Today's Consumer Tech Pulse
Apple integrates distilled Gemini AI into Siri, boosting on-device processing
Apple is embedding a distilled version of Google’s Gemini model into Siri, enabling the iPhone’s Neural Engine and custom silicon to handle simpler queries locally while offloading heavier AI workloads to the cloud. The initiative also brings Nvidia’s Confidential Computing platform to encrypt user data during cloud processing.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Airbnb leads $58M Series C in travel startup WeRoad
WhatsApp Rolls Out Business AI in India, Giving SMBs 24/7 Chatbot Support
Meta has launched Business AI within the WhatsApp Business app for eligible Indian small and medium‑sized enterprises. The feature lets merchants automate replies in any Indian language, handle payments via UPI and switch to human agents when needed, aiming to capture a market where 91% of online adults chat with brands daily.
Razer Unveils Project Motoko AI Vision Headset at CES 2026
Razer introduced Project Motoko at CES 2026, a wireless headset that embeds dual cameras and AI processing into over‑ear cups. The device sidesteps the smart‑glasses form factor, positioning itself as a platform‑agnostic AI companion for everyday headphone users.
CTONE Group Shifts to AI Edge Hardware with New Agent Computer Line
CTONE Group announced an "All in AI" transformation and launched the CTONE Agent Computer and AI Agent Workstation series at a Shenzhen event with more than 1,500 industry guests. The Chinese firm positioned the new hardware as the centerpiece of...
Apple May Drop 256 GB MacBook Neo, Raising Base Price to $699 Amid DRAM Crunch
Apple is reportedly preparing to discontinue the 256 GB MacBook Neo and lift its entry price to $699 (≈ 79,990 ₹) after a surge in DRAM costs and higher-than‑expected demand. The move would reshape the company’s low‑end laptop strategy and could force budget‑conscious...
Cellular Is Secure, Wi‑Fi Isn’t—Add NordVPN
Your Android phone uses a secure connection when you're on cellular, but on Wi-Fi? Nope. That's why a VPN is such a win. Here's how to add @NordVPN to your own Android device with just a few clicks... https://t.co/kN7arxgmEY #android...
Quantum‑dot TVs Beat RGB‑LED Sets in Display Week Demo
Nanosys showcased a side‑by‑side comparison at Display Week in Los Angeles, where its super quantum‑dot (SQD) TV delivered noticeably better color fidelity and contrast than a competing RGB‑LED model. The demo, featuring two 85‑inch TCL panels, underscores a growing debate...
Amazon Is Selling DJI's Self-Guided Neo Mini Drone for Under $140 Right Now
Amazon is offering DJI's Neo Mini drone for $139, a $60 discount from its $199 list price and the lowest Amazon price since its 2024 launch. The compact 135‑gram drone captures 4K video, flies up to 20 minutes, and is...
Another Day, Another Gaming Price Hike
Nintendo announced a price increase for its newly launched Switch 2 handheld, adding roughly $20 to the base model. The move follows widespread criticism that the console’s original price was already high, despite strong sell‑through rates. Nintendo’s decision signals confidence...
I Installed a Browser on My Smart TV, and It Changed How I Use It
TV Bro is a free, open‑source browser built specifically for Android TV platforms, allowing users to navigate the web with a standard remote. It features remote‑friendly UI shortcuts, voice search, bookmarks, incognito mode, and built‑in ad and pop‑up blockers. The browser also...
Want Your iPhone's Dark Mode To Be Even Darker? Try This
Apple’s iPhone includes a standard Dark Mode that reduces screen brightness, but many users find it insufficiently dark. SlashGear outlines a set of hidden settings—home‑screen customization, Liquid Glass tint, and accessibility tweaks—that deepen the dark appearance. Applying these steps creates...
Sony Group Bets on AI to Fuel Gaming Evolution, CEO Says
Sony Group President Hiroki Totoki announced that artificial intelligence will be a core driver of the next wave of gaming content, aiming to revitalize the PlayStation ecosystem. The company is deepening its partnership with TSMC to develop next‑generation image sensors...
