The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 2

Snapchat just made a move that has the social media world buzzing. After switching to 3D Bitmoji avatars back in 2023, the platform is bringing back a classic 2D style. There is a catch. The company revealed on Monday that a fresh avatar option called Comic Bitmoji will roll out to Snapchat+ subscribers in the coming days, according to Fast Company. Nearly 100,000 people signed an online petition demanding the return of the original 2D design, as reported by Fast Company, and CEO Evan Spiegel...

Google's voice and song search features on Android have been stuck in a time warp, but that's about to change. The tech giant is finally rolling out a comprehensive redesign that transforms how Android users interact with voice commands and song identification. Google is bringing a modernized Gemini-inspired interface to these features after years of using the same dated design, replacing the familiar four colorful dots with something that actually feels like it belongs in 2025. About time,...

iOS 26 brings a revolutionary upgrade to Apple CarPlay that's been years in the making. For the first time since widgets transformed our iPhone home screens, CarPlay gets its own dedicated widget experience that changes how you use your vehicle's display.

Microsoft's Q1 2026 earnings tell a familiar story for Xbox fans, and this chapter lands harder than a routine quarterly wobble. The gaming giant's hardware revenue fell 29 percent year over year, according to The Verge. The slump is no blip. It is pushing Microsoft to rethink Xbox's place in a strategy that favors service ubiquity over conquering the console shelf.

When you look at Google's Q3 2025 earnings results, one thing becomes crystal clear. We're witnessing a company that has successfully transformed from an advertising-dependent search giant into a diversified AI powerhouse. Alphabet's record-breaking Q3 revenue of $102.4 billion didn't just beat expectations, it shattered the psychological $100 billion quarterly barrier that no tech company had crossed before.

When relationships end, the digital threads that once bound couples together often become sources of unexpected torment. What started as convenient family features can morph into tools of surveillance and control, leaving people stuck in digital arrangements that mirror the very dynamics they're trying to escape. A leash, only invisible.

Most leaks fawn over true flagships, the chips inside $1,000-plus phones with every bell and whistle. This one is different. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 leak reads like a curveball.

Google's NotebookLM has been quietly building momentum since its launch, and now it's poised to take another significant leap forward. The platform already turns documents into engaging audio overviews and synthesizes research across multiple sources. Now there is something even more exciting on the horizon. Multiple sources confirm that a major data analysis feature is arriving very soon, promising to change how businesses and researchers work with their data. The timing could not be better;...

YouTube is about to roll out some of the most significant content policy changes in its history. Circle November 17 if you are a gaming creator or follow gambling-related content. The Google-owned platform is pushing comprehensive restrictions that will reshape how violent gaming and gambling material can be shared and seen.

Magic Leap and Google are making waves again with their latest collaboration, bringing serious hardware innovation to the forefront of AR technology. The two tech giants recently showcased a prototype that merges Magic Leap's renowned optical expertise with Google's cutting-edge display technology. Their partnership, which first began in 2024, has now been extended through a three-year agreement focused on developing next-generation AR smart glasses that could finally deliver on the promise of...

If you've been trying to connect to your favorite Microsoft services today and hitting walls, you're definitely not alone. Major disruptions are rippling across Microsoft's cloud ecosystem, knocking out everything from a morning Teams meeting to that Excel spreadsheet you needed five minutes ago. Multiple Microsoft platforms experienced simultaneous failures beginning around 9 a.m. Pacific Time, and outage tracking sites recorded nearly 10,000 user complaints across various Microsoft services.

Google's Pixel phones are about to get their biggest customization upgrade yet, and if recent leaks are accurate, we're looking at something that could fundamentally change how we think about personalizing our Android devices. A significant leak shared via Telegram points to November 4 as the launch date for what might be the most comprehensive Pixel Drop we've seen.

WhatsApp is rolling out one of its biggest anti-spam tests yet, a trial that caps how many messages you can send without getting a reply (Engadget). The company is testing different monthly thresholds to target high-volume senders and spammers while leaving regular users alone (Engadget).

The past few months have delivered some genuinely surprising moves in the AI space, but Google’s partnership with Reliance Jio might take the cake. Google is providing 18 months of free access to its premium Google AI Pro plan for eligible Reliance Jio users on unlimited 5G plans.

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

Apple is lining up three big swings for 2026. Together, they blend AI ambition, regulatory judo, and a design tune‑up. The upcoming iOS 26.2 update polishes the Liquid Glass interface, the web-based App Store widens the funnel for discovery, and Apple’s deal with Google to boost Siri shows a pragmatic streak that cuts through corporate ego.

Apple's latest iOS 26 update brings back one of its most debated artificial intelligence features. This time, the rollout feels different. iOS 26 includes an extensive collection of Apple Intelligence enhancements (9to5Mac), and the headline act is the return of AI-powered notification summaries for News and Entertainment applications. Apple had previously removed this capability after widespread criticism (9to5Mac).

When Samsung first launched the Galaxy S20 FE back in 2020, it felt like a breath of fresh air in the smartphone market. Here was a device that delivered flagship features at a more accessible price point, giving fans exactly what they wanted without breaking the bank. Fast-forward to 2025, and Samsung's latest offering in this line, the Galaxy S25 FE, tells a very different story. Different vibe.

Apple's advertising ambitions are taking a bold new direction, and it might change how we navigate our daily lives. The company is reportedly preparing to launch search advertisements within Apple Maps starting in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This marks a notable shift from Apple's privacy-first posture as the company looks to expand services revenue. Apple's services division already generates over $100 billion annually, so monetizing Maps feels like the next rung on the ladder.

Looking at OpenAI's Sora app meteoric rise since its late September launch, Android users finally have something concrete to look forward to. The AI-powered video creation platform has been maintaining its position at the top of Apple's App Store for weeks, yet the app has remained exclusive to iOS users. Left on the sidelines? Pretty much.

