An iPad-like tabletop device, Apple’s reported take on Echo Show and Nest Hub-style touchscreen devices, might still happen. According to Bloomberg, it could debut as soon as 2026, with a thin robotic arm that moves around a large display. In my mind, it’ll look like a mid-00s piece of technology, like something from Portal or I, Robot.
Google’s big Pixel event was packed with phones, and the company has redesigned them all. No more Cyclops camera band, now it’s an Among Us camera oval. That’s across all the Pixels (barring the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold). There are new flattened sides and softer corners, making these phones look more like iPhones than ever before.
Finally, it’s here. Google’s big hardware press event kicks off later today, and it looks to be an almost entirely Pixel-based affair, with more phones than ever.
I’m a huge Taskmaster fan. The UK TV show pits five comedians (or funny-adjacent celebrities) against ridiculous tasks that are then arbitrarily scored by the titular taskmaster.
Given that the tasks involve lateral thinking and physical movement, on paper, the TV show was ripe for a VR spin-off. Think Job Simulator with added jeopardy, in-jokes and British whimsy. Unfortunately, Taskmaster VR doesn’t deliver on the fun and charm of the show. Two points.
Eli Roth’s Borderlands movie adaptation sounds like a recipe for a solid sci-fi romp: Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett as the wise-cracking gunslinger Lilith; Jack Black as the quippy Claptrap; and even Jamie Lee Curtis.
Just in time for summer vacation jealousy baiting, Instagram has doubled the number of photos and videos users can share in a carousel post, from 10 to 20. In a way, this harkens back to the late 2000s era of photo dumps on Facebook, probably involving an SD card from your digital camera. The update is rolling out to all Instagram users worldwide from today.
Just remember: Comparison is the thief of joy.
— Mat Smith
Humane’s universally derided AI Pin (“the solution to none of technology’s problems”) is not exactly flying off store shelves, according to internal sales documents published by The Verge. Worse, returns are apparently outpacing purchases.
A federal judge ruled that Google has illegally abused its monopoly over the search industry. The ruling follows a 10-week trial held in 2023, which followed a 2020 lawsuit.
Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in the ruling that the company had acted “to maintain its monopoly.”
The Morning After: Meta is reportedly offering millions to get Hollywood voices into its AI projects
According to Bloomberg and The New York Times, Meta is in talks with the likes of Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina and Dame Judi Dench, among others, for its AI projects.
Thanks to a string of leaks and Google’s own teases — usually following said leaks — we know we’ll get the official reveal of the Pixel 9 lineup.
The Pixel 9 and 9 Pro will be straight-up successors to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro but rumors suggest Google will add a Pixel 9 Pro XL, with a larger screen. All three of the phones are expected to have a redesigned, chonky camera module and possibly even a new chipset.