Heineken’s ‘The Clinker’ Smartband Creates Festival Friends
Heineken introduced "The Clinker" smartband at Coachella, a wearable that reads users' Spotify data and instantly creates a shared playlist when two bands touch. The device aims to turn strangers into instant music‑based connections, bypassing the awkwardness of approaching new...
Whoop Launches Paid Video Clinician Access and Health Record Integration for U.S. Users
Whoop announced that U.S. members will soon be able to schedule live video consultations with licensed clinicians and store medical records within the app, a paid add‑on to its existing membership. The rollout follows a $575 million funding round that lifted...
8 Google Messages Features I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Sooner
Google Messages packs a suite of under‑the‑radar tools that go far beyond basic SMS. Users can schedule texts, snooze conversations, pin up to 20 chats, and star important messages for quick retrieval. Advanced search filters, customizable swipe gestures, and sensitive‑content...
My OLED TV Looked Washed Out Until I Found This One Picture Setting
Dynamic tone mapping (DTM) is a frame‑by‑frame HDR feature that many modern OLED TVs, including LG’s G3, ship with but often leave disabled. When enabled, DTM dynamically adjusts peak brightness, pushing OLEDs toward their 2000‑nit ceiling and delivering punchier images...
Nintendo President Promises ‘Robust Software Lineup’ to Make the Price-Hiked Switch 2 Worth Your While
Nintendo announced a $50 price increase for the Switch 2, citing rising production costs and AI‑driven component shortages. President Shuntaro Furukawa issued a public apology and promised a "robust software lineup" to offset the higher price. The company expects the hike...
3 Tech Companies that Make Your Gadgets More Expensive
A recent MakeUseOf column highlights three licensing entities—HDMI Licensing Administrator, Dolby, and Qualcomm—whose fees add to the cost of smartphones, laptops, and TVs. HDMI charges per‑port licensing fees, Dolby requires paid certifications for Vision and Atmos, and Qualcomm levies a...
I'm Finally Back on My Switch 2 Thanks to This GOTY Contender From 2025
Tech reviewer Max Freeman‑Mills returns to Nintendo’s Switch 2 after waiting for the narrative‑driven title Dispatch, a 2025 Game‑of‑the‑Year contender that launched on the console in early 2026. The game blends choice‑based storytelling with dispatch missions, featuring veterans from Telltale Games...
Your Fire TV Collects More than Just Watch History, Here’s How to Stop It
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max gathers more than viewing history, logging app interactions, usage duration, crashes, and even voice commands when Alexa is enabled. The article walks readers through the privacy menu to disable Device Usage Data, App Usage Data, and interest‑based...
5 Hidden Motorola Gestures that Make Other Android Phones Feel Basic
Motorola’s Android skins hide a suite of exclusive gestures that streamline everyday tasks. Users can slide the power button to pull down notifications, swipe horizontally to launch split‑screen mode, and control media playback with volume keys while the screen is...
Japanese Retailer Limiting Switch 2 Purchases After Price Increase Announcement
Nintendo announced a price increase for the Switch 2, raising the U.S. price from $449.99 to $499.99 and the Japanese price from ¥49,980 (≈$352) to ¥59,980 (≈$422) effective May 25, 2026. In response, Japan’s Bic Camera now only sells the Switch 2—and even...
HP’s 15.6″ Laptop Is Back On Sale for Under $300 With Free Microsoft 365
HP has reduced the price of its 15.6‑inch laptop to under $300, bundling a one‑year Microsoft 365 subscription. The device ships with 1.1 TB of storage, an Intel Celeron N100 processor, and a 1366×768 HD display. It runs Windows 11 Home in S...
These Are the 5 Features that Make the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Worth It
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8, priced from $350, positions itself as a slimmer, more affordable Wear OS alternative to the Pixel Watch and OnePlus Watch. Its standout appeal lies in the Samsung Health suite, which delivers daily Energy scores, detailed Sleep scores, and...
Beats Studio Pro Headphones Just Hit a Massive 51% Discount for a Limited Time
Beats Studio Pro headphones are now priced at $169.95, a 51% discount from the regular $349.99. The over‑ear model delivers active noise cancelling, transparency mode, lossless USB‑C audio, personalized spatial audio with head tracking, and up to 40 hours of...
