that it was rolling out to Android devices globally, starting in the United States and Canada. It’s understandable that Google is staggering the rollout of a feature as significant as the Find My Device network since it needs some buffer time to catch any bugs that pop up before the rollout reaches a critical mass. But it’s also disappointing since it means that power users outside of the US and Canada — like many Android Authority readers — must wait even longer to get a feature they’ve already been waiting on for nearly a year. Thankfully, though, it appears that Google is finally starting to roll out the Find My Device network outside of North America, at least to some users.

If you haven’t heard, Google first announced the Find My Device network all the way back in May 2023 during that year’s I/O developer conference. Before the launch of the Find My Device network, devices needed to self-report their location to Google’s Find My Device service. That meant lost offline devices could only be located by their last known location. The Find My Device network, on the other hand, allows lost devices to be located even if they’re offline. This is possible because billions of Android devices can report each others’ locations.

Just about a year after its initial foray into the Windows handheld gaming space, ASUS is revving up for an upgraded successor to the ROG Ally. The company dropped a YouTube video titled “The next ROG Ally is coming” today, hinting at some major upgrades, with additional details confirmed in an interview with The Verge.

The ROG Ally X isn’t a next-gen upgrade to the original, but it directly addresses key areas where users wanted more from the ROG handheld. While it will retain the same AMD Z1 Extreme chipset and 7-inch VRR screen as the Ally, it directly addresses many of its pain points.

Although Bluetooth LE Audio was announced at the beginning of 2020, there still aren’t that many audio products on the market that support it. In 2024, though, we’re finally seeing many audio products come on the market with LE Audio support either out of the box or soon in a future update. However, to actually take advantage of LE Audio’s numerous benefits and new features, you need to own a mobile device or PC that supports the standard. Unfortunately, if you own a Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, or Pixel 6a, then you may need to upgrade your phone entirely to use Bluetooth LE Audio.

When you connect your phone to a pair of wireless earbuds, the source device (your phone) and the sink device (your wireless earbuds) establish a connection via their Bluetooth radios. During the pairing process, the devices negotiate to find out what profiles they both support. These profiles define how the two devices exchange data. The profile typically used for streaming audio from the source to the sink device over Bluetooth is called the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). The exact codec that’s used to store the audio data that’s transmitted between the two devices depends on what codecs both devices support, but at a minimum, both devices must support the low-complexity subband codec (SBC).

After discovering that its customers were taking advantage of a loophole to access its Home Internet service while traveling, T-Mobile announced a fix would be coming. The fix was scheduled to roll out on May 8, but the company has now postponed it.

On May 8, it was expected that T-Mobile would send out notifications to Home Internet subscribers announcing a crackdown on using the service while on the go. Specifically, the crackdown would enforce address verification on gateways, so customers would no longer be able to take their 5G gateway with them on travel to access free internet without penalty. As an alternative, the company was planning to offer a new Away plan for those who are frequently on the road.

Since its inception, the Pixel lineup has omitted display output as a feature for reasons on which we can only speculate. However, Google finally changed gears with its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, which have hardware support for display output via their USB-C ports. Neither phone in the Pixel 8 series launched with display output enabled out of the box, though. Instead, Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 in an Android beta update. Similarly, Google’s brand new Pixel 8a smartphone doesn’t ship with display output enabled out of the box, but this feature will likely be coming in next month’s software update.

The Google Pixel 8a, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset. Thus, it’s no surprise that all three phones share a lot of internal components, such as their USB controller. Although Google wired up the USB-C port on all three phones at the factory to support sending a DisplayPort Alternate Mode signal over a connected USB-C cable, the company disabled this capability using a software flag. The system property persist.vendor.usb.displayport.enabled is read by the USB initialization file for all Tensor G3-series devices, and if the property is set to 0, then DisplayPort Alternate Mode is disabled.

WhatsApp has seen numerous adjustments to its design over the years, with the last major change occurring in 2021. The company has now refreshed the app once again. While some of the changes have already rolled out to the iOS and Android app, there are some new changes as well.

Today, WhatsApp announced it is updating the appearance of its platform to help keep it looking fresh, simple, and approachable. To do this, the firm has applied a variety of changes, one of the most notable being a new color palette. Along with having a more consistent green palette, WhatsApp says they have also increased the usage of neutral colors, which it claims allows it to be more selective about where and how the green is used throughout the app.