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

When the M1 chip debuted in late 2020, it wasn't just another processor upgrade, it was Apple throwing down the gauntlet to the entire computing industry. That sleek little piece of silicon did more than change how Macs performed; it rewrote the rules for what we expected from our computers. Now, five years on with the M5 making its debut, it feels right to step back and see how much this ride has reshaped personal computing.

When you fire up Apple TV and see that stark message in the credits of Pluribus, "This show was made by humans," you are seeing more than end-credit boilerplate. The Breaking Bad creator behind it is not just making a statement; he is drawing a line in the sand about the future of creative work in the Apple ecosystem and beyond. Why plant that flag now?

With streaming costs spiraling out of control, savvy cord-cutters are constantly hunting for ways to slash monthly bills without sacrificing favorite content. Here is a clever workaround that can put serious money back in your pocket: leverage Walmart’s membership discount to score a full year of Peacock Premium for just $49. Not a typical promo, more like a stack of perks that line up in your favor. New Walmart+ subscribers can access this discounted membership at half the regular price...

Apple's iPhone Air experiment is unraveling before our eyes. What started as an ambitious push into ultra-thin smartphone design now looks like one of the company's biggest product missteps in recent memory. According to TipRanks, Apple has postponed the next-generation iPhone Air model entirely, while the original device continues performing significantly below expectations across global markets.

The holiday shopping rush is heating up, and Apple's newest MacBook Pro is already catching the attention of deal hunters. The recently launched M5 MacBook Pro has dropped to $1,538 on Amazon, representing a $61 discount from its $1,599 launch price. That price is striking, the device only launched on October 22, so this is one of the fastest price drops for a new Apple product in recent memory.

Apple's silicon roadmap is heating up, and 2026 is shaping up to be a significant year for Mac users. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple will introduce the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra processors during the first half of 2026. What makes this particularly interesting is that Apple is bypassing the M4 Ultra entirely, jumping straight to the M5 generation for its most powerful desktop chips. The company has already begun internal testing of prototypes featuring these new processors. No M4...

Apple has been the undisputed premium laptop champion for decades, but something genuinely unprecedented is emerging from the supply chain. Multiple industry insiders are pointing to what could be Apple's first truly budget MacBook launching in 2026. This is not just another modest price cut. Apple's first laptop that could genuinely compete with Chromebooks and entry-level Windows machines hints at a real shift in the company’s laptop playbook.

If you've been wondering where Apple's iOS journey is headed, this week feels like a rare convergence moment. iOS 26.1 just landed, the iOS 26.2 developer beta is already in the wild, and early whispers about the iPhone 18 are making the rounds. It is like seeing Apple's playbook from three angles at once. The pattern is hard to miss, bend to real feedback, keep the vision intact.

When Apple's latest move hits China's LGBTQ+ community, it is not just about app removals, it is about the messy intersection of global tech governance and local rules. The Cupertino giant confirmed it removed two major dating platforms, Blued and Finka, from its Chinese App Store after receiving direct orders from the country's internet regulator. These apps together served more than 49 million registered users, according to TechBuzz. The timing raises questions about Apple's role in digital...

Samsung has been pretty consistent with their Galaxy S series timing over the years, but 2026 might shake things up in ways that could surprise even longtime fans. We are still months away from any official announcement, yet early leaks and industry chatter point to a launch that lands earlier than some expected and a price tag that creeps higher than most would like.

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

When you look at the gaming industry today, Xbox is staring down a fundamental crisis that is reshaping how we think about console gaming's future. The latest quarterly earnings paint a stark picture: Xbox console sales dropped dramatically by 29% year-over-year, marking the fourth consecutive year of declining hardware revenue. This is not a temporary setback. It is a pattern that signals deeper structural problems.

File sharing just got a reality check. Google appears to be working on a significant enhancement to Quick Share that would integrate with Android's most robust security framework, according to Android Authority. If this Advanced Protection tie-in ships, the sender would have to confirm before any transfer begins, closing a loophole that let people kick off sends from an unlocked phone with no verification. The timing tracks with recent security findings that put file-sharing utilities under a...

Three forces collide this week: the Federal Reserve's interest rate call, Microsoft's quarterly earnings, and a high-stakes meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. For tech watchers and investors, it is a live demo of how monetary policy, corporate scorecards, and geopolitics crash into each other in one trading week.

The streaming world just got a major shake-up that's sending ripples through the sci-fi community. Disney has officially pulled out of its high-profile collaboration with the BBC on Doctor Who, marking the end of what many hoped would be a game-changing partnership for the beloved time-traveling series. The media giant's departure comes after supporting just two seasons and will conclude with the upcoming spinoff, leaving fans wondering what this means for the future of their favorite Time...

When Doctor Who fans watched that jaw-dropping Season 2 finale, nobody expected the series to disappear so quickly from our screens. The stunning regeneration of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor into what appeared to be Billie Piper left viewers with countless questions. Now a bigger mystery looms. When will we actually get answers?

Apple's latest camera rumor is back, and this time it comes with receipts. The iPhone 18 Pro variable aperture feature has resurfaced in reports, according to 9to5Mac, with a reliable leaker confirming what supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first predicted. If it ships, it would be the first adjustable aperture on any iPhone, a real shift for mobile photography. The timing matters. Rivals like Samsung tried it years ago, then backed away over cost and complexity. Reports from Gadget Hacks say...

Apple's latest M5 MacBook Pro has officially arrived. It marks a clear shift in pro computing that puts AI speed ahead of flashy redesigns. The 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip is up for pre-order now, with availability starting October 22nd, and it keeps that familiar $1,599 starting price in Apple's premium lineup.