Today's Consumer Tech Pulse
Apple rolls out AI‑powered tools at WWDC 2026
Apple introduced a suite of AI features at its WWDC 2026 event, including the Spatial Reframe tool that converts 2‑D images into 3‑D scenes and a revamped Siri that rivals leading chatbots. The announcements also added tighter child‑online safety controls and reinforced Apple’s privacy‑first stance.
Startech.com Thunderbolt 5 Universal Docking Station Review
The Startech Thunderbolt 5 Universal Docking Station delivers high‑bandwidth connectivity, triple‑4K display support, 2.5 GbE networking, and up to 140 W laptop charging at a price well below most competitors. In real‑world tests it handled three external monitors, SSD transfers near 3 GB/s, and near‑rated network speeds without bottlenecks. Its utilitarian design and lack of Thunderbolt 3 compatibility are the only notable compromises. For businesses and power users adopting Thunderbolt 5 laptops, it offers a compelling single‑cable solution in the UK market.
PS5-Sized Gadget Offers 25 Gbps Fiber‑like Wi‑Fi
Forget Starlink – this PS5-sized device promises to deliver fiber-like 25Gbps internet speeds using invisible beams of light https://www.techradar.com/computing/forget-starlink-this-ps5-sized-device-promises-to-deliver-fiber-like-25gbps-internet-speeds-using-invisible-beams-of-light
Oura Thinks Its New AI Can Do What ChatGPT Can’t for Women’s Health
Oura announced its first proprietary large language model, a clinician‑vetted AI built specifically for women’s health, embedded in the Oura Advisor feature. The model draws on users' sleep, activity, stress and menstrual cycle data to deliver personalized guidance, moving beyond...
Smartphone Prices to Increase in South Africa
South African retailers expect a noticeable uptick in smartphone and laptop prices over the coming months. The increase is driven by a depreciating rand, higher import duties, and global supply‑chain constraints that raise component costs. Analysts warn that both consumers...
Sapphire PURE X870E WIFI 7 Review
Sapphire has unveiled its first X870‑class AM5 motherboard, the PURE X870A WIFI 7, targeting high‑end enthusiasts with a clean white‑and‑silver design. The board features a 16+2+1 VRM delivering 55 A per phase, PCIe 5.0 GPU and M.2 slots, and support for DDR5‑8400 memory. Integrated Wi‑Fi 7,...
Apple’s $599 MacBook SE Leak: Why It’s Swapping M-Series for the A18 Pro Chip
Apple is reportedly developing an entry‑level MacBook SE priced between $599 and $799, aimed at students and budget‑conscious users. The device will feature a minimalist design with a 12.9‑ or 13.3‑inch display, limited USB‑C ports, and 8 GB of RAM with...
Wear OS Can Now Send Life-Saving Earthquake Alerts without Your Phone
Google is rolling out Play Services v26.07, enabling Wear OS smartwatches to receive earthquake alerts without a paired phone. The update works server‑side and activates on cellular or Wi‑Fi‑connected watches, leveraging built‑in gyroscopes and accelerometers to detect seismic activity. By removing...
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which Flagship Reigns Supreme?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max represent the 2026 flagship duopoly, each championing a distinct design and ecosystem philosophy. Samsung leans on a brighter 3,000‑nit Dynamic AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 200 MP camera and...
Cellular Backup for Broadband
Amazon introduced the eero Signal, an add‑on for its eero Wi‑Fi mesh that automatically switches to cellular broadband when the primary internet fails. The 4G‑only device retails for $99.99 and includes six months of service, after which a $99.99 annual...
We Pride Ourselves on Efficiency Aonghus O’Donovan Co-Founder MyCelsius
Irish startup MyCelsius announced the upcoming Irish launch of its cooling bracelet, following a successful UK debut. Co‑founder and CTO Aonghus O’Donovan highlighted the device’s ultra‑compact, high‑power cooling technology designed to alleviate hot flushes and heat stress, especially for women....
