The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 6

When two tech titans start talking money, the industry perks up. Intel has approached Apple about a potential investment as part of its comeback strategy, a twist in a long, complicated relationship. The talks land as Intel is partially owned by the U.S. government and scrambling to regain footing in semiconductors. When the news hit, Intel's stock jumped 6% and Apple's dipped 1%. Both companies kept quiet. Of course they did.

If you've been hit with an unexpected popup telling you to verify your age on YouTube, you're not alone. What started as a limited test is now a broad rollout affecting users across the platform. That rapid expansion means millions more people are suddenly subject to algorithmic age checks that can reshape what they can watch.

When Samsung announced its latest price cuts on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it wasn't just another seasonal sale. It was a calculated strategic maneuver that sends ripples throughout the entire smartphone industry. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max hitting shelves at $1,199 and Samsung's flagship starting at $1,299, this move signals more than competitive pressure, it is Samsung doubling down on value while Apple leans into premium positioning.

When Apple enthusiasts lined up to get their hands on the shiny new iPhone 17 Pro models, they probably didn’t expect to witness what’s quickly becoming known as "Scratchgate." Yet here we are, just days after launch, and customers are reporting scratches on brand-new iPhone 17 Pro units that look like they’ve been through a pocket full of keys.

Three days out, Apple TV+ yanks a major series. Something is up. Apple’s decision to postpone "The Savant" on Tuesday, September 23, originally set to debut September 26, created a rare public rift with one of its biggest stars. Jessica Chastain expressed her disappointment with the call, a striking break from the usual united front. The timing made it sting more, with Apple pulling mentions of the launch from social channels just as viewers were getting ready to hit play.

Apple's latest flagship has just gone under the knife, and what iFixit found inside is a fascinating mix of engineering brilliance and design compromises. The teardown video, nearly 11 minutes long, starts with two Torx screws at the bottom and quickly gets interesting. A new cooling system. A camera plateau that scratches too easily. Plenty to chew on.

Your iPhone is about to become your passport, well, sort of. Apple confirmed that iPhones will add US Passport support by the end of 2025, marking a significant evolution in how we think about digital identity. Not a gimmick. It is Apple’s answer to the slow rollout of digital driver’s licenses and a direct response to Google Wallet’s passport support that launched in December 2024. The feature will let you create an ID with your passport in the Wallet app, so you can verify your identity at...

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

Ever been stuck with a dying iPhone battery when you need your phone most? Picture this: you are halfway through a cross-country flight, your iPhone’s battery icon is flashing red, and you have three hours of travel left. That used to mean scrambling for cables and wall outlets. Not anymore. MagSafe technology has changed the game entirely. WIRED confirms that MagSafe is integrated into iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 models, using a ring of magnets that lets you attach wireless charging...

Apple's Live Translation feature for AirPods is one of the boldest attempts yet to chip away at language barriers with everyday tech. Curious if this sci‑fi idea actually works in the wild? You're in the right place. Here's what to know, from setup to the feel of a real conversation.

Spotify's triumphant return to Mac DJ software is not just news, it is a game-changer for the Apple ecosystem. After five years of silence, Spotify integration launches today across three major DJ platforms: djay, Serato, and rekordbox. Spotify Premium subscribers in 51 markets worldwide can browse the service's library and mix tracks in real time. For Mac users, that is a tangible shift in creative workflow inside the ecosystem many of us live in every day.

YouTube’s latest policy reversal reads like a plot twist. Alphabet announced Tuesday that YouTube will give creators a path back if they were banned under COVID-19 and election misinformation policies that no longer exist. The move reflects the company’s commitment to free speech and continues YouTube’s loosening of moderation.

Apple's 2025 smartwatch lineup brings some compelling choices, but there's one model that's quietly stealing the show. The Apple Watch SE 3 just landed with major upgrades that make it surprisingly competitive with its premium siblings. The Apple Watch SE 3 sports the brand's latest S10 processor, the very same one found in the $399 Apple Watch Series 11 and $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3. Plus, the Apple Watch SE 3 is the first SE model with an always-on display, finally addressing one of the...