The Instax Wide 400 Builds on Instant Photography’s Simplicity and Stretches It, Literally
Fujifilm’s Instax Wide 400 retails for $175 and prints 62 × 99 mm photos, roughly twice the size of Mini frames. The camera is a pure point‑and‑shoot device with automatic flash, focus and exposure, and it includes a close‑up lens attachment and a four‑speed...
![Review: I Want to Love Belkin’s 3-in-1 Pixel Watch Charging Dock, but Google Ruined It [Gallery]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/9to5google.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/05/belkin-pixel-watch-charging-dock-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1){kind=tracking}
Review: I Want to Love Belkin’s 3-in-1 Pixel Watch Charging Dock, but Google Ruined It [Gallery]
Belkin introduced a modular 3‑in‑1 Qi2 charging dock that supports Pixel Watch 1‑3, phones and earbuds, priced at $64.99. The dock features a 25 W wireless pad, a secondary earbud charger, and a pull‑out watch shelf with interchangeable inserts. Reviewers praise...
This Buried Samsung Feature Helps Keep My Galaxy S26 Running Like New
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 includes a hidden Auto restart option within its Device Care suite, allowing users to schedule periodic reboots. The feature, part of Auto Optimization, can be set to reboot on a chosen day and time or when performance...
Your Yarbo Lawnmower Is a Backdoor Into Your Wi-Fi Network
Security researcher Andreas Makris revealed that every Yarbo internet‑connected lawnmower ships with a hard‑coded root password and a persistent backdoor that transmits telemetry, GPS data and Wi‑Fi credentials to the manufacturer’s servers. By exploiting the flaw he accessed data from...
AI Founder Shows Personal OS for Emails, Content, Groceries
My next guest, @moritzkremb, is an AI founder who built a personal OS in Claude Code to help with emails, content, and even buying groceries. He walked me through his full setup including all the folders, tools, skills, and routines pictured...
Why 2026 Is the Year Handheld Gaming PCs Got Real
Handheld gaming PCs have finally broken out of the enthusiast niche in 2026, joining consoles as a mainstream purchase option. Advances in x86 silicon, cooler thermals and OLED displays now deliver desktop‑level performance in a 7‑inch form factor. Battery life...
Meet oMLX : Apple Silicon’s Fastest Local AI Model Runner
OMLX is an open‑source inference engine built on Apple’s MLX framework that maximizes Apple Silicon’s unified memory and GPU capabilities. By leveraging zero‑copy arrays, lazy computation, and a dual‑layer cache (RAM + SSD), it cuts latency and boosts throughput to 47 tokens...
Nextorage NEM-PAC 2TB SSD Review: A Solid, PS5-Ready Workhorse
The Nextorage NEM‑PAC 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD retails for $289.99 and delivers up to 7,400 MB/s reads and 6,400 MB/s writes, matching the performance of higher‑priced rivals. It uses a Silicon Motion SM2268XT2 controller paired with Samsung 236‑layer TLC NAND and includes a...
Whoop Adds AI‑Driven In‑App Medical Consultations, Expanding Wearable Into Telehealth
Whoop announced a summer 2026 launch of AI‑enhanced, in‑app medical consultations for U.S. members, letting users video‑chat licensed clinicians while sharing real‑time biometric data. The service adds a paid tier on top of the existing subscription, marking the fitness‑tracker’s first...
Best Budget Gaming Laptops of 2026: The Best Cheap Laptops We've Tested and Benchmarked
Tom's Hardware evaluated the current generation of budget gaming laptops, highlighting that the market under $1,500 now typically ships with Nvidia RTX 5050‑5070 GPUs and the latest Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen 7 processors. The Acer Nitro V 16S AI emerged as the...
INIU Pocket Rocket P50 Packs 45W Power in a 160‑Gram Key‑Fob Form Factor
INIU’s Pocket Rocket P50 delivers 45W fast‑charging in a 160‑gram, car‑key‑sized body, claiming the title of the smallest 10,000 mAh power bank. The review confirms its rapid charge rates, dual‑port flexibility, and sophisticated thermal engineering, positioning it as a premium everyday‑carry...