The Apple Watch Series 9 represents the latest model of one of the market’s leading smartwatch lineups. It’s packed with sensors, tools, and features, including updated user interactions and a redesigned interface. We rounded up our top Apple Watch Series 9 tips and tricks to make the most of your device.

Apple Watch Series 9 tips and tricks

Access and customize your Smart Stack

Update: May 9, 2024 (12:00 AM ET): Comcast’s new prepaid services — NOW Internet and NOW Mobile — have now launched nationwide.

Original article: April 17, 2024 (12:00 PM ET): Comcast is adding to its portfolio by introducing new mobile and internet services that can go up against the likes of prepaid carriers like Mint Mobile and others. These services will join NOW TV and NOW WiFi Pass under the NOW brand.

Android 14 was publicly launched with the Pixel 8 series back in October 2023. We’re a few months into the new year, and Google has begun testing the next version of Android, now up to the Android 15 Beta 1.2. This is still only intended for early adopters, but things are coming along.

In this article, we’re going to tell you everything we know (and think we know) about Android 15 so far!

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus is the best-selling model of the S24 range for good reason. It’s one of the best Android phones ever made and cheaper than it’s ever been on Amazon today. A $200 price drop has reduced the base model of the device to just $799.99.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus for $799.99 ($200 off)

The US smartphone market has been dominated by Apple in recent years, with Samsung falling further behind the iPhone maker. There’s some encouraging news for Samsung in the latest US market share report, though.

Counterpoint Research reports that US smartphone shipments declined by 8% year-on-year in Q1 2024. Apple’s share of the market stayed flat at 52%, matching its share from a year ago. However, Samsung’s share of the market grew to 31%, up from 27% a year ago.

Most people don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on an Android flagship, as their needs and usage patterns often don’t justify dropping that much money. A lot of us can get by just fine with a budget Android device instead, which would serve our needs quite modestly. However, if you want a new smartphone with a stylus, you unfortunately do not have a lot of options. You can either drop a lot of money on a Galaxy S24 Ultra, or you can opt for the budget Moto G Stylus 5G. Motorola has just updated its budget stylus phone with a new design and wireless charging, giving it a better chance at taking on the year ahead.

Motorola continues to call its phones without numeral prefixes, so the new Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) succeeds the old Moto G Stylus 5G (2023). Thankfully, there is a new countered design here, so you can tell the two phones apart with just a look. The highlight upgrade this year is the addition of wireless charging, which many users would appreciate, especially in the budget range.

ChatGPT is an amazing tool once you learn how to use it properly. If you are a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, you can supercharge ChatGPT by uploading your files and asking the AI assistant questions based on the data in your file. For folks who have migrated most of their lives to online storage solutions, ChatGPT appears to be working on a Context Connector feature, which would connect with Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive and make it easier for you to feed online files to the AI assistant.

X user legit_rumors has shared an early look at the upcoming Context Connector feature. This feature connects Google Drive, OneDrive Personal, and OneDrive Business to ChatGPT, making it super convenient to feed any file stored in these online storage services.

You often get the best deals on tech right after the next generation of devices is launched, and that’s precisely what Apple’s announcement has triggered. With the Apple Pencil Pro on the way later this month, you can now pick up the Apple Pencil 2 for an all-time low price of $79.

Apple Pencil 2 for $79 ($50 off)

FX’s acclaimed series, The Bear, follows the journey of a chef who returns to his roots in Chicago to manage his family’s sandwich shop. Created by Christopher Storer, season one of the streaming show earned a perfect 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 13 Emmy nominations. Its second season was released in 2023 and broke the streaming record to become the most-watched premiere of any FX show.

Season two left fans hungry for more, but season three promises new action, more guest stars, twists, turns, and delicious drama. If you’re a fan, you’ll be thrilled to know that the upcoming season premieres this summer. We’ll tell you all about The Bear season 3 release window, cast, plot speculations, and other rumors.

Changing your phone’s wallpaper is the easiest way to give your device some personality. Of course, you want something that looks great, and nothing represents great aesthetics like the Art Deco movement. It has been turning buildings, bridges, house items, and anything you can think of into art pieces since the early 1900’s. There are still plenty of fans, so we know many of you will love these Art Deco wallpapers for your phone.