The European Union just fired its biggest regulatory salvo yet at Big Tech's handling of online financial fraud, and Apple finds itself right in the crosshairs. The timing is hard to ignore. Just as regulators forced Apple to support third-party app marketplaces in Europe, they are asking whether the company is doing enough to stop scams across its ecosystem. This is not another routine skirmish, it is a direct test of how Apple balances security, control, and compliance in a messy, real-world...

Google's mobile gaming ecosystem just got a major overhaul, and honestly, it's about time. Google is rolling out significant updates to Google Play Games that fundamentally change how we interact with mobile gaming across devices. With over 200,000 titles now available across mobile and PC platforms, these changes are more than cosmetic. They are reshaping the entire player experience. Let's break down what these updates mean for gamers, and why they matter right now.

When Elon Musk's legal team filed papers in a Texas federal court this August, they were not just taking aim at Apple's App Store policies, they were launching what could be the most consequential antitrust battle in the AI era. xAI's lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI alleges a coordinated effort to suppress competition, with Apple and OpenAI jointly moving to dismiss the claims. The stakes? Billions of dollars in damages and potentially the future of AI competition itself.

The deal everyone's been talking about is finally taking shape. What does it mean for TikTok users, creators, and the broader tech landscape? After months of uncertainty and political maneuvering, the US and China have reached what appears to be a breakthrough agreement on TikTok's future in America. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Americans will hold six of seven board seats overseeing TikTok's U.S. operations, while Oracle will control the app's algorithm under the...

Apple's announcement that Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, and Norway is not just another feature drop. It is a strategic move that shows how regulatory pressure, technological innovation, and market demand are reshaping Europe’s payments scene. Apple announced on 2025-09-23 that the contactless solution turns any iPhone into a payment terminal, no extra hardware required beyond a partner-enabled iOS app. The timing matters, coming after Apple's 2024...

While One UI 8 has just started rolling out on the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung is already working on what comes next. More than a dozen new One UI 8.5 features have leaked, and some of them look genuinely useful. The update isn't expected until the Galaxy S26 launch early next year, but these early glimpses offer a clear preview of what Samsung is cooking up for your phone.

You know that feeling when a software update makes you do a double-take? That's exactly what these One UI 8.5 leaks are doing. While One UI 8 is just starting to roll out to Galaxy phones worldwide, Samsung is already cooking up something that might make iPhone users pause and wonder if the grass really is greener on the Android side.

Looking at T-Mobile's latest free line promotion feels a bit like watching a magician's performance. The trick lands, the crowd claps, you know there is more happening under the stage. T-Mobile's giving away free lines for eligible customers, but the reality is more nuanced than the headline suggests. The service charge is zero, while customers still pay initial activation, taxes, fees, and the free line often does not qualify for equipment discounts.

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S26 series is getting real buzz, and not just from spec-sheet chasers. The latest leaks point to the Samsung Galaxy S26 getting support for APV, Samsung's Advanced Professional Video codec, the kind of feature that can flip how we think about shooting on a phone. With APV supporting visually lossless recording and LOG profiles plus HDR metadata, pros get latitude and hobbyists get headroom. And because APV offers up to 20% better space than Apple ProRes (per early...

When Apple announced the iPhone Air, its thinnest phone ever at just 5.64mm thick, the repair community collectively held its breath. Surely this ultra-slim design meant a return to the dark days of glued-together nightmares that required a full phone swap for minor issues. Then iFixit's teardown landed. The revelation is that the iPhone Air doesn't sacrifice repairability for thinness, earning an impressive 7 out of 10 repairability score. For context, it's even thinner than Samsung's Galaxy...

You've just invested in Samsung's latest powerhouse tablet, and that gorgeous 11-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is staring back at you. How do you keep it pristine? The Galaxy Tab S11 features a stunning 2560 x 1600 resolution with 1600 nits peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate, and all that brilliance means little if your screen gets scratched. With Samsung already offering official screen protectors and the tablet supporting advanced features like the redesigned S Pen with increased tilt...

The racing world has always been about speed, danger, and putting viewers right in the heart of the action, but nothing quite prepared me for what CANAL+ just delivered. Tour De Force is not just another sports documentary. It is the first third-party Apple Immersive Video production to hit Vision Pro, and it is absolutely wild.

Google's Play Store is getting its most significant AI makeover yet, and the changes are happening right now. This is not a routine tweak, it is a reimagining of how we discover, interact with, and experience mobile apps. The shift runs deeper than a new coat of paint, it is reshaping the relationship between users, developers, and the apps themselves.

