Tag: Source: Bgr.com

Google Introduces Four Fresh Android Features for 2026

Google’s announcements for I/O 2026 included a variety of useful Android enhancements designed to streamline daily experiences across Android devices. Numerous new features are extensions of ongoing improvements, such as enhanced Gemini integration throughout the platform and advances in privacy and security measures to address the rising cybersecurity challenges faced by online users.

A range of updates is expected to be rolled out on Android devices over the next year, but Google has provided a preview of some significant features and capabilities coming in Android 17 and beyond. Enhanced wellbeing tools, fresh avenues for creative expression, and substantial updates to Android Auto were unveiled during The Android Show: I/O Edition 2026.

Gemini Intelligence

Gemini Intelligence is a brand-new set of functionalities launching on Android in 2026. It enhances Android’s Gemini integration by broadening the AI’s capacity to perform a range of tasks on your device. When Gemini Intelligence is implemented on Android devices this year, users will be able to utilize multi-step automation across different applications. Users can take screenshots or photograph items like menus, send requests to Gemini, and allow it to handle the laborious tasks. Google indicates it will assist in locating tours, organizing vacations, or even assembling a shopping list for weekly groceries.

The features will be introduced in phases, beginning with Samsung and Pixel users, offering new capabilities like Chrome auto browsing, Google Chrome’s integrated browser agent, and the option to complete forms with a single tap utilizing Gemini Personal Intelligence — which can extract data from Calendar, Gmail, and other Google services.

Gemini Intelligence will also facilitate a new feature for Gboard on Android, enabling users to transform speech into refined text through Gemini’s AI abilities. Furthermore, one enhancement that is expected to thrill Android enthusiasts, particularly those who favor Android over iOS for its level of customization, is the option to generate custom widgets. With Create My Widget, Android users will have unprecedented control over their home screens.

<div class="news-article" readability

By
Google Introduces Four Fresh Android Features for 2026
Uncategorized

Sony Evaluating Potential PlayStation 6 Price Cut through Power Reduction

Sony is increasing the price of the PlayStation 5, according to recent leaks — it’s advisable to treat leaks skeptically — indicating that the price increase may not extend to the PlayStation 6. Consumers may actually experience the reverse scenario, where the PS6 achieves a lower or comparable price by compromising some of its performance capabilities. Sony officials mentioned during an earnings call that they haven’t determined a specific launch date for the upcoming console, leaving everything undecided.

However, it’s probable that the memory shortage won’t be resolved by the time the next-generation console is released, and the most effective way to lower prices would be to trim some hardware components, reducing the memory bus and overall video RAM. Before anyone becomes overly excited, this information was shared by an AMD insider known as KeplerL2 on the Neogaf forums, and Sony has provided no official information or statements publicly. While previous leaks indicated that the PS6 would feature a 30GB RAM configuration, the latest ones propose that it could drop to 24GB of VRAM with a 128-bit memory bus to keep costs in check.

KeplerL2 claims that implementing these adjustments “would result in a $60 BOM reduction,” without any major changes in GDDR7 memory prices, and would deliver “a yield boost for the SoC by enabling the harvesting of MC (memory controller) defects.” Supposedly, no alterations to the APU would be required to accomplish this; simply “disabling one memory controller” would yield the desired effects.

What does this imply for PS6 performance?

<source media="(min-width: 429px)" src

By
Sony Evaluating Potential PlayStation 6 Price Cut through Power Reduction
Uncategorized

Experts Provide Insights: The Effects of Phone Blue Light on Sleep

The blue-light-blocking eyewear market might hit $5 billion within the forthcoming decade. However, specialists suggest that blue light has its benefits, and your smartphone could be disrupting your sleep for factors that extend beyond mere light exposure.

The sun is a key provider of blue light. Humans are inherently designed to rise when blue-infused daylight enters their vision. Researchers from Oxford indicate that light that reaches the eye aids in aligning the body’s internal clock with the external cycle of light and darkness throughout the day. Exposure to blue light during nighttime can mislead our biological systems, disrupting circadian rhythms that control hunger, hormone release, and sleep. Yet, it’s not the sole type of light creating issues. Melanopsin, the retinal protein that signals to the brain whether it’s day or night, is most responsive to blue light but also reacts to various light types.

Hence, attributing your sleep troubles solely to your phone’s blue light is an oversimplified view. A study from Portugal discovered that blue-light exposure from typical digital devices was less than what individuals receive from natural sunlight, which indicates that timing and bedtime routines are more critical than blue light exposure on its own. Screen brightness, the time of day, length of use, and mental engagement all impact sleep quality. There are measures you can adopt to enhance your sleep – even if you are unwilling to forgo your nighttime rounds of that iPhone word puzzle that’s more challenging than Wordle.

Strategies to minimize blue light and enhance sleep quality

<div class="slide-key image-holder gallery-image-holder credit-image-wrap " data-post-url="https://www.bgr.com/2166962/phone-blue-light-ruining-sleep-expert-opinions/" data-post-title="Is Your Phone's

By
Experts Provide Insights: The Effects of Phone Blue Light on Sleep
Uncategorized

The Decrease in Demand for Laptop Cooling Pads

most individuals are likely utilizing them incorrectly.

The concept behind a cooling pad is to direct cool air towards the laptop to lower its temperature and thereby enhance performance. However, practical tests indicate there’s only a slight enhancement in performance in the majority of cases — certainly not sufficient to accelerate the loading of the entire third act of “Baldur’s Gate 3.” At best, the cooling pad will help cool the laptop to avert overheating, but that is not guaranteed.

