Trending on Gadget Hacks: Page 4

Google's making some serious moves in the wearable weather space, and honestly, it's about time. Google is phasing out its Weather app for Pixel smartwatches and replacing it with a new Pixel Weather app, and this is not just your typical app shuffle that leaves users frustrated. The key change is blunt: Google says its Weather app will not be available for download on non-Pixel watches running Wear OS 6+; Pixel devices will instead ship Pixel Weather, and devices that already had Google's...

Microsoft's launching a new Windows AI Labs program, and this is not just another beta test. It reads like the company's boldest swing yet at changing how we interact with our computers. There is always a little buzz when Microsoft rolls out something new, and Windows AI Labs has that charge. Microsoft is being deliberately selective, treating it like a curated research collaboration, not a mass rollout. Users are positioned as co-creators, not box-tickers. That alone changes the vibe.

The mobile industry is shifting in a way that could change how we think about phone service forever. We used to walk into carrier stores or dial customer support to set up plans. Now apps can activate mobile service on the spot, no carrier visit required. Carrier billing and e-wallets will be worth $60 billion globally in 2025, and superapps are multifunctional platforms that integrate messaging, payments, e-commerce, and more. Put those together and you get a new ecosystem where your next...

When Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple in 1985, who guessed his next venture would become the tech that later saved the company he co-founded? After a boardroom power struggle, he walked out, then invested $12 million of his own money to create NeXT, Inc. The paradox that followed is hard to beat: a company that would struggle to gain traction in the market yet ultimately become the startup that brought Jobs back to Apple and powered its biggest breakthroughs.

The iPhone 17 series is making waves among Android enthusiasts, and for good reason. After years of watching Android phones pioneer features that Apple later adopted, the pattern is still alive with the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup. The twist is that Apple’s silicon advantage still matters, with chips topping efficiency tests year after year, according to recent benchmarks (PassMark, Geekbench, and independent reviews of the A19/A19 Pro). The platforms are also loosening frictions between...

So you've got your eye on Apple's latest wearables, but you're wondering if the Series 11 is worth the upgrade from the Series 10? Let me break it down. Apple updated its entire Apple Watch lineup at its September event, with the Series 11 leading the pack. Here's the twist, visually, the Series 11 looks a lot like the Series 10, the same thin profile and edge-to-edge display. So the real question is simple, do the under-the-hood tweaks move the needle?

If you've been dealing with music that stutters, skips, or cuts out while using Android Auto, you're not alone. Drivers across brands and phone models are reporting the same thing, turning a simple commute into an audio mess. Multiple reports on Reddit point to a bug that causes music to stutter and skip when connected to Android Auto wirelessly. The issue shows up regardless of phone brand. Plenty of users have given up and switched to plain Bluetooth streaming, trading Android Auto’s nice...

When Apple unveiled the iPhone X in September 2017, few could have predicted just how profoundly it would reshape the smartphone landscape. Eight years ago, the iPhone X set the table for everything that has come since, marking what Tim Cook called a device that would "set the path for technology for the next decade." The iPhone X was not just another incremental update. It was Apple's most expensive iPhone to date (starting price $999), introduced specifically to commemorate the 10th...

With Apple's September event now in the rearview mirror, the tech world is buzzing about what comes next. The iPhone 17 series just made its debut alongside new Apple Watches and AirPods Pro 3. Still, Apple's product pipeline is far from empty. Recent developments point to another major moment before the year wraps, and the breadcrumbs look convincing.

When Netflix's $320 million sci-fi epic The Electric State underperformed critically with a 30 Metacritic score and 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, it was not just another streaming flop, it was a wake-up call about a distribution strategy problem. The film's dismal reception sparked industry confusion about Netflix's filmmaking efforts, and the confusion is justified. Here is a streaming giant that can make genuinely great films like The Irishman, Roma, and All Quiet on the Western Front, yet the...

Apple device management just got a major upgrade. iMazing started life as a more powerful alternative to iTunes, but has since evolved into something far more comprehensive, a desktop solution that transforms how you manage Apple devices across personal, educational, and business environments. Not a sidekick, a control center.

The streaming world has changed dramatically in the past five years, but nothing illustrates that transformation quite like Apple TV+'s remarkable Emmy journey. When the service launched in 2019, skeptics wondered if a tech company could really compete with Hollywood's established players. Fast forward to 2025, and Apple TV+ has earned a record-breaking 81 Emmy Award nominations across 14 titles, a clear signal that Apple's unique approach to content creation isn't just working, it is reshaping...

When Apple calls the iPhone 17 lineup the "biggest leap ever for iPhone," they're backing up that claim with hardware that pushes the boundaries of what's physically possible. The iPhone 17 Air replaces the Plus line as Apple's boldest design statement yet, measuring just 5.6 millimeters thick and representing a decisive step toward what CEO Tim Cook describes as their ultimate vision of a "singular piece of glass."