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

When Apple claimed the iPhone Air would be their most durable iPhone ever, many questioned how something so impossibly thin could withstand real-world use. At just 5.6mm thick, Apple tossed an iPhone Air across the room to a reporter so they could attempt to bend it during an interview. Gutsy. The titanium frame gives the phone elasticity, while the arrangement of the internals gives it structural integrity. And independent testing backed it up, showing just how tough this ultra-thin device is...

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

Apple just dropped iOS 26, and let's be honest, this isn't your typical incremental update. Apple announced at WWDC what they're calling "a major update" featuring their bold new Liquid Glass design language and deep Apple Intelligence integration. After extensive testing and analysis, it's clear that iOS 26 brings a sweeping redesign and powerful on-device AI enhancements that fundamentally change how we interact with our iPhones. The CardPointers app update perfectly showcases these...

Apple's iPhone 17 launch delivered something rare in tech, genuine surprise backed by numbers. While Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives just bumped his price target to $310, citing "positively surprised" demand, the real story is the gap between early Wall Street skepticism and the rush at retail.

Apple's latest iPhone Air is not just another incremental update, it is a crystal ball showing us what the long-rumored iPhone Fold will look like. When Bloomberg's Mark Gurman describes the upcoming foldable as resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," he is essentially saying the iPhone Air is Apple's blueprint for foldable dominance. What happens when you put two of these thin slabs together? You get the silhouette of Apple's first foldable.

The smartphone market in 2025 is getting more interesting by the day, and Samsung's Galaxy A36 5G is making quite the splash, especially with one carrier offering it absolutely free. When I first heard about this deal, I was skeptical. Free phones usually come with significant compromises. Too good to be true? After digging into what the Galaxy A36 brings to the table, I changed my mind. This might actually be one of those rare deals worth your attention.

You know what's fascinating? Samsung's been quietly perfecting DeX since 2017. You might have written it off as a nice-to-have that never quite delivered. Then it cracked the code. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the first clamshell (Flip) foldable in Samsung's lineup to support Samsung DeX, signalling an important shift.

Apple's iOS 26 update finally delivers some genuinely exciting developments. Live Translation can now translate another person's words into your language and pipe them through your AirPods, as ZDNet reports, while Tom's Guide confirms iOS 26 added new Apple Intelligence languages and expanded AirPods Live Translation capabilities. SlashGear notes the feature uses on-device AI models, so conversations stay on your iPhone and never hit the cloud.

You know what’s funny about Samsung’s latest update? While everyone’s buzzing about fancy AI tricks and flashy interface changes, One UI 8 is quietly doing something that feels almost radical in today’s tech world. It is bringing back simplicity. After years of tangled sharing menus and “where did that send to?” moments, Samsung might be onto something.

When it comes to Android file managers, one name keeps popping up in conversations among tech enthusiasts: CX File Explorer. While Files by Google has become the go-to choice for many users with its clean interface and smart cleanup features, readers still love this legendary Files by Google alternative, and there’s good reason for that loyalty. What keeps CX File Explorer in the rotation in a market full of shiny newcomers? And does it still deserve a spot on your Android device in 2025?

Apple's latest iPhone lineup hit the market with impressive promises, but reality has a way of humbling even the most advanced technology. The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air all arrived sporting Apple's brand-new custom N1 chip, a significant milestone marking the company's first foray into designing their own connectivity hardware. Yet within days of launch, users discovered their shiny new devices had developed an annoying quirk: Wi-Fi connections that...

The mobile industry just witnessed a major leadership shake-up that's bound to reshape one of America's biggest wireless carriers. T-Mobile confirmed that Mike Sievert will step down as CEO on November 1, 2025, with current COO Srinivasan Gopalan taking the helm. This is not just another corporate reshuffle, it signals T-Mobile's shift from aggressive customer growth to premium positioning built on robust fiber infrastructure. The timing stands out, Sievert's contract was set to run until 2028,...

Two titans step into 2025 with swagger, long memories, and sharper elbows. Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max chases higher performance and smarter cameras, while Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra arrived earlier this year, packing the Snapdragon 8 Elite and an S Pen for serious note takers. The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199, the Galaxy S25 Ultra at $1,299.99.