The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 67

Google has been making waves in the tech world with a significant expansion of its AI-powered photo editing capabilities. Google has just announced that it is rolling out conversational editing to other Android phones in the U.S., marking a major step forward in making advanced photo editing accessible to a broader audience. This feature leverages Gemini's sophisticated AI capabilities to transform how we interact with our photos, allowing anyone with an eligible phone to make AI edits within...

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

Looking at the sticker price for American Express's Platinum card, you'd expect some pretty impressive perks when you're shelling out nearly $900 annually. Free airport lounge access? Absolutely. Hotel upgrades and solid dining credits? You bet. What you probably wouldn't expect is that one of the "premium" features you're paying for is the ability to make your mobile app a slightly darker shade of blue.

When thieves make off with someone's smartphone, they probably do not expect that device to become a star witness against them. Yet that is exactly what happened in recent UK cases where Apple's Find My technology helped police dismantle major theft operations. Everyday consumer tech, once just convenience, now doubles as a quiet crime-fighting partner.

Apple finds itself in hot water over delayed AI features, but the company isn't backing down. Apple filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit targeting its Apple Intelligence rollout delays on Thursday. The company says two missing Siri features do not justify sweeping legal claims. The twist, and it is a big one, is how this fight spotlights the stakes of the AI arms race and the risk when Apple's famously polished marketing collides with the messy reality of shipping AI.

Apple's making waves at Fenway Park tonight, and it has nothing to do with batting averages or stolen bases. For the first time in broadcasting history, Apple will use the iPhone 17 Pro to capture live professional sports footage during the Red Sox vs. Tigers game on Apple TV+. Not a tech demo. The real thing, with Apple believing this marks the first use of iPhone in a live professional sports broadcast workflow.

Reviewed by Meg Flores

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

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.

The smartphone world just got a lot more interesting, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting Xiaomi to shake things up this dramatically. Xiaomi just dropped a bombshell with the launch of their 17 series—the kind of announcement that makes you sit up. The Xiaomi 17 series was announced on September 25 in China, marking a bold leap into next-generation territory.

When two tech giants like Intel and Apple start talking investment, you pay attention. Intel has reached out in hopes of securing an investment from Apple Inc., a move that could shape the next chapter of semiconductor history. The timing is a twist worth savoring. Apple was a longtime customer of Intel before developing its own in-house chip in 2020. Now the old partners might reunite, only with Intel in the supplicant seat rather than the supplier chair. Intel's stock rose about 6.4%...

American Express just rolled out what might be the most talked-about app update of 2025, and honestly, the conversation is pretty fascinating. Starting September 18, users can download the latest version of their mobile app featuring the ability to choose between light mode and dark mode. You might be thinking, "that's it?" Here's where it gets interesting. This seemingly simple feature arrives as the Amex Platinum Card's annual fee jumps to $895, which makes some people wonder if they're...

Since the DMA entered into force on Nov. 1, 2022, and began to apply from May 2, 2023, Apple isn't pulling any punches. The company claims regulators have created a mess that's hurting the very people the law was supposed to help. It argues that the DMA is forcing "concerning changes" to how it designs products, while Samsung currently leads European smartphone shipments and, unlike Apple, was not among the Commission's first designated DMA gatekeepers (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta,...

Qualcomm just dropped a bombshell with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, officially unveiled on Sept. 24, 2025, as perhaps the fastest smartphone chip in the world. The naming might catch you off guard. Many expected it to be called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, but Qualcomm decided the "Gen" suffix now applies to their entire series, making this the fifth generation.

OnePlus is making waves again, but this time with some intriguing mathematical logic. OnePlus has announced that the OnePlus 15 premium smartphone will soon debut, and they are skipping the number 14 entirely. Why the leap? Rumor has it OnePlus is dodging that number for cultural reasons, jumping straight from 13 to 15. In OnePlus math, 13 plus one equals 15, and honestly, that is not the strangest thing we have seen in the tech world.

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

The European Union did not flinch. Faced with Apple's latest challenge, officials said there is "absolutely no intention" of backing down from the Digital Markets Act. The standoff is a hinge moment in the fight between Big Tech and European regulators, and the ripple effects go well beyond Apple's walled garden.