EU Alexa Lagging Behind, Users Seek Home Assistant LLM
My Alexa (in Europe) is so retarded, like literally half the things it doesn't understand or does wrong Like you say "Alexa play casa de bamba" and it starts playing casablanca by a Moroccan rapper? Dafuq? The model is so bad and...
Apple’s AI Ads Downgrade From Clever to Condescending
Even the Apple Intelligence ads that didn’t do vapourware were bad. Apple went from “bicycle for the mind” to “our users are morons” with this one for the office place. https://t.co/ROyHttXRGw
"62% Won’t Pay $70 Anymore": Gen Z's Shift Toward Xbox Game Pass Has Me Rethinking How We Buy Video Games...
According to the IGN and Dentsu “Generations in Play: 2026” report, 62% of gamers—driven largely by Gen Z—no longer purchase full‑price games, opting instead for subscription services like Xbox Game Pass. The study highlights a generational shift toward treating games as...
OTC Hearing Aids Offer Affordable, Game‑changing Solution
More hearing aids? Yes, because lots of folks have mild hearing loss, and OTC solutions are affordable and, honestly, game changing. This time I'm looking at the new Techmi FacePro OTC Hearing Aids in this demo and review: https://t.co/W0GUOshnHY #hearing...
Your Phone Nearby Hampers Thinking—Move It Away
The mere presence of your phone can make thinking harder. Put it in another room when your brain needs to do the work. https://t.co/GQsFhVEoMK
![Google Pixel Phones Will Probably Let You Ditch the Search Bar in Android 17 QPR1 [Video]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://i0.wp.com/9to5google.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/03/google-pixel-10a-launcher-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1){kind=tracking}
Google Pixel Phones Will Probably Let You Ditch the Search Bar in Android 17 QPR1 [Video]
Google is testing a new toggle in the Pixel Launcher that lets users hide the persistent search bar, a feature long baked into the Pixel homescreen. The option lives under Settings > Search bar settings > Show search bar and, when disabled, shifts docked...
Apple Could Unlock iPhone Value by Acquiring Wispr Flow
Apple built this whole buggy Apple Intelligence thing and all they needed to do to make the iPhone infinitely more valuable was acquire Wispr Flow
IFi's New Mini DAC Upgrades Phone Audio Dramatically
iFi's tiny DAC is smaller and lighter than the first generation and delivers an excellent audio upgrade to phones in particular https://t.co/J0SM1W7eaX
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Vs. Galaxy Z Flip 7: Maybe Not Worth the Wait?
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 8 is slated for a July 22, 2026 launch, promising a slimmer chassis, a new Exynos 2600 2 nm processor and out‑of‑the‑box Qi2 magnetic charging. The device retains the same 6.9‑inch inner and 4.1‑inch cover OLED panels, 4,300 mAh battery and 50 MP...
Four Top Soundbars to Elevate Your World Cup
Complete your World Cup experience with an audio upgrade with a new soundbar: here are my four current picks. https://t.co/cqKNsUQrH9
ZimaBoard V2 Boosts CPU, RAM, Keeps Passive Cooling
Following the original ZimaBoard, version 2 has an improved processor and memory, but the same passively cooled NAS credentials. https://t.co/m8DNLqUpp4
How to Unlock NotebookLM’s Powerful New AI Automations
Google’s NotebookLM has teamed up with the Codex AI platform to launch a suite of automation features. The Codex Chrome extension now pulls data from sources such as Google Sheets, YouTube, and stock‑market APIs directly into NotebookLM notebooks. Users can...
OnePlus 15R's Giant Battery Outshines Missing Telephoto Lens
Even with a missing telephoto lens, the OnePlus 15R's massive new battery makes it unbeatable in its category. https://t.co/yKXAPmliFe
Insta360's New Vlog Camera Features Detachable Remote
It looks as though the upcoming vlogging camera from Insta360 will offer a detachable remote control unit. https://t.co/RZCR3W8Oq7
Google Keep May Soon Support Lock‑Screen Note Taking
There's already a lot to like about Google Keep, and the ability to add notes from the Android lock screen is rumored to be on the way. https://t.co/izYTvE70I4