The first benchmark results for Apple's A19 Pro chip have finally surfaced, and the numbers hint at where iPhone performance is headed. MacRumors reports that early Geekbench 6 entries show about 13–15% faster multi-core CPU performance compared to the A18 Pro, while the full 6-core GPU variant posts up to 40% faster graphics. Apple has also shuffled the deck across the iPhone 17 line. The iPhone Air gets a custom 5-core GPU version, and one early Metal score shows it about 15% faster than last...

Samsung's camera innovation has always been impressive. Plot twist, though, Samsung Electro-Mechanics is developing a telephoto module with continuous optical zoom, yet Samsung is pitching the tech to Chinese brands like Xiaomi, which are usually quicker to adopt experimental features. And get this, Samsung has filed some patents in 2024–2025, so the work has been in motion for a while. If Samsung is building the future of zoom, why aren't Galaxy phones getting first dibs?

So you've heard about the iPhone Air and its ridiculously thin 5.6mm profile, and now you're probably wondering the same thing everyone else is asking: what's the deal with the battery life? We're talking about a phone thinner than most credit cards, a metal bookmark of a device, so it is fair to assume something had to give. Right?

You think current iPhone prices are high? We haven't seen anything yet. While everyone debates whether a $2,000 iPhone 17 Pro Max makes financial sense, Apple is quietly lining up a device that makes even top-shelf slabs look like budget buys. The iPhone Fold is coming, and it is about to reset what "expensive" means in phones.

You know how your Gmail inbox has basically turned into a chaotic dumping ground for every Amazon order confirmation, shipping notification, and delivery update? Same. Gmail's new Purchases tab is finally here to rescue us from that mess, and Google’s timing shows it understands just how overwhelming email has become. Google announced a couple of additions to Gmail that make it easier to keep track of your purchases and potential savings, including a tab that corrals all your incoming...

Four years. That's how long Spotify users have been waiting since the streaming giant first announced its Hi-Fi tier in 2021. Meanwhile, Apple Music rolled out lossless audio support in 2021, and Amazon Music made its lossless streaming free after launching a paid HD tier in 2019. But here's what you need to know: Spotify is finally making good on that promise, and the rollout is happening right now.

Staring at the tangled mess of charging cables on your nightstand? You've probably wondered if there's a better way to power up your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods without turning your bedroom into a tech repair shop. There is. 3-in-1 charging stations. We tested a stack of them and found the few that actually deliver on their promises.

If you thought the smartphone chip wars were competitive before, Apple's A19 Pro just rewrote the entire playbook. We're talking about a mobile processor that's outperforming multiple desktop CPUs, and when I say outperforming, I mean the A19 Pro is leaving AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 9950X eating dust in single-thread performance. After years of covering chip launches and testing countless devices, I can tell you this is not an incremental improvement, it is a fundamental shift in what mobile...

Apple's decision to extend free iPhone satellite messaging through 2026 signals a long-term bet on this technology—not just another timeline adjustment. When Apple announced that it's extending free satellite service into 2026 for iPhone 14 and 15 users, it marked the second time the company has pushed back its original timeline.

Microsoft isn't just updating Copilot—it's redefining enterprise AI adoption. The October announcements mark a shift from optional productivity boosts to AI as baseline infrastructure.

Looking at the third-generation AirPods Pro that Apple just dropped, you are probably wondering if it is time to retire those trusty Pro 2s. For three years, the Pro 2s have been the gold standard for premium wireless earbuds, the ones that keep topping every best earbuds list worth reading. Still, Apple’s latest iteration brings genuinely compelling upgrades, from heart rate monitoring to significantly improved noise cancellation, that might make the upgrade more compelling.

Looking at these new AirPods Pro 3, Apple’s timing is remarkably strategic. Three years after the Pro 2, Apple used that runway to push AirPods toward health devices that happen to play music, not the other way around.

Apple's online store is showing that familiar "Be right back" message, a sign that something big is about to drop. The Apple Store is down ahead of iPhone 17 preorders, which are set to begin Friday, September 12, 2025. The ritual is predictable, still exciting. It signals that Apple has officially lifted the curtain on the iPhone 17 lineup, including the highly anticipated iPhone 17 Air model.

When your smartphone screen feels more like looking at printed paper than a glowing display, you know something revolutionary is happening. The TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra represents the first smartphone equipped with the latest version of NXTPAPER technology, and early reviews suggest it just might be a favorite smartphone display of all time. With NXTPAPER 4.0 featuring a redesigned substrate and nano-matrix lithography application to enhance brightness and color accuracy, this is not just another...

