AI
* Google is testing a new "Lecture" Audio Overview mode in NotebookLM that can produce roughly 30-minute, single-host lectures. * The mode appears alongside Deep Dive, Brief, Critique and Debate and pairs with a "Long" length option. * A language selector and a British English narration voice (expected 2026)
Games
* Walkabout Mini Golf, Arken Age, Meta Neural Band and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City top UploadVR’s 2025 awards. * VitruviusVR wins Best VR Developer for Arken Age; Arken Age is VR Game of the Year. * Meta Neural Band (with Meta Ray-Ban Display) takes Best New Hardware for practical sEMG
Gadgets
* Key takeaways: * Maingear and other prebuilt vendors are offering PCs without RAM as DDR5 prices spike. * AI-driven demand and tighter allocation have pushed DDR5 costs and created scarce inventory. * BYO (bring-your-own) RAM reduces upfront cost but requires customers to check compatibility and speeds. * Expect memory supply pressure to persist into
AI
• Key Takeaways: * A UX lead at a generative AI image startup says repeated image-generation sessions triggered a manic bipolar episode and psychosis. * She spent up to nine hours a day prompting early 2023-era image models, then became obsessed with AI depictions of herself. * The experience illustrates a potential digital-addiction pathway
Gadgets
* Key Takeaways: * Samsung’s 2026 Odyssey lineup includes the Odyssey 3D G90XH: a 32-inch 6K monitor with glasses-free 3D and eye-tracking. * The Odyssey G6 G60H claims a "world’s first" 1,040Hz refresh rate (HD), with 1440p running up to 600Hz; AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync supported. * Additional
Gadgets
* Key Takeaways: * A livestreamed durability test of the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold showed hinge failure after roughly 144,984 folds. * Audible creaks were first reported at 61,212 and again at 120,157 folds before catastrophic hinge problems. * Samsung rates the TriFold for 200,000 folds in lab testing; real-world
Gadgets
* Key takeaways * Rumors from The Information say the iPhone Fold will have a 5.3‑inch outer (cover) display, smaller than the discontinued 5.4‑inch iPhone mini. * Apple appears to favor a roughly 4:3 inner panel, prioritizing the unfolded, tablet-like experience over a large cover screen. * A smaller
Gadgets
• Key Takeaways: • A Korean YouTube channel, OMG_electronics, ran a continuous fold/unfold torture test on the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold. • The TriFold showed creaking at ~61,000 folds, second-hinge issues by ~121,000, and hinge elasticity gave way around 144,000–150,000 folds. • Samsung claims a 200,000-fold
Gadgets
• Key Takeaways: * A 1:1 iPhone Fold replica is available to 3D print on MakerWorld, uploaded by user Subsy. * The mockup is based on rumored dimensions for Apple’s foldable iPhone (roughly 5.4–5.5 inches closed, 7.6–7.76 inches open). * The design appears inspired by earlier
AI
• Elon Musk’s political ascent and collapse reshaped US tech-government ties and hit Tesla sales. • AI drove the biggest corporate investments and a global datacenter and chip buildout led by Nvidia, Google and Microsoft. • Major tech firms aligned with the Trump administration on regulation and policy, altering company priorities like
Games
• Key Takeaways: * Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty and founder of Respawn Entertainment, has died at 55. * Electronic Arts announced his death but did not disclose a cause; EA called his influence “profound and far-reaching.” * Zampella helped build a franchise that has sold more than 500 million copies since
Cloud
• New subscribers get 50% off Google One annual plans for a limited time. • 2 TB Premium drops to $49.99 for the first year; Google AI Pro is $99.99 first year. • AI Pro includes Gemini 3 Pro higher limits, 2 TB storage, Google Home Premium Standard and YouTube add-on