That being said, cooling pads may prove beneficial in certain scenarios. Although they might not significantly impact performance, they can be advantageous for older models and specific gaming laptops.

Is a laptop cooling pad ever essential?

<source media="(max-width: 428px)" srcset="https://www.bgr.com/img/gallery/why-almost-no-one-needs-a-laptop-cooling-pad-anymore/is-a-laptop-cooling-pad-ever-necessary-1778154199.sm.webp" type="

By
The Decrease in Demand for Laptop Cooling Pads
Uncategorized

Google Unveils a More Robust Successor to Chromebooks

The Chromebook made its debut to the public in 2011, with the initial commercial models revealed on May 11 and reaching consumers by June 15, 2011. Over the last fifteen years, they have been a fundamental part of the ultrabook market, although some contend they never excelled beyond budget Windows or macOS laptop alternatives.

Built on ChromeOS, a web-centric framework designed for fast boot times, user-friendliness, and budget-friendly hardware, Chromebooks gained popularity alongside cloud technology, storing user information online rather than locally. This allowed for a more lightweight device with diminished dependence on internal storage.

This segment concluded on May 12, 2026, with Google’s launch of the Googlebook — a new series of devices that the search engine titan claims are grounded in the design ethos that “intelligence is the new spec.” In practical application, this translates to a heightened emphasis on AI, which seems to be deeply integrated into the new hardware (timely, as the company recently uncovered hackers utilizing AI to develop a zero-day exploit). There’s also a greater emphasis on seamless integration with Android devices, which means introducing smartphone-like functionalities to your laptop.

Gemini is the new ChromeOS

The incorporation of what Google refers to as Gemini Intelligence into laptops appears to mirror Microsoft’s extensive endeavors to embed Copilot into various aspects of consumer computing in recent years (a strategy they have recently started to retract). The most notable way AI is manifested is through the cursor. Googlebooks will enable users to shake the cursor to activate the new “Magic Pointer,” which provides contextual Gemini integrations for almost anything displayed on the laptop screen. The examples offered by the company in the announcement include clicking a date in an email to arrange a meeting or selecting two pictures to merge them.

Google also highlighted the launch of a feature named Create your Widget. The concept is to consolidate the utility of multiple programs or applications into one accessible by clicking a single desktop widget. Google recommends creating a widget for an upcoming trip, allowing users to quickly visualize itineraries, view airline, hotel, and restaurant bookings, and set reminders all through a single interface.

Blurring the lines between your phone and laptop

Googlebooks focus on encouraging your phone and laptop to integrate more closely, so you don’t need to disrupt your work to access apps and features on your phone. The Googlebook interface will enable you to swiftly access files and applications on your phone from your laptop’s taskbar, eliminating the need to reach for a second device.

Interestingly, the examples Google provides for this tighter integration with Android are primarily actions you can already perform through a browser or existing applications. For instance, the company suggests diving into a Duolingo lesson, but Duolingo is already available via browser, with no need for a smartphone. The announcement also mentions ordering food without grabbing your phone, yet virtually every delivery service, and many restaurants, already permit ordering via a website. There’s also a note about swiftly accessing files on your phone, which is doable on any Windows PC via the built-in Phone Link feature.

Whether Googlebooks signify more of an evolution or a revolution remains uncertain, but we shouldn’t have to wait too long for an answer. The company states it is collaborating with laptop manufacturers like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, with an announcement regarding availability expected this fall. Should you choose to upgrade, we have some suggestions for innovative ways to utilize an outdated Chromebook.

By
Google Unveils a More Robust Successor to Chromebooks
Uncategorized

US Government Lifts Restrictions on Chinese Routers and Drones with Conditions

banned consumer-grade routers manufactured in overseas nations by various brands. Some companies were not impacted. For instance, Netgear obtained an exemption from the FCC, and although newly imported routers are not included, TP-Link routers remain deemed safe for use — and will continue to receive software updates for a period. Sadly, most foreign routers were assigned an expiration date.

What complicates the situation is that previously sanctioned versions of products can still be imported and sold, including drones made abroad. The FCC has just revealed it’s retracting some of its suggested guidelines, extending the timeframe that permits products sold in the U.S. to obtain essential updates. The waivers will now end at the close of 2028, and are applicable until January 1, 2029. This pertains to both foreign-made consumer routers and Chinese drones.

The drawback, of course, is that you still cannot purchase newly imported devices that were prohibited as part of the initial alteration. You will only be able to update and keep using devices that might have been previously disabled due to their initially intended expiration on March 1, 2027.

What does this actually imply for the affected devices?

<picture id="pdaadcd16988b8e48

By
US Government Lifts Restrictions on Chinese Routers and Drones with Conditions
Uncategorized

How the PlayStation Lawsuit Resolution Might Reimburse Your Digital Wallet

PSN Digital Games Settlement site and reach out to the administrators to ask for a paper check instead.

The cutoff date to do this is August 27, 2026. If you wish to opt out, enabling you to possibly pursue your own lawsuit, you need to send in a manual exclusion request by July 2, 2026. As for the amount you will receive, no specific figure has been provided yet. Approximately 25% of the $7.85 million settlement pool will be allocated for attorneys’ fees, with the remainder going to class members. An additional £2 billion lawsuit has been initiated against PlayStation in the U.K. and is currently in progress.

Which games are eligible for the settlement?

<source media="(max-width: 428px

By
How the PlayStation Lawsuit Resolution Might Reimburse Your Digital Wallet
Uncategorized