When tech giants want to flex their cultural influence, they do more than ship gadgets. They stage moments that stop the scroll. Apple Music's latest move is a case in point. The streaming platform has secured Bad Bunny as the headline performer for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, a swing that lands well beyond entertainment. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that the Puerto Rican superstar will take center stage at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026....

The late-night television landscape just saw something rare, maybe unprecedented: affiliate stations essentially forcing a network to yank one of its flagship shows. When Sinclair and Nexstar refused to carry Jimmy Kimmel Live!, they did more than flex corporate muscle; they exposed the structural cracks in a broadcasting model that has been melting like an ice cube for years. The numbers are blunt: roughly 23% of U.S. households (about a quarter) were reached by stations that preempted the...

When regulatory agencies handle confidential tech schematics, one small mistake can expose months of carefully guarded secrets. That is exactly what happened when the FCC mistakenly leaked confidential iPhone 16e schematics, giving us an unprecedented look at Apple's latest budget powerhouse before its official release. The iPhone 16e debuted in February 2025 as a $599 budget powerhouse, quickly becoming a game-changer in Apple's lineup. Beyond the leaked documents, what makes this story...

Apple's Visual Intelligence just got a major upgrade in iOS 26, and honestly, it's about time. The original feature launched in iOS 18.2 as a Camera Control button that could describe your surroundings and translate text. Now Apple has extended Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 to work with content that's on your iPhone. Not a minor tweak, a shift in how you act on what you see, from shopping finds to event planning.

Behind closed doors at Apple, Siri is getting a rethink that could change how we talk to our devices. Apple's been quietly working on a ChatGPT-like app to help its engineers test the overhauled version of Siri. The app isn't going to be released to the public, and it's strictly for internal testing, but it offers a rare peek at where Siri is headed.

Apple's iOS 26 update brings a significant expansion to the table: new hearing protection settings for AirPods Pro users in the EU and UK. This isn't just another minor software tweak, it is Apple turning everyday earbuds into serious health tools. Apple's Hearing Protection technology, including the Hearing Test, is now available to users in the EU and UK after receiving certification in those regions, a clear step beyond the initial US launch.

Apple's latest AirPods Pro 3 announcement has tech enthusiasts buzzing, and for good reason. Apple says AirPods Pro 3 will include real-time, in-ear translation, a leap forward in how we communicate across language barriers. This isn't just another incremental upgrade. It is a glimpse of a future where language differences fade into the background. Apple Intelligence parses what someone nearby says and plays the translation back in your preferred language, so you can order coffee in Paris or...

Apple Watch Series 11 has officially arrived, and it's bringing some serious health upgrades to the table. Apple announced its latest generation smartwatch with features that could genuinely change how we monitor cardiovascular health. The standout addition, Hypertension detection that Apple says will eventually roll out in over 150 countries, pending regulatory approval. The twist, this year's model is incredibly similar to last year's Series 10, so Apple is betting on meaningful refinements...

When Apple discontinued the MagSafe battery pack back in 2022, many of us thought it was gone for good. After all, it wasn't exactly flying off the shelves, and Apple seemed to be moving on to other accessories. But here's the thing, sometimes a product fails not because it's a bad idea, but because the timing isn't quite right.

Apple's next iPhone generation is bringing some serious selfie game to the table. Reports suggest the iPhone 17 series could jump from the current 12MP front cameras to a to a 24MP sensor, potentially across all four models. But here's where it gets interesting: this isn't just about cramming more pixels into your selfies. The enhanced sensor, combined with what leaks suggest may be a 6P lens design, could change how we capture group photos and video calls, no awkward phone flipping required.

Apple just crossed a major pricing milestone with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, marking the first time any iPhone has reached the $2,000 threshold when maxed out with 2TB storage. The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199, but that 2TB configuration pushes Apple's flagship into unprecedented territory. Two grand, on a phone. With the 6.9-inch display and 37 hours of video playback capability, Apple is betting that power users will pay premium prices for premium storage.

Reports indicate Apple's OLED MacBook Pro is on track for late 2026, and this is not just another incremental upgrade. It is shaping up to be the most significant MacBook redesign we've seen in years. Samsung Display is once again rumored to be the supplier and will allegedly start production in the middle of 2026. The Korean tech giant has already begun producing prototype OLED panels specifically designed for Apple's upcoming premium laptop. The kicker: Samsung has invested approximately $3.1...

When we talk about major operating system updates that truly redefine a platform, visionOS 26 stands out as something genuinely special. After three months of beta testing, Apple has officially announced that visionOS 26 will be available from September 15, bringing the most significant update yet to the Vision Pro platform. This is not just another incremental upgrade. It reimagines spatial computing and how we interact with digital content in our physical world.