Xiaomi Pad 8 5G Launch Date for India
Xiaomi announced that its Pad 8 5G tablet will launch in India on February 28, 2026 at 6:30 PM. The device is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, an 11.2‑inch 3.2K display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, and a 9200 mAh battery supporting 45 W...
OTT Messaging Apps to Exceed 5.2 Bn Users by 2028 as Smartphone Adoption and Enterprise Messaging Surge
Juniper Research projects global OTT messaging users will climb from 4.4 billion in 2025 to over 5.2 billion by 2028, a 16% increase. The surge is fueled by rising smartphone penetration—forecast to reach 91% of connections by 2030—and expanding mobile broadband. Enterprises...
Galaxy S26 Ultra's 'Privacy Display' Is so Cool, Rumors Say Other Brands Could Give It a Try
Samsung has officially teased a new "Privacy Display" feature for the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra, which darkens the screen when viewed from side angles to block prying eyes. A Chinese tipster reported that several overseas OEMs are testing similar hardware‑level...
Don't Wait Two Years Like Me, You Need Bazzite on Your Asus ROG Ally Right Now
The author installed Bazzite, a Linux‑based SteamOS fork, on an Asus ROG Ally Z1E, replacing the default Windows environment. By dual‑booting, half of the 2 TB SSD runs Bazzite while the other half remains Windows for work and anti‑cheat compatibility. Bazzite’s...
Nearly Half of Shoppers Used Mobile for Their Latest Retail Purchase
The 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index, commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, found that 48% of shoppers used a mobile device for their most recent retail purchase, with usage exceeding 60% in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Mobile browsing frequency is...
Apple to Start Assembling Mac Mini in the United States This Year
Apple will begin assembling the Mac mini in the United States in 2026, a notable shift for a product that makes up about five percent of global Mac sales. The 2024 redesign introduced the first major update since 2010, pairing...
A Resource for AVP News
A Reddit‑based weekly roundup, Last Week in AVP #107, aggregates the most compelling Apple Vision Pro (AVP) news, reviews, and videos into a single, ad‑free page. The edition highlights Apple’s potential immersive Formula 1 demo at the March 4 event, teases the...
Here’s Why Demand for Macs Has Spiked
Apple’s Mac lineup is experiencing unprecedented demand, pushing US lead times to two‑four weeks, the longest in years. The Mac Studio now has a 27‑day wait, followed by the M4‑powered MacBook Pro at 23 days and the Mac Mini at...
Tewke Secures £1.5M to Scale AI-Powered Home Energy Platform
London‑based Tewke closed a £1.5 million second‑stage round, backed by JamJar, Cur8, Energy Mix Ventures, Project Ventures and Revolut CTO Vlad Yatsenko. The company’s Tap device, engineered in the UK, retrofits without a neutral wire and can be installed in minutes,...
Telkom Launches Plug’d, a Youth‑first Platform Connecting Data, Deals and Real Opportunities
Telkom has launched Plug’d by Telkom, a mobile‑first platform aimed at South Africans aged 18‑24. The service bundles affordable data, curated digital content and access to real‑world opportunities such as jobs and internships within a single always‑on ecosystem. Plug’d is...
Mesa PanVK Driver Seeing Up To 25.7x Speedup For MSAA
The open‑source PanVK driver for Arm Mali GPUs received a major update in Mesa 26.1 that reworks its framebuffer abstraction and moves MSAA resolves into a final frame shader. This change yields dramatic performance improvements in the Sascha Willems Vulkan multisampling...
IPhone Replaces Ruler to Measure 2026 Blizzard
Forget the wooden ruler — I measured the Blizzard of 2026 with my iPhone https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/forget-the-wooden-ruler-i-measured-the-blizzard-of-2026-with-my-iphone #m
Apple Lets Parents Control Kids’ Apps without ID Checks
Apple is the only company with a great proposal here: let parents, who buy the devices used by kids, set up kids accounts and decide what they're allowed to do, then pass those decisions to apps through parental controls --...
Cheil India Creates “Many Me’s in Me” Campaign for Samsung Galaxy Book5
Cheil India unveiled a brand film for Samsung’s Galaxy Book5 titled “Many Me’s in Me,” portraying a Gen Z protagonist navigating multiple creative identities. The ad positions the laptop’s AI capabilities—AI Select, Photo Remaster, and Copilot—as seamless enablers rather than technical...
