The next humanoid robot might not look human at all
The next humanoid robot might not have a head. It might not have legs. It might even sit on a wheeled base and fold down like a deck chair. But, as Genesis AI puts it, "humanoid robots don't need to look human."
That explains the look of Eno, the new robot from the French startup backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Genesis says Eno is designed "around human capability" rather than human appearance and is intended as a fully "general-purpose" robot rather than a machine built around a single task, like folding laundry. One part is still very human though: its hands, which the company says are designed to "exactly match the form and fu …
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes is a great last-minute Father’s Day gift
Father’s Day is nearly here. Hopefully, you already got a gift for dads you care about, but if not, here’s a quick, easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys a good comic strip. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes contains every one of Bill Watterson’s beloved strips made during the comic’s ten-year run from 1985 through 1995, packed in three deluxe hardcover books, for $89.48 at Amazon when you check the on-page coupon. The set originally sold for $225, but it’s often available for around $130. This is the best price I’ve seen it sell for.
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
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The lighthearted, kid-friendly comics couldn’t be more different from Watterson’s darker, adult-themed The Mysteries, which brought him out of retirement with its 2023 launch.
If you’re thinking of getting dad a book, but aren’t sure Calvin and Hobbes is the right pick, there are some good deals happening on gorgeous hardcover versions of The Lord of the Rings and other tales in the franchise. The deluxe slipcase hardcover version of The Lord of the Rings that includes illustrations by the author J.R.R. Tolkien himself is $105.14 at Amazon, its lowest price in about a year.
He can go further back in the lore with Silmarillion, the prequel to The Hobbit and to The Lord of the Rings. It, too, is illustrated, comes in a bold hardcover, and is down to its lowest price in a while. The book costs $30.50 at Amazon, while the slipcase hardcover version of The Hobbit that contains illustrations is $81.41.
All the latest news on Android 17, Wear OS 7, and Android XR
Google’s Android 17 update includes highlights like new floating “Bubble” app windows for easier multitasking, a Screen Reaction recording mode, and a 50/50 split gaming mode for foldable phones. Meanwhile, Wear OS 7 brings Live Updates and better battery life for smart watches, and it prepares connections for new Android XR smart glasses that will launch this fall.
The update is rolling out to Pixel phones first, then other devices, with some features, like Gemini Intelligence, set to debut later this year.
Follow along here for the latest updates.
- Android 17 arrives on Pixel phones today
- Android foldables are getting new gamepad controls.
- Google launches Wear OS 7 with Live Updates and a battery life boost
- The Google / Xreal Aura XR glasses are now available to preorder
- Android 17 is getting its own version of Apple’s Handoff
- Wear OS 7 will keep track of deliveries and sports scores on your wrist
- A first (and second) look at the Android XR glasses launching this year
- The 9 biggest new features in Android 17
- A new Android 17 beta reveals plans for “Pixel Glow” light animations.
- Android 17 will let you share one-time location data with apps.
- The second Android 17 beta is out now for Google Pixel.
- Google and Xreal extend hardware partnership for Android XR.
- A first look at Google’s Project Aura glasses built with Xreal
- Google announces Android XR, a new OS for headsets and smart glasses
Android 17 arrives on Pixel phones today
Following its official debut last month, Google is now rolling out Android 17 to compatible Pixel phones, alongside additional exclusive features as part of the June Pixel Drop. Not every feature announced alongside the OS at the pre-I/O Android Show is available today, though.
Android 17 itself is arriving on Pixel phones today, and Google says other manufacturers will be issuing the update throughout 2026. The biggest user interface update is the introduction of Bubbles, floating app windows that you can open with a long press - similar floating windows are already found in many Android skins, but are now an official part of 17. Google is …
Google launches Wear OS 7 with Live Updates and a battery life boost
Google's Wear OS 7 update is starting to roll out today for the Pixel Watch 2, 3, and 4, adding a new Live Updates feature that tracks live events from your Android smartwatch. Live Updates will now sync with Wear OS devices, so updates like sports scores or an ongoing meal delivery will show up on both your watch and your phone.
You might also notice your watch lasting a little longer - Google claims Wear OS 7 offers up to 10 percent more battery life than Wear OS 6.
Wear OS 7 will also introduce some new Gemini Intelligence features, but Google says these aren't launching until "later this year." They'll include Create My Widget, which …
Verizon’s ‘Simplicity’ flat-rate plan starts at $30 per month for new customers
Verizon is launching a new Simplicity plan that starts at $30 / month for new customers, or $45 / month for existing ones. In its announcement, Verizon says the plan drops activation and upgrade fees, while offering one flat price for each line.
The $30 price for new customers is an "initial promotional offer" that applies after enabling autopay and taking advantage of a discount for switching carriers, according to Verizon. But before customers can ditch Verizon's $40 fee to activate or upgrade a device, they'll need to opt in to the carrier's new loyalty program through the My Verizon app. The loyalty program comes with a new Verizon Doll …
Apple 2027 rumors: AirPods with cameras for AI and the second folding iPhone
Now that we're clear of WWDC and all of the new AI-powered features coming to Apple's platforms, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has more details about rumored new hardware, like the camera-equipped AirPods he'd previously written about. He says they are currently on schedule for a late 2027 launch, and that while we're checking out beta releases for this fall's iOS 27 update, the new earbuds are internally being tested with next year's update, iOS 28.
With cameras mounted in their stems and lights to indicate when data is being uploaded to the cloud, they could give the upgraded version of Siri "visual context" about your surroundings, be …
Qualcomm’s latest chip hints that more powerful smart glasses could be on the way
Smart glasses are still a nascent category, but chipmaker Qualcomm is hard at work upgrading the silicon to power the next wave of XR devices: the Snapdragon Reality Elite.
Although Qualcomm is announcing the chip today at Augmented World Expo, we've technically already gotten a hands-on with a device powered by the new chip at last month's Google I/O: the forthcoming Aura glasses for Android XR. At the time, Xreal and Google were coy about the processor upgrades to the long-awaited spectacles. Turns out, it was the Reality Elite.
Spec-wise, the new chip focuses on across-the-board performance upgrades. The GPU gets a 60 percent bump, the …
The Google / Xreal Aura XR glasses are now available to preorder
The Project Aura glasses collaboration between Xreal and Google is now one step closer to being something you can buy. Reservations for the second Android XR device, now dubbed the Xreal Aura, are available for $99 starting today, with a full launch in the US, UK, Japan, Canada, and South Korea expected sometime this Fall.
The Xreal Aura follows Google's first Android-powered XR device, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, which launched at $1,799 in October 2025. We still don't have a full price for the Aura - which Google has previously described as "a headset masquerading as glasses" - but Best Buy will be the first in-store retail partner whe …
Snap is finally about to ship AR glasses — and they cost a fortune
Snap is finally launching augmented glasses for the public. Specs, which Snap describes as "a wearable computer built into see-through augmented reality glasses," will cost $2,195. You can preorder a pair of Specs now at specs.com with a $200 refundable deposit, and Snap says they're expected to ship "this fall" in the US, UK, and France.
This is a big moment for Snap: The company made a big entry into smart glasses with its original Spectacles in 2016, and the company has been toiling away on nonpublic AR versions of Spectacles over the past few years. CEO Evan Spiegel promised the company would launch consumer AR glasses in 2026 and even …