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Android 17 starts hitting Pixel phones and watches today

16 June 2026 at 19:00

Android 17 has been in testing since early this year, with the final beta hitting devices just a couple of weeks ago. Insofar as a mature operating system like Android still has big days, this is one of them. The official Android 17 build is starting its rollout on Pixel phones, adding a small set of new features and laying the groundwork for the future. This release also coincides with a Pixel Drop and a new version of Wear OS (based on Android 17) on Pixel Watches.

Google no longer uses an unmodified version of Android on its phones—the Pixel build includes numerous features that are distinct from Android 17 itself. Other device makers will include versions of some of these features when they eventually update their phones, but for now, Google's Pixel phones are the only way to experience Android 17.

The multitasking Bubbles system in Android 17 expands on a similar (but underutilized) messaging feature. In Android 17 on Pixels, you can long-press on any app icon to open that app as a floating window. When minimized, these bubbles stay on top of other apps. On foldable phones, the bubbles dock into a "bubble bar" for easy multitasking.

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© Ryan Whitwam

Android 17 starts hitting Pixel phones and watches today

16 June 2026 at 19:00

Android 17 has been in testing since early this year, with the final beta hitting devices just a couple of weeks ago. Insofar as a mature operating system like Android still has big days, this is one of them. The official Android 17 build is starting its rollout on Pixel phones, adding a small set of new features and laying the groundwork for the future. This release also coincides with a Pixel Drop and a new version of Wear OS (based on Android 17) on Pixel Watches.

Google no longer uses an unmodified version of Android on its phones—the Pixel build includes numerous features that are distinct from Android 17 itself. Other device makers will include versions of some of these features when they eventually update their phones, but for now, Google's Pixel phones are the only way to experience Android 17.

The multitasking Bubbles system in Android 17 expands on a similar (but underutilized) messaging feature. In Android 17 on Pixels, you can long-press on any app icon to open that app as a floating window. When minimized, these bubbles stay on top of other apps. On foldable phones, the bubbles dock into a "bubble bar" for easy multitasking.

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© Ryan Whitwam

Android 17 arrives on Pixel phones today

16 June 2026 at 19:00
Floating Bubble windows are among the biggest changes in the OS update. | Image: Google

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 …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple 2027 rumors: AirPods with cameras for AI and the second folding iPhone

16 June 2026 at 18:04
AirPods Pro 3 shown with an iPhone and live translation features. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

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 …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Nothing’s Ear (a), our favorite budget earbuds, are cheaper than ever ahead of Prime Day

16 June 2026 at 17:10
A photo of new earbuds from Nothing.
The yellow pair are on sale too. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you’re looking for a cheap Father’s Day gift that delivers more than you’d expect for the price, Nothing’s Ear (a) are a good option. The wireless earbuds are currently on sale as part of a larger early Prime Day sales event, making them an even better value than usual. Right now, you can buy them at Amazon in black complete with Nothing’s slick translucent charging case for $53.20 ($47 off), which marks a new all-time low. You can also buy them in yellow (Amazon, Nothing) and white (Amazon, Nothing) for just $3 more.

The Nothing Ear (a) are one of our favorite affordable pairs of wireless earbuds, and for good reason. They offer a surprising number of features for their price, including a low-latency gaming mode that helps reduce lag while playing games. Nothing phone owners can also access ChatGPT with a quick pinch gesture, while support for multipoint Bluetooth pairing lets you stay connected to two devices at once. The earbuds also work with Android Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, making setup quick and painless.

More importantly, they nail the essentials. The earbuds deliver expressive, enjoyable sound, while offering noise cancellation to cut down on distractions. Nothing has also improved voice call performance with AI-powered voice isolation, which helps your voice come through more clearly in noisy environments. Three sizes of silicone ear tips are included to help you find a secure fit, while their IP54 rating provides protection against sweat and light rain. Battery life is solid, too, lasting up to eight hours before you need to recharge.