Samsung's Upcoming Fold Adds Screen‑damage Detection Alert
Samsung's 'Wide' Galaxy Z Fold might include a clever way to save your screen from damage with a new "foreign material detection" alert feature. ✅ Details - https://t.co/N5TPQ8poEf https://t.co/3mQNBbdYnr
Google Messages Adds Real-Time Location Sharing in Chats
🚨 First look: Here's how the new Real-time Location sharing feature will soon work inside chats in Google Messages ✅ Details and video demo - https://t.co/muFvGBBxgc https://t.co/7DU19QeQ0i
China’s Xiaomi Starts In-House Appliance Production in Push for Quality
Xiaomi has launched an in‑house home‑appliance production line at a new Wuhan plant, investing roughly RMB 2.5 billion ($350 million) and achieving a capacity of up to 7 million units annually. The company plans to manufacture about 20% of its air‑conditioners and other key...
Galaxy S26 Lags Pixel: No Off‑power Find Feature
The Galaxy S26 series may already be behind Pixel phones in one big way Another year with no support for finding the phone when powered off through Find Hub ✅ Details - https://t.co/m3rASS8CAq https://t.co/vqhg7SV3Ok
Dark Sky's New Multi‑forecast App Unavailable in UK
I loved Dark Sky, and it was always really annoying that Apple removed the variety of weather notifications as it rains so much in the UK. This new app isn’t available in the UK though 😭
The Sideload 023: Cable TV, Now with More Hoops
The Sideload episode 23, hosted by 9to5Google’s Will Sattelberg, features Brady Snyder discussing recent shifts in streaming media. They examine YouTube TV’s newly introduced channel packages, noting higher prices and added complexity for subscribers. The conversation then pivots to Apple Music’s Android app,...
Seedance 2.0 Videos Feel Like a Nightmare Dreamscape
I’ve been watching Seedance 2.0 videos so you don’t have to and they are a nightmare dreamscape https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/ive-been-watching-seedance-2-0-videos-so-you-dont-have-to-and-they-are-a-nightmare-dreamscape
Microsoft Quietly Changed How BitLocker Works — and It Could Lock You Out of Your Own PC
Microsoft’s Windows 11 24H2 update now activates BitLocker automatically during the out‑of‑box experience when a Microsoft account, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot are present. The encryption starts silently, using the same engine as the Pro‑only BitLocker but without visible controls on Home devices. Because...
Three AI Glasses Tiers: Ultra-Light, Middle, Heavyweight Picks
I did a live stream over on LinkedIn this morning on another show and saw @auradeluxe asked me what my latest thinking on AI-driven glasses are. For me, it splits up into three different categories: 1. Ultra-lightweights Where...
This One Feature Helped Me Turn My Meta AI Glasses Into a Garmin for Video Workouts
Meta’s AI glasses can now overlay fitness data from Strava onto recorded workout videos, thanks to a new app integration. Users must launch the workout from the Strava app, preferably on a Wear OS watch, to capture heart‑rate and other metrics....
Sony Has Big PS5 Deals on PlayStation Direct and PlayStation Store
Sony Interactive Entertainment is offering deep discounts across its PlayStation ecosystem, targeting both physical and digital PS5 games, accessories, and the PSVR2 headset. Prices on flagship titles such as God of War Ragnarök and Marvel’s Spider‑Man 2 have dropped to $19.99‑$29.99, while...
Animal Crossing Watches Capsule Toys Appear in Japan
Takara Tomy announced a new Animal Crossing: New Horizons watch capsule toy set, rolling out in Japanese gashapon machines this week. Each pull costs 400 yen (≈$2.60) and yields one of five digital watches themed after iconic NPCs. The watches feature...
Most Heated Steering Wheels Have A Strange Quirk That Annoys Some Drivers
Heated steering wheels are a popular comfort feature in modern vehicles. Recent observations reveal a temperature imbalance in the 2023‑2026 Toyota Tundra, where one side of the wheel stays cold while the opposite side heats above 114 °F. Thermal‑imaging evidence shared...
