Karlis Dambrans/Shutterstock Data centers are a hot topic, especially with AI creeping into almost everything. Artificial intelligence is built into smartphones, computers and smart TVs and requires a lot of energy. Every time a user performs a search using an AI chatbot like Claude, ChatGPT, or Copilot, the AI data centers use water and electricity to perform that search, which adds up to a significant amount of money. This may cause problems for local residents in the form of increased bills and potentially a significant amount of e-waste, but a…
Author: Alexander Price
Google Google on Wednesday unveiled its latest flagship Android smartphones, the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Among the expected chip and camera upgrades is a major throwback: the notification light is back. It’s called HiLight, a set of ambient LEDs built around the camera flash on Pro models that glow in color to alert you when your phone is face down. The notification LED was once a standard feature on Android phones before manufacturers phased it out in favor of always-on…
Karlis Dambrans/Shutterstock Getting a new Google Pixel phone is a truly exciting experience, whether you’re unboxing the latest and greatest flagship in the lineup or simply installing a refurbished older generation model. Out of the box, Google’s mix of hardware and software delivers an incredibly clean Android user experience that everyone can enjoy. But to get the most out of these devices, however, you should not stick to the default out-of-the-box setup. By enabling a handful of features, you can make your Pixel a more useful and powerful phone. If…
Despite the success we’ve seen around Apple’s AirTag system, we’ve never had a real Android-based alternative. Of course, we’ve seen a few options like Tile’s trackers and the Samsung SmartTag. While these options were solid overall, Tile trackers required users to rely on the Tile or Life360 apps, while Samsung SmartTags required a Samsung device unless you were using a third-party tracking app. However, Google finally appears to be closing this gap with the recently announced Pixel Tag, which will pair with almost every Android phone and can be tracked through Android’s upgraded Find…
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan today granted Apple a one-day stay in its legal fight with Epic Games, giving Apple more time to hammer out what fees it wants to charge developers for links to purchase options on the web. Just yesterday, the US District Court for the Northern District of California denied Apple’s request for a stay of proceedings, giving Apple 24 hours to present its fee proposal. Apple then filed an emergency brief with the Supreme Court, arguing that the fee calculation should be suspended until the justices hear the case and rule on the contempt ruling.…
Google Google’s Pixel 11 series arrived with the kind of technical changes you’d expect from an annual refresh. The device offers Google’s new Tensor G6 chip, larger camera sensors, and brighter displays. The Pixel 11 lineup consists of four phones. The Pixel 11 starts at $899, the Pixel 11 Pro at $1,099, the Pixel 11 Pro XL at $1,299, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at $1,899 – each $100 more than the equivalent Pixel 10 model started last year. All four go on sale on August 20, launching with…
Apple has hired former American Airlines executive vice president Nick Gatten as its new vice president of government affairs, reports Bloomberg. Gatten will assume some of the duties of Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Katherine Adams, who is retiring at the end of 2026. Gatten will report to Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel Jennifer Newstead, with Adams remaining available in an advisory role until October 1. Bloomberg says Gatten is a Republican who Apple believes would be able to align with the Trump administration. He previously worked at Fannie Mae, where he led a team interacting with…
Design Topuria/Shutterstock Android Auto apps help users stay focused on driving, but some still wish there was more of Google’s vehicle platform. Google intentionally limits things to basic apps, like navigation, messaging, and music apps, for security reasons. And while this strict approach is great for that, it locks out all sorts of other apps you might use in your car when you’re safely parked. However, if you’re willing to spend a few minutes tinkering with the settings, you can easily download other apps to your vehicle’s screen (for example,…
Digital wallets aren’t perfect, but that shouldn’t stop you from using them. Shih-wei/Getty Images In about a decade, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Wallet have gone from niche options at cutting-edge companies to payment methods accepted almost everywhere. You’re encouraged to fill out your virtual wallet with credit cards when setting up a new phone, and almost every major card company participates. There is no “best” digital wallet to use, as the ones you have depend on your devices. Apple Pay is the option on the company’s platforms; on Android, it’s Google Wallet. Samsung…
You don’t need to monitor the cache, but clearing it can be helpful when apps start misbehaving. Rohane Hamilton/Shutterstock Your iPhone’s cache is a collection of data stored to speed up operations instead of loading fresh information every time. For example, if a website has a huge banner at the top, your browser may cache it. Then the next time you visit that page, it will load the banner from cache instead of wasting time downloading it again. Cache generally doesn’t use enough space to be a concern, and it helps apps run more efficiently because…