Sony’s new Xperia phone gets an overdue redesign
Sony's Xperia 1 flagships have looked more or less the same since 2020, but that's finally changing with the Xperia 1 VIII, which moves to a chunky square camera island. The phone also boasts what should be a substantially improved telephoto camera, along with an AI camera assistant that looks like an improved version of Google's Camera Coach.
While every previous Xperia 1 phone has had three vertical cameras, and the last six have positioned them in the same top-left corner spot, the 1 VIII mixes things up. The three lenses are now laid out in a square block, together with the flash and a Sony logo, that's raised from the phone but slopes …
Sam Altman was winning on the stand, but it might not be enough
After two weeks of hearing from assorted witnesses that he was a lying snake, the jury finally heard from the lying snake himself: Sam Altman. At the end of the testimony, his lawyer William Savitt asked him how it felt to be accused of stealing a charity.
"We created, through a ton of hard work, this extremely large charity, and I agree you can't steal it," Altman said. "Mr. Musk did try to kill it, I guess. Twice."
Altman was fully in "nice kid from St. Louis" mode, and did a passable impression of a man who was bewildered at what was happening to him. When he stepped down from the stand holding a stack of evidence binders, he even look …
iOS 27 might add a lot more customization to the Camera app
Apple's next iOS update could include something phone photographers have been waiting for: a lot more control over the Camera app. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the Camera app will be "fully customizable" in iOS 27 and users will be able to "pick their own set of controls - called widgets - that run along the top of the interface."
Gurman notes that the Camera app will keep the current set of default widgets, but starting with iOS 27, you will "be able to switch over to an 'advanced' array of options or choose their own items." From there, you'll reportedly be able to select from a new "Add Widgets" tray, with widgets split into thr …
Meta won’t let you block its AI account on Threads
Meta announced on Tuesday that it's testing a Threads feature that lets users tag a Meta AI account to get answers to questions or context about a conversation on the platform. If you've spent any time looking at replies on X as of late, this new feature sounds a lot like Meta's take on people tagging xAI's Grok. But, as reported by Engadget, Threads users quickly discovered that you can't block the new Meta AI account, and they aren't happy about it.
Meta has invested heavily in AI as it works to catch up to rivals like OpenAI and Google, spending billions to hire AI talent. It launched a new AI model called Muse Spark in April, which it s …
Meta will tell parents when their teens add new interests to their Instagram algorithm
Starting Tuesday, parents can get more details about what their teens are up to on Instagram. Meta is adding a feature to its Teen Accounts that shows parents the "general topics their teens engage with," like "basketball" or "fashion." Meta also says it will soon start notifying parents when their teen adds a new interest to their algorithm.
In December, Meta announced its "Your Algorithm" feature, which lets users choose topics they want to see more or less of in Instagram. Meta noted in its Tuesday blog post that users with Teen Accounts are already limited in what topics they can add to their algorithm - content shown to users with teen …
Sam Altman says Elon Musk’s mind games were damaging OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says Elon Musk did "huge damage" to the culture of the AI startup. During testimony as part of Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman said Musk required OpenAI president Greg Brockman and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever to rank researchers by their accomplishments and "take a chainsaw through a bunch."
Altman conceded that this was the management style the Tesla CEO was known for, but that it was incompatible with his startup. "I don't think Mr. Musk understood how to run a good research lab," Altman testified when his lawyer, William Savitt, asked about the impact of Musk's departure from OpenAI on morale. "For a …
Android Auto is now one (screen) size fits all
This week at I/O, Google rolled out a series of major updates for Android Auto that include better sizing for unconventionally shaped screens, video streaming through YouTube, widget support, and of course, more AI-powered Gemini features. The company also announced some updates for cars that run on Google's built-in native software, including the ability to ask Gemini questions that are specific to the car you're driving.
First off, it's screen size. It used to be that in-car screens all came in the same basic shape. But now the standard rectangle has evolved into a variety of curved, panoramic, swooping, and even circular displays. Google …
Google announces its Chromebook successor: the Googlebook
Google is announcing a new line of laptops coming in the fall called Googlebooks. Details are sparse for now, as the tease is just a small part of various Android announcements during Google's Android Show. But we do know this is a major new initiative in the laptop space for Google, seemingly designed to succeed Chromebooks with something more capable: a platform running a long-rumored new operating system based on a fusion of Android and ChromeOS.
That operating system, through various leaks, has been referred to as Aluminium OS. Google isn't announcing the OS's real name or giving many details about it just yet. "We'll have more to share …
The 9 biggest new features in Android 17
Would it shock you to hear that Android 17 is filled with new AI-enabled features, like improved dictation and vibe-coded widgets? Fortunately, that's not all. The platform is getting non-AI updates too, from an emoji overhaul to a new screentime tool that helps you avoid distracting apps.
Google has just revealed the biggest changes coming in its next OS update as part of its dedicated Android Show, ahead of next week's big I/O developer conference. The Android software updates came alongside a tease of upcoming Android-powered Googlebook laptops and a host of Android Auto updates. Here are all the new updates that matter and when you can …
Gemini’s latest updates are all about controlling your phone
It is, once again, Gemini season. Google is announcing a host of new Gemini features during its pre-I/O Android showcase, many of which aim to help use your phone for you. You'll find Gemini in more places, like Chrome on Android, in your autofill suggestions, and all up in your apps - if you want.
Google also has a new name for us to remember, because it just can't help itself: Gemini Intelligence. It "brings the very best of Gemini to our most advanced Android devices," according to Google's director of Android experiences, Ben Greenwood. Google is bundling some existing and new Gemini features under this name, and seems to be reserving t …