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

Apple just dropped some serious updates to the ecosystem, and there's plenty to chew on. iOS 26 came out recently, with a fresh interface and power-user capabilities. Right on its heels, Apple released the first iOS 26.1 developer beta for iPhone, pushing the platform even further. But it's not all smooth sailing. We're also seeing concerning durability issues with the iPhone 17 Pro that have Apple scrambling to respond. So what actually matters here?

Every September, Apple drops the familiar line about the "best iPhone lineup ever." Most years, that is marketing gloss on small tweaks. This time, with the iPhone 17 series, it actually lands. 9to5Mac notes that Apple has made four fantastic new iPhone models, and every new iPhone this year is a winner. The numbers agree, analysts reported pre-order demand was about 25% higher than the iPhone 16 series a year prior. Here is why this lineup feels like a real reset of Apple's iPhone hierarchy.

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

You know that feeling when you see something so impossibly thin you almost can't believe it's real? That was me when I first held the iPhone Air's remarkable 5.6mm profile. Then came the wild part, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that next year's iPhone Fold could measure just 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded. Let me put that in perspective. We are talking about a foldable phone that is potentially a full millimeter thinner than Apple's thinnest device ever.

Google is intensifying its efforts to bring a full-fledged Android experience to desktop PCs, teaming up with semiconductor company Qualcomm to challenge traditional operating systems. Qualcomm's CEO Cristiano Amon has lauded an early version of the Android desktop software as "incredible." Sounds exciting. Still, the red flags are hard to miss. The pitch feels revolutionary, the early signals point to headaches.

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

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.

YouTube has been listening to its users, and for once, the feedback loop actually worked. After years of viewers complaining about those pesky end-screen popups cluttering up their viewing experience, Engadget reports that YouTube will now let viewers dismiss the popups and video suggestions that appear at the end of videos with a new "Hide" button. While these end screen popups are a standard part of most YouTube videos (Engadget), viewers increasingly wanted the ability to dismiss them and...

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.

When emergencies strike, every second counts. Whether you are caught in severe weather, facing a natural disaster, or dealing with other urgent threats, timely, accurate information can be the difference between life and death. That is exactly what makes TuneIn's new partnership with FEMA so compelling, it brings real-time emergency alerts directly to drivers through their vehicle dashboards and mobile streams.

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.

Ad, skip, another ad. Sound familiar? YouTube Premium Lite aims to break that loop without blowing up your budget. YouTube Premium Lite costs $7.99 a month, positioning itself as a more affordable alternative to the full Premium experience. The service removes ads on most YouTube videos, wherever you are watching them, while YouTube doesn’t charge a cent for hosting all of your uploaded videos or showing them to the world. With interruptions getting longer and more frequent, the question is...

Reviewed by Jame Jimenez

Apple's iPhone 17 Pro is in the spotlight for two very different reasons: a bold thermal design and some eyebrow-raising durability quirks. iFixit's comprehensive teardown analysis takes us inside the hardware, showing why Apple made its first return to aluminum in eight years, and how the new cooling system and the so-called "scratchgate" can both be true at once.

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.

When I examine the Android ecosystem, with its commanding 70% global market share, what strikes me most is the mobility between brands. I keep coming back to this: people move. A lot. While Samsung dominates with 19.7% market share in Q2 2025, recent survey data reveals something unexpected, Galaxy users are not automatically planning to stick with Samsung for their next upgrade.

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.

Disney's latest price hike announcement couldn't have come at a worse time. While Disney has raised prices every October for three years running, this round lands with a thud. The company is hiking prices across almost all streaming plans starting October 21, 2025, with increases ranging from $2 to $3 per month. What makes this especially problematic? The timing collides with ongoing subscriber cancellations after recent controversies, with subscriptions reportedly "hemorrhaging" after 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...

When you look at the payments landscape today, it is hard not to be impressed by how quickly Apple turned a complex, hardware dependent process into something as simple as tapping two phones together. The company’s latest announcement that Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available in five countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, and Norway might read like a routine expansion. It is not. We are watching the late innings of a transformation in how European businesses accept payments.

Google Home just got a game-changer that’s been quietly rolling out, and honestly, it’s about time. The Verge reports you can now control more Google Home devices from your desktop, while 9to5Google confirms device controls are now widely rolled out to the Google Home web app. This ability to control smart devices from Home’s web app was first teased by Google back in June, and is now widely rolled out.

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...