Read our hands-on impressions of the Nothing Ear (a)

More good deals from Nothing’s sale:

Nothing CMF Buds 2A

The CMF Buds 2A deliver decent sound and noise cancellation. They also offer useful extras like customizable EQ settings, multipoint connectivity, and IP54 water and dust resistance.

Where to Buy:

Nothing Headphone A

Nothing’s second over-ear headphones may not offer everything found on the pricier Nothing Headphone 1, but you do get physical controls, good sound, and more than five days of battery life per charge. Their design is also a bit more discreet, for better or worse. Read our review.
The Nothing Headphone A with its carrying bag, 3.5mm cable, and USB-C cable on a wooden desk with an iPhone nearby.

Where to Buy:

Commodore’s newest gadget is a flip phone that blocks social media and browsers

16 June 2026 at 10:00

The next gadget to bear the storied Commodore branding will be a flip phone.

The name behind the bestselling desktop PC in history came back about a year ago. Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson, best known for running the Retro Recipes (now known as Retro Recipes x Commodore) YouTube channel, acquired the Commodore Corporation and "100 percent of the original and official trademarks that defined the Commodore name since 1983,” per a July 2025 press release. Simpson said the price was “in the low seven figures.” Since the acquisition, the brand released the Commodore 64 Ultimate and the Commodore 64X PC, a mini PC housed in a chassis that resembles the Commodore 64.

Today, the new Commodore announced a new device in a dated design: a flip phone.

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© Commodore

The Commodore Callback 8020 Is a Digital Detox Phone That Isn’t Dumb

16 June 2026 at 10:00
With a retro look and T9 texting, the Commodore Callback 8020 smart flip phone taps into the nostalgic yearning for simpler days. It can run Spotify and Uber, but Instagram is blocked.

Trump's 'Made In the USA' Phone Is Just a Reskinned HTC U24 Pro

By: BeauHD
15 June 2026 at 20:00
Longtime Slashdot reader necro81 writes: The heavily promoted, $499 T1 "Trump Phone" was originally said to be "Made in the USA" and ship in September 2025. Later, that was downgraded to "Assembled in the USA." Given the Trump Organization's lack of engineering or supply chain expertise, many assumed the "T1" would just be a private-label phone made by someone else. After a number of delays, the first phones are finally shipping. iFixit has performed a teardown and concluded that the T1 is a just gold-painted 2024 HTC U24 Pro -- a device from a Taiwanese company, probably using mainland China design and supply chains. In collaboration with NBC News, the iFixit team examined both phones using CT scans, side-by-side teardowns, and even reassembled a working T1 using a U24 Pro main board. As for "assembled in the USA," that may be true, in the same sense that your phone's repairman can "assemble" a phone from a handful of subassemblies sourced from someone else. Or it may have been assembled in Guangdong, China like the other U24 Pros. iFixit sums it up: "What you have is not an 'American-Proud Design,' but a phone designed in China, made in China, with the vast majority of parts sourced from China. I'm failing to find any stirring of American pride within me. I've certainly felt it before, so I can confirm that it is absent at this time." Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs on YouTube also published a comprehensive video of his experience ordering, unboxing, and tearing down the phone. "From pre-order emails landing in Gmail spam thanks to botched DMARC records, to paying for the $47.45 Trump Mobile 47 Plan over the phone, the entire buying experience was a disaster worthy of its own review," writes Nelson.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Hidden texting flaws let attackers impersonate contacts on iPhones and Androids

15 June 2026 at 16:31

A major security flaw that allowed attackers to impersonate other people in text message conversations has finally been fixed across the United States, thanks to the work of computer scientists at the University of California San Diego. The vulnerability affected both Android and iPhone users and involved nearly all major wireless carriers, including Verizon, T-Mobile, […]

The post Hidden texting flaws let attackers impersonate contacts on iPhones and Androids appeared first on Knowridge Science Report.

