Tag: Source: Androidcentral.com

A summary of the most significant technology news highlights from this week.

**Strava’s Instant Workouts: A New Chapter in Customized Fitness**

Strava has unveiled a revolutionary feature named Instant Workouts, aimed at providing personalized workout recommendations based on individual fitness levels and recent activities. This development places Strava in competition with Garmin’s daily workout suggestions and Fitbit’s Premium Health Coach, delivering a customized fitness journey.

**Key Features of Strava Instant Workouts:**

– **Tailored Recommendations:** Each Monday, Strava assesses users’ past activity data to create personalized workout plans. These plans cater to distinct fitness levels and objectives.
– **Variety of Sports:** The feature accommodates over 40 various sports, presenting an extensive selection of activities for users to select.
– **Workout Goals:** Users have the option to pick from four workout goals—Maintain, Build, Explore, and Recover—enabling them to customize their fitness paths to suit their immediate requirements.
– **GPS Functionality:** For outdoor pursuits, Strava automatically generates a GPS map utilizing its Heatmap feature, aiding users in discovering new routes and locations.
– **Subscription Necessary:** The Instant Workouts feature is only available to Strava subscribers, with forthcoming updates to enable workouts to be sent to Apple and Garmin devices.

**Operational Mechanics:**

Strava’s algorithm evaluates recent activities and proposes workouts that align with users’ capabilities. Users can opt to sustain their current pace, challenge themselves, venture into new sports, or recuperate with lighter workouts. Each workout card contains comprehensive details about the pace and route, enriching the workout experience.

**Comparisons with Other Fitness Applications:**

Strava’s Instant Workouts present a distinct choice compared to workout recommendations from Garmin and Fitbit. Unlike Garmin’s emphasis on long-term strategies, Strava delivers immediate, flexible workouts. While Garmin’s suggestions depend on training load data, Strava enables users to determine their workout intensity. Furthermore, the routes generated from Strava’s Heatmap offer a novel method for discovering new areas, although the effectiveness of these routes is still to be evaluated.

**Final Thoughts:**

Strava’s Instant Workouts signify an important leap in personalized fitness. By providing adaptable, customized workouts without requiring specific devices or long-term commitments, Strava appeals to casual athletes in search of a versatile fitness experience. As the feature develops, it is set to elevate the way users engage with their fitness routines, establishing Strava as a strong contender in the fitness app arena.

Acquire the Galaxy A17 for just 100 dollars at Samsung.

While contemporary flip phones like the Motorola Razr and Galaxy Z Flip have served as my primary devices for several years, I’ve explored larger book-style foldables intermittently. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold initially piqued my interest in this form factor, while the OPPO Find N5 genuinely amazed me with its impressive design and build quality. Yet, none of them convinced me that book-style foldables were the preferred choice.

Then everything shifted with the arrival of the Galaxy Z TriFold and Motorola Razr Fold. These two devices were recently unveiled, and one is already available in select markets. To my astonishment, both phones are prompting me to reconsider book-style foldables, making me seriously contemplate switching from my loyalty to flip phones. Nevertheless, the Razr Fold and Galaxy Z TriFold attract me for distinctly different reasons.

The Razr Fold presents Motorola with an opportunity to leverage one of its core strengths. For years, Motorola has been primarily viewed as the go-to budget brand, and it still holds that image to some degree today. The company’s Moto G series continues to thrive in global markets, delivering substantial value in devices that don’t break the bank.

The same can be said for its premium models. Motorola has effectively managed to strike a balance between specifications and pricing, often underpricing its competitors. The Motorola Edge Plus 2023 exemplifies this philosophy, offering flagship specifications that compete with (and in some respects surpass) the Galaxy S23 Plus for significantly less.

I anticipate Motorola will apply this same approach to the Razr Fold. Foldable phones are already quite expensive, with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 surpassing its predecessor at a staggering $2,000. As attractive as the phone may be, that price doesn’t entice me. However, if it were a few hundred dollars less, I might reconsider.

A recent rumor suggests that Motorola will set the price of the Razr Fold at just $1,500 upon its release later this year. Although Motorola has yet to officially announce any pricing details, that would already position it below most new book-style foldables, which typically start at $1,800 in the U.S. Even with potential concerns over losing a significant U.S. carrier, that price remains appealing.

While the superb Razr Ultra 2025 is arguably slightly costlier than it ought to be, it follows years of providing compelling flip phones at parallel or lower prices than its closest rivals. Part of the allure of flip phones lies in their affordability compared to book-style foldables. The company still offers one of the most budget-friendly flip phones available in the Razr 2025, which arguably represents a better value than the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

With the Razr Fold, Motorola can replicate this success, undercut its competitors, and provide something more budget-conscious.

