Author: News Room

Earlier this week, a bean moved into my phone. Their name is Billie Bean King, and when I’m working, they work too, knitting socks and scarves. Billie’s knitted wares are more than just cozy clothes — they’re currency, used to buy lo-fi decorations for their barren room. But there’s a catch: Billie can only work when I’m not using my phone. That’s where the fun begins.Billie is a bean from the Focus Friend app, launched last month for iOS and Android by Hank Green of assorted internet fame. The app is branded as an ADHD-friendly timer that helps gamify users’…

Honor has launched a new flip phone today, the Magic V Flip 2, and it arrives with a sparkly special edition in partnership with fashion designer Jimmy Choo.The former Huawei subsidiary has partnered with Choo before, for last year’s V Flip, and has kept to a similar formula this year, swapping glittery green for a brilliant blue. It also comes with custom wallpapers that are somehow even less subtle than the phone itself, an engraved hinge that’s oddly insistent on using Choo’s full name and titles, and a pair of sparkling cases so you can keep the phone both safe…

Medical tech company Masimo is suing US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in an attempt to overturn the agency’s decision to allow Apple to restore the blood oxygen tracking feature on Apple Watches.Apple has been embroiled in legal disputes over Masimo’s blood oxygen sensor patent since 2020, disabling the feature on supported US Apple Watch models following an ITC import ban in December 2023. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, Masimo said that the CBP failed to notify the company of its decision to reverse the International Trade Commission restrictions, leaving Masimo with no opportunity to review or challenge the…

A Microsoft employee has been arrested as part of protests at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington this week. On Tuesday, a group of current and former Microsoft employees, as well as community members, took over a plaza at Microsoft’s headquarters to protest against the company’s contracts with Israel. The No Azure for Apartheid protest group says at least one Microsoft employee has now been arrested as part of 18 arrests in a second day of protests.Protestors at Microsoft’s headquarters set up a “Liberated Zone” encampment for a second day on Wednesday, and poured red paint over a Microsoft sign…

Introduction The concept of an upmarket Chromebook isn’t new. I’ve tested Chrome OS 2-in-1s, tablets and traditional laptops with prices to make you weep; Google even had a few tries itself. None ever quite stuck the landing in the face of more versatile Windows machines – but the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 might finally be the tipping point. This figurehead for Chrome OS’ latest Gemini AI additions has a sleek metal design that rivals the greatest ultraportables, a dazzlingly vibrant OLED screen, an impressively powerful chipset from an unlikely source, and enough battery life to last an entire day. The…

Google announced its entire Pixel 10 generation of phones at a jam-packed Made for Google event this week. The familiar four-phone lineup includes the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. All of them have received processor bumps and other technical improvements, along with a commitment by Google to provide seven years of operating system updates. Naturally, there are some new AI features, too.The Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro XL start at $799, $999, and $1,199, respectively, and begin shipping on August 28th. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold, meanwhile, starts at…

Qi2 is good because magnets are good.If you’re gonna preserve food in metal cans, you should probably have a way to open them up again. And if you’re going to rely on induction coils to transfer electricity, you gotta make sure they line up right. It took almost half a century after the invention of canning for someone to invent the can opener, so I guess it’s not too bad it only took eight years for Apple to slap a ring of magnets around a Qi charging coil. And it only took five years after that for Google to put…

No phone is waterproof. No phone is dustproof. Your phone’s sealants wear away over time; when they’re exposed to salt or chlorine in your swimming water; or when they’re dropped, dented, or cracked. Your warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage; if companies find water in an IP68 phone, it’s proof you damaged it!But while these things are all true of every manufacturer in my reporting, I’ve never seen a company proactively say them out loud like Google just did in advertising materials.The fine print reads (bolding mine):Designed to comply with dust and water protection rating IP68 under IEC standard 60529 when…

Here are some of the best new features for Google’s new phones.They have built-in Pixelsnap magnets and support Qi2 wireless chargingGoogle is finally catching up with Apple by building magnets directly into the Pixel 10 series to help make sure the phones snap right onto a wireless charger. The company is branding this as “Pixelsnap,” and it will sell Pixelsnap accessories like an official charger that you can buy. The Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro Fold are all Qi2-certified, meaning they support wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, while the 10 Pro XL is Qi2.2-certified, so it…

Microsoft recently revealed its Xbox handheld console in collaboration with Asus, as has been long rumoured. Asus is no stranger to handhelds itself with its ROG Ally line. The new handheld comes hot on the heels of the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s even branded ROG Xbox Ally to place it alongside the other Asus handheld devices. Now, at Gamescom 2025, Asus has revealed when the ROG Xbox Ally will arrive. It will hit shelves on 16 October 2025. While this is still a few months away, it’s sooner than I first thought. We’re getting the console with plenty of time before the holidays. Pricing…

For the past twenty years or so, I’ve had a clear image of what a product launch keynote is supposed to be like. A charismatic executive walks across the stage, points to some animations and pre-taped clips, a live demo or two happens, and the crowd goes wild. Clips proliferate on social media and cue the online discourse. You can trace it back to Steve Jobs dressed in a black turtleneck, with a glint in his eye, walking across a stage, asking if a hyped-up audience is ready for one more thing. So iconic was that format, it’s been the…

With Samsung, Honor and Oppo having all played their foldable hand for 2025, it’s now Google’s turn. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold might not be a size zero like its rivals, but it is the first foldable phone to get Qi2 magnetic wireless charging – and also the first with an IP68 rating, which bodes well for its long-term lifespan. The $1799/£1749/€1929 book-style flagship is landing in Moonstone and Jade colours, but not until October 9. That’s almost two months after the rest of the Pixel 10 series – and four since the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 set new…