Download these Art Deco wallpapers for your phone

First things first, we have to tell you how things work in these wallpaper posts. We wouldn’t advise that you download the images you see right below. These are image previews, and we put them there for demonstration purposes only. The previews have been compressed and optimized for faster loading speeds and improved website performance, so they won’t look as great. Take a look at them, and when you make up your mind on which Art Deco wallpapers you want, hit the download button below the images to download the full-resolution files.

We’ve uncovered some pretty interesting information about the Rabbit R1 in recent days, such as the fact that it’s actually an Android app that can run on a standard Android phone. We were also able to confirm that the AI gadget runs Android.

Now, software developers @xyz3va, @schlizzawg, and @MarcelD505 have dug into the servers powering the Rabbit R1. One of the key findings is that the servers running the AI gadget’s interactions apparently aren’t running a Large Action Model (LAM) as previously claimed.

Original article: Even if you love it and still use it daily, there’s no denying that the Nintendo Switch is getting old. Launched in 2017, the hybrid console celebrated its seventh birthday in March, which means it’s getting close to retirement. With this in mind, one can’t help but wonder: where is the sequel, presumably called the Nintendo Switch 2?

Thankfully, Nintendo has confirmed that a successor is coming soon. There have also been some rumors and leaks surrounding the sequel to Nintendo’s best-selling home console. We’ve rounded up the most trustworthy of them here. Towards the end of the article, we also have a few wishlist items — things we hope to see but don’t have any evidence for quite yet.

The Nintendo Switch was a runaway success, thanks to its design, which allowed it to be enjoyed both as a handheld and as a console docked to your TV. The gaming console was launched in 2017 and is desperately due for a refresh. Nintendo has confirmed that a successor will be announced soon, and now, new leaks have merged that give us an early idea of what the specs of the Nintendo Switch 2 could be, how it could measure against its predecessor, and what its launch timeline could be.

Community members at Famiboards, a discussion forum for Nintendo games and consoles, have been tracking shipment and customs data between Nintendo, NVIDIA, and other companies in an attempt to find hints of the Switch 2’s specifications. Famiboards forum member LiC claims to have analyzed the various shipment listings and arrived at these possible specifications for the Switch 2.

Apple and controversy go hand in hand. From killing the headphone jack to embracing the 60Hz refresh rate on many of its flagship devices — the company is no stranger to questionable decisions. Its latest oopsie comes in the form of a controversial iPad Pro M4 ad, which has triggered people across the internet.

Titled Crush!, the advertisement features paint buckets, a piano, a retro arcade game, and other old-school artistic equipment being crushed by a hydraulic press. The iPad Pro M4 then emerges, symbolizing how it can handle a wide range of creative and entertainment tasks — despite its competitively slim design.

It looks like Samsung is resuming the One UI 6.1 rollout for the Galaxy S22 series after putting a pause on its rollout last week. According to tipster Tarun Vats, a new One UI 6.1 build is now rolling out to users in South Korea. The firmware carries version numbers S908NKSU3EXE1/ S908NOKR3EXE1/S908NKSU3EXD7 and weighs around 3.2GB.

ASUS launched the ROG Ally handheld roughly a year ago, and it’s a respectable Windows-based handheld that isn’t without its flaws. It looks like the company isn’t wasting time, as it’s just teased the arrival of a new model.

ASUS has scheduled a YouTube premiere for later today at 3:00 PM ET (seen above), with the video titled “The next ROG Ally is coming.” The company didn’t reveal any more information about this device, so we’ll just have to wait for the video to land later today to get official details.

A trade ban has forced HUAWEI to be more self-sufficient if it hopes to keep producing smartphones. The manufacturer already turned heads when it launched the Mate 60 Pro late last year, featuring a 5G-enabled in-house chipset. Now, it looks like a teardown of the Pura 70 series reveals HUAWEI’s efforts at self-sufficiency too.

A teardown of the Pura 70 Pro commissioned by Reuters has revealed that the company is using more Chinese suppliers this time. The most notable new, domestically made component is the NAND storage. The outlet reports that the storage was likely packaged by HUAWEI’s HiSilicon chip division.

Google is adding a handy new feature to Wear OS that will help parents better manage and monitor their child’s smartwatch usage.