Happy birthday to the Trump phone

15 June 2026 at 15:15
Photo of a sheet cake featuring a man holding the Trump Mobile phone.

From the day it was announced, on June 16th, 2025, the Trump phone sounded ridiculous. The T1 Phone 8002 (gold version), as it was officially called, was a combination of contradictory specs, product images that were clearly not photographs of a real phone, and the worrying requirement of a $100 deposit to secure a preorder of a $499 phone with no release date. But none of Trump Mobile's outlandish announcements were as bold as the claim that the phone would be "designed and built in the United States."

The US has next to no phone manufacturing infrastructure, few engineers with the required expertise, and little of the affordable, flexible …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Honor’s Magic V6 sets three foldable firsts

15 June 2026 at 12:00
The crease isn’t quite invisible, but otherwise this feels like the complete foldable package — on the hardware side at least.

On paper, the Honor Magic V6 sounds like a tremendous leap forward for foldable phones: It's the thinnest one yet, with the biggest battery, and the best water-resistance ever. In practice, only the bigger battery feels like a meaningful improvement. The other upgrades are only fractionally superior to what came before.

This isn't entirely Honor's fault. It's getting harder to make a foldable phone stand out; even last year's offerings felt like complete flagship phones. Huawei's Pura X Max stood out for its odd new aspect ratio, which we're expecting to see both Samsung and Apple replicate later this year. Then there are the trifolds, whic …

Read the full story at The Verge.

UK Scientists See Little Evidence for Claims Smartphones Are Rewiring Kids' Brains

14 June 2026 at 22:35
UK's Members of Parliament (MP) were "looking for proof that smartphones and social media are rotting children's brains," writes The Register — but they got "a less satisfying answer from neuroscientists on Wednesday: nobody can really prove it." Appearing before the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee this week, three researchers spent much of the session explaining that concern and evidence are not quite the same thing. Asked what evidence exists on the impact of digital devices on infants and young children, Professor Denis Mareschal, director of the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck, replied: "There is very little, if any, causal research in the early years. Almost everything is correlational." MPs kept coming back to the question — and the experts kept coming back to the same answer. When questioned about social media's impact on adolescents, Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the University of Cambridge was equally cautious. "What evidence do we have of the impact of digital devices or social media on the adolescent brain?" she asked. "Almost nothing. There are a few small studies, but they haven't been replicated, and they're purely correlational...." MPs also wanted to know whether neuroscience could settle one of the liveliest arguments in the debate: how old a child should be before they're allowed onto social media. "What neuroscience can't do is pinpoint a precise age," Blakemore said. "The individual differences in brain development are vast...." If there was a takeaway from the hearing, it was that concern about digital childhood is running well ahead of the evidence needed to settle the argument.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Bose’s latest QuietComfort Ultra are $70 off, marking a new low price 

13 June 2026 at 17:00
Bose's second-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones
Bose’s latest QuietComfort Ultra headphones fold down for easy storage. | Image: Bose

If you’re planning on traveling anytime soon, Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones are a great companion for long flights and train rides. Not only do they offer excellent noise cancellation, but they also retain the foldable design of their predecessor, making them easy to pack in a carry-on. They’re even easier to recommend today, now that they’ve dropped to a new low price of $379 ($70 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. 

Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (second-gen)

Where to Buy:

The over-ears improve upon their predecessor with better noise cancellation and support for lossless audio over a USB-C cable, allowing you to enjoy higher-quality sound from compatible devices. Bose also added a new Cinema Mode that helps make movies and TV shows feel more immersive while making dialogue easier to hear, along with an improved transparency mode that surpasses the predecessor’s capabilities of reducing sudden loud noises. Battery life is better too, with the headphones lasting up to 30 hours on a single charge — a six-hour increase over the first-generation model. 

Bose has also added a few other conveniences, including the ability to automatically enter a low-power standby mode when stored in the included case or laid flat. Plus, the headphones automatically power on and reconnect to a paired device when you put them on. At the same time, the new model retains soft ear cups and a comfortable, lightweight design that’s easy to wear for hours a time. Support for multipoint Bluetooth pairing remains as well, allowing you to stay connected to two devices simultaneously, so you can watch a video on your laptop and answer calls from your phone.

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