Your Home Assistant Notifications Aren't as Private as You Think
Home Assistant’s mobile app sends push notifications through Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), meaning the message payload is unencrypted while on Google’s servers. This applies to both Android and iOS devices, as Home Assistant cannot directly access Apple’s push service....
Google Messages Preps Find Hub Location Sharing Integration
Google is testing real‑time location sharing in its Messages app, leveraging the Find Hub service. The upcoming feature will let users share live coordinates directly within a chat, with preset durations of one hour, today, or until manually stopped. Strings...
AI-Driven Workflows Could Ease New Tech Adoption
I have not used the TriFold but I am sure I would agree with Chris cause it is exactly the same argument I have made in the past about the great Android Tablets Samsung brought to market. I hope shifting...
Discussing Nvidia Earnings, Cloud Debt, and Emerging AI Firms
Headed on @CNBCOvertime in a bit to talk $NVDA earnings, Cloud debt, and interesting AI companies I'm tracking. https://t.co/F6LkN3AUt6
5 of the Most Lightweight Operating Systems, Ranked by Download Size
The article ranks five ultra‑lightweight operating systems by download size, from KolibriOS at roughly 1.44 MB up to Slax at under 300 MB. Each OS delivers a functional desktop environment despite its tiny footprint, with KolibriOS fitting on a floppy disk and...
Gemini App Adds Video Templates to Quick Start Generation
Google’s Gemini app now includes a library of fifteen video‑generation templates, letting users start clips with predefined styles such as Cyberpunk, Cosmos or Action Hero. The update adds an "Ingredients to Video" option where a personal photo can become the...
HP Omen Max 16 Gaming Laptop You Either Love It or Hate It
HP’s Omen Max 16 launches with three GPU options—RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080, and RTX 5090—and two CPU choices, Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX or AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375. Priced from $2,099, the Intel‑based RTX 5080 configuration garners the most praise for its OLED 2.5K 240 Hz display and effective Tempest...
I Freed up 14GB on My SSD Using This Quick Linux Clean Up
An author of a MakeUseOf article discovered that their Debian‑based Linux system’s Downloads folder had accumulated 14 GB of obsolete files, including old ISOs, duplicate PDFs, and lingering .deb packages. By manually auditing the directory with basic commands and applying a...
You Need a Separate Network to Protect Yourself From Your Smart Devices
Smart devices and IoT gadgets are rarely patched, leaving them vulnerable to malware such as Mirai. These products, from smart TVs to internet‑connected cameras, routinely harvest user data and can be hijacked to spy or launch attacks. Security experts recommend...
Panasonic TVs Are About to Change Forever – and Its 2026 Lineup Is Already Shocking
Panasonic announced a strategic partnership with Shenzhen‑based Skyworth to manufacture its televisions for the EU and US markets, marking a significant shift in its supply chain. The company also re‑absorbed its Entertainment division, ensuring continued production of 4K Blu‑ray players....
Thermal Grizzly WireView Pro II, GPU Monitoring Hardware
Thermal Grizzly’s WireView Pro II is a hardware‑level GPU monitoring device that sits between the graphics card and a 12VHPWR or 12V‑2×6 power cable. It provides per‑pin current data on a 320 × 170 TFT‑IPS colour screen and streams the information to the...
Portable USB DVD Writer with 2.5-inch SATA and SD Card Dock Slashed by 30% to $21 — Optical Drive Can...
Amazon has slashed the price of Alronly’s portable USB‑C/USB 3.0 CD‑DVD writer by 30%, dropping it from $29.99 to $20.98. The device reads and writes CDs at up to 24× and DVDs at up to 8×, while also offering a 2.5‑inch...
Android Auto Users Hit with ‘Voice Commands Aren’t Available Right Now’ Bug
A software bug is preventing Android Auto users from invoking voice commands, displaying a "voice commands aren’t available right now" notice at launch. The problem spans multiple manufacturers, including Samsung and Google Pixel devices, and appears to have intensified after...