Furthermore, Motorola arguably offers the finest overall flip phone experience, employing the cover screen in ways that others cannot or will not mimic. Who’s to say it can’t accomplish something equally distinctive with a fold? After all, Motorola is introducing an S Pen-like stylus with the Razr Fold at a time when Samsung has abandoned S Pen support for its foldable models.

The Galaxy Z TriFold does what we thought other foldables could achieve. Book-style foldables have always been regarded by some as a blend of a traditional smartphone and a tablet. They provide a unique capability to function as a typical phone while also presenting the advantage of transforming into a “tablet-like” experience with a significantly larger display. However, they generally feature a meager 8 inches and adopt a more square aspect ratio, which doesn’t precisely convey “tablet.”

That isn’t to say the larger displays on these foldables lack utility, but the overall experience still feels constrained compared to a conventional Android tablet.

To address this limitation, the Galaxy Z TriFold embraces that concept by expanding to a full 10-inch display. This size is on the lower spectrum of most tablets, which are typically 10 or 11 inches, while still offering a more tablet-like aspect ratio that isn’t found in bi-fold foldables. The outcome is a more versatile experience that should prove beneficial.

Samsung has also taken it a step further by allowing the TriFold to operate in a standalone DeX mode, meaning you won’t require an external display to utilize it, similar to its tablets. Unlike the standard One UI experience, this mode provides a more desktop-like atmosphere, enabling users to freely arrange windows and run applications side-by-side without the constraints of the usual mobile experience.

It also allows for running up to 20 apps across multiple desktop workspaces, positioning the Galaxy Z TriFold as the ultimate multitasking device. Essentially, you can view it as a hybrid between a smartphone and tablet experience, seamlessly merging the two in a manner that feels appropriate for such a device.

Utilize the promo code and the discounts are yours!

If you’re similar to me, the onset of a new year signifies it’s time to reassess your phone plan and (ideally) save some money in the process. Luckily, numerous top-tier wireless carriers in the industry provide special temporary offers during this season, and Verizon-owned Visible Wireless is no exception.

Enroll today with the promo code SWITCH26 at checkout and you might save up to $12 each month for 26 months. While it might not seem substantial, Visible’s plans are already quite economical, so this promotion could significantly change your perception of your phone bill in 2026 (and beyond). Let’s break it down for clarity.

Even though it’s not officially an MVNO, I still regard Visible Wireless as one of the premier prepaid carriers available, due to the company’s transparent plan structure and the fact that it utilizes Verizon’s 5G network.

The carrier provides three plan choices starting at the Basic Visible plan (typically $25 per month) and extending to the more comprehensive Visible Plus Pro plan ($45 per month without the promotion). Applying the code SWITCH26 at checkout reduces costs by $6, $9, and $12 for the Visible Basic, Visible Plus, and Visible Plus Pro plans, respectively, and the offer secures the discounted price for over two years with no hidden charges whatsoever.

In other terms, if you utilize the promotion to save $12 each month on the Visible Plus Pro plan, you’re essentially receiving six months of Verizon-powered wireless for FREE over 26 months. That plan also includes unlimited premium data on Verizon’s Ultra Wideband network, an unlimited mobile hotspot, and extensive coverage to over 85 countries globally.

Even if you select one of Visible’s less comprehensive data plans, you’ll still enjoy unlimited talk, text, and data on Verizon’s acclaimed network, a complimentary mobile hotspot, discounts on home internet, and much more.

Why should I transition to Visible?

Visible Wireless stands out as it provides the ease and flexibility of a prepaid carrier along with the support and coverage of a Big Three provider. There are only three clear plans to select from, and all three include unlimited talk, text, and data on Verizon’s extensive 5G network. You won’t have to worry about hidden fees, unlimited hotspot data is included, and because Verizon owns and manages the carrier, de-prioritization is rare.

Does Visible Wireless offer a free trial?

Absolutely! Visible Wireless has a 15-day free trial that allows you to discover the details of its service without any hassle or commitment. You can even run it concurrently with your current phone plan without interruptions.

Does Visible Wireless provide smartphones?

Yes! While I don’t favor its phone deals as much as those from, let’s say, Mint Mobile, Visible Wireless does present occasional phone promotions throughout the year that can get you the latest Android devices for affordable prices (or even free) if you play your cards right.

The company is at last responding to all the feedback that users have been outspoken about. Nothing has revealed an update that tackles user issues with its software, with a specific emphasis on eliminating unnecessary features and bloatware. The update, announced on January 9, involves the removal of the Lock Glimpse feature from Nothing Phone a Series devices, with the exception of the Lite version, based on user input. The company intends to bring back the feature only after considerable enhancements are made to lessen its intrusiveness.

Moreover, Nothing is offering users a way to completely eliminate bloatware, including Meta service apps, from their devices. Users are now able to disable these applications and restart their devices to erase them from the system partition. However, these services will reappear if the device undergoes a factory reset.

In addition, Nothing is launching “app recommendations” as part of the device setup process and after specific updates. Users can either ignore these notifications or turn them off completely through the settings. The company is also endeavoring to enable the uninstallation of App Services in upcoming updates for more phones.

These modifications arise after users voiced their discontent regarding the existence of bloatware in Nothing’s OS 4.0 software. Previously, the company had permitted users only to disable such applications, but the new update offers a total removal option, responding to user calls for a more streamlined software experience.

Google’s monotony benefits Gemini, as it finally begins to achieve improved traffic metrics.

What you must know:
– A report from Similarweb, a digital analytics firm, indicates that Google’s Gemini is starting to make notable progress against its rival, ChatGPT.
– Gemini has attained 21.5% of the traffic share for Gen AI products as of early this year, while ChatGPT has decreased to 64.5%.
– Earlier in 2025, one of Google’s objectives was to bolster Gemini’s market presence, and it achieved this by offering some premium features at no cost to all users.

In the realm of generative AI, there’s much to observe; however, data firms are recognizing a change in how users allocate their time in search of answers.

This week, Similarweb reported on X that generative AI website traffic is gradually changing, as a familiar competitor gains traction. According to the analytics from the digital data firm, Google’s Gemini has captured 21.5% of the traffic share by January 2, 2026. Leading the pack is OpenAI’s ChatGPT holding 64.5% of traffic share. One clear takeaway from Similarweb’s data: ChatGPT and Gemini are the dominant players in terms of traffic.

Among the numerous AI options, ChatGPT and Gemini comprise approximately 86% of the traffic. The remaining 14% is shared among DeepSeek, X’s Grok, Perplexity, Claude, and Microsoft’s Copilot (in that order).

Even when delving into AI tool traffic, ChatGPT and Gemini still dominate, although the former commands the larger share.

What’s fascinating about Gemini’s current standing is its steady gain over the past few months. In fact, this has been a consistent trend throughout 2025. Similarweb’s timeline illustrates how Gemini’s traffic share has incrementally risen, from 5.7% a year ago to 18.2% in December 2025.

Gemini vs. ChatGPT

Expanding Gemini’s market share has been a priority for Google, as the firm made a strategic choice: premium features are now complimentary.

To elucidate, this involved Google making its Gemini 2.5 Pro experiment available for free just four days after its launch in March. OpenAI’s ChatGPT emerged unexpectedly, yet it reflects how the general public perceives that Gen AI chatbot, in contrast to all other companies’ versions. Upon its release, ChatGPT amazed and retained users, reaching 700 million monthly active users.

This is when Google began its strategic adjustments towards Gemini, followed by Apple positioning itself within the landscape. The reality is that everyone was striving to catch up. While many companies are still attempting to do so, Gemini seems to be advancing at a quicker pace, at least according to the data.

Google and OpenAI are both maintaining their momentum, with the former unveiling Gemini features for its TV service, transforming it into an additional companion. Meanwhile, OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT Health, a specialized chatting experience with its AI that assists users with medical records and app data.

Everybody’s browsing, and Disney aims to join.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, featuring the newest Gemini AI integration, are stirring interest in the earbuds industry. These earbuds are crafted to flawlessly connect with other Pixel devices, delivering users a holistic audio experience enriched by Google’s sophisticated AI functionalities. The Gemini AI characteristics encompass Gemini Live, which facilitates natural conversations with the AI assistant, and connectivity with Google applications like Gmail and Maps.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 showcase an expansive frequency spectrum, guaranteeing vibrant audio quality with elevated highs and profound lows. The associated application offers numerous EQ and audio tailoring choices, accommodating various listening tastes. The earbuds prioritize comfort, making them a favored option among consumers.

Presently, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 can be purchased at a reduced rate of $165 on Amazon, down from the initial $229. This 28% reduction represents a fantastic chance for Pixel device owners aiming to enhance their audio setup. The earbuds provide up to 12 hours of playback on a solitary charge, with the charging case prolonging the battery duration to 48 hours.

These earbuds additionally support Qi wireless charging and lossless codecs such as SBC and AAC. Although they are optimized for Pixel users, boasting features like live translation and adaptive sound algorithms, they still present a clear and balanced audio profile that can appeal to a wider audience.

In conclusion, the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 represent a superb option for those within the Pixel ecosystem, delivering high-fidelity audio, extensive customization features, and the forefront of AI technology. Nonetheless, non-Pixel users may perceive the integration functionalities as less applicable, yet the audio quality remains noteworthy. With the ongoing discount, they present substantial value for anyone looking to elevate their audio experience.

This is a minor adjustment, yet it advances YouTube’s mission to assist